Bob Dylan regrets ‘error in judgment’ in selling machine-signed special edition books

Iconic singer-songwriter Bob Dylan issued a rare public statement Friday night after it was revealed that “hand-signed” copies of a $600 special edition of his new book, “The Philosophy of Modern Song,” were not individually inscribed.

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Dylan, 81, said that he “regrets” making “an error in judgment” by using machine technology to affix duplicate signatures to artwork and books that were advertised and sold as hand-signed copies during the past three years, Variety reported.

Dylan said the autopen signatures were used when he had vertigo in 2019 and continued during the COVID-19 pandemic when he did not have enough staff members to assist him, the entertainment news website reported.

“Using a machine was an error in judgment and I want to rectify it immediately,” Dylan said in his statement, which was posted to his official Facebook account. “I’m working with Simon & Schuster and my gallery partners to do just that.”

Dylan’s signed art prints routinely sell for $3,000 to $15,000, Variety reported.

Simon & Schuster, the publisher of the special edition book, is offering refunds, The Associated Press reported.

The 2016 Nobel laureate’s book has 66 chapters about 66 of his favorite songs by artists including Nina Simone, Elvis Presley, Willie Nelson, the Clash, the Who and his childhood hero, Little Richard, according to the Los Angeles Times. Only 900 of the $600 limited editions were available in the U.S., and each arrived with a letter from Jonathan Karp, CEO of Simon & Schuster, that served as “confirmation that [each] copy has been hand-signed by Bob Dylan.”

Some of the books have already been refunded this week by Simon & Schuster, Variety reported.

A gallery that has specialized in selling Dylan art prints, British-based Castle Galleries, issued a statement Saturday and said it was “reaching out to each and every one of our collectors who purchased any print from the (pertinent) editions to offer a solution to fully rectify the matter.”

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1961 NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 1961: Bob Dylan wearing a motorcycle hat playing harmonica into a microphone in Columbia Recording Studio for a session in September 1961 in New York City, New York. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) (Michael Ochs Archives)

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