Bob Dylan Apologizes for Machine Printed Signatures; Handwritten Lyric Sheet for “Desolation Row” On Sale for $425,000

According to brooklyvegan.com singer Bob Dylan has sent an apology after the publishing company  Simon and Schuster openly  admitted that the limited edition copies of Dylan’s book, The Philosophy of Modern Song, did not have Dylan’s hand-written signature from him but instead it had a replica signature made by an autopen machine.

Also  Simon and Schuster included notes from CEO Jonathan Karp with the limited books, which states “You hold in your hands something very special, one of just 900 copies available in the U.S., The Philosophy of Modern Song signed by Bob Dylan,” and continuing with, “This letter is confirmation that the copy of the book you hold in your hand has been hand-signed by Bob Dylan,” issued refunds of $600 to people who bought the book.

In a statement Dylan clarifies why the autopen machine was used and how he is doing everything in his power to correct the issue.  The full statement can be found at the end of the article.

“The idea of using auto-pen was suggested. Along with the assurance that this kind of thing is done ‘all the time’ in the art and literary worlds. Using a machine was an error in judgment and I want to rectify it immediately. I’m working with Simon & Schuster and my gallery partners to do just that.” said Dylan

Dylan’s Full Statement

To my fans and followers,

I’ve been made aware that there’s some controversy about signatures on some of my recent artwork prints and on a limited-edition of Philosophy Of Modern Song. I’ve hand-signed each and every art print over the years, and there’s never been a problem.

However, in 2019 I had a bad case of vertigo and it continued into the pandemic years. It takes a crew of five working in close quarters with me to help enable these signing sessions, and we could not find a safe and workable way to complete what I needed to do while the virus was raging. So, during the pandemic, it was impossible to sign anything and the vertigo didn’t help. With contractual deadlines looming, the idea of using an auto-pen was suggested to me, along with the assurance that this kind of thing is done ‘all the time’ in the art and literary worlds.

Using a machine was an error in judgment and I want to rectify it immediately. I’m working with Simon & Schuster and my gallery partners to do just that.

With my deepest regrets,
Bob Dylan