The 2nd edition of The Rough Guide to Bob Dylan is an indispensable guide to the artist's life and music. More than half of this book's 300 pages are biographical, starting with his early years in Hibbings Michigan, his successful entry into the folk music world of Greenwich Village, his rapid development as a musician, his growth into international fame, and the highs and lows of his life and career from the 1980s and onward. More comprehensive than a biography, this work also discusses each of his albums in turn (their contents, context, and influence), 50 "great" Dylan songs, the unreleased bootlegs, his poetry and movies, and numerous other aspects of Dylan's influence on popular culture and the world of music.

While there are more definitive Dylan biographies available, this book is more broad and detailed in scope than any other reference work on Bob Dylan available. It follows the excellent Rough Guide tradition of offering an account that is both entertaining reading and a comprehensive reference work. Anyone who has ever been intrigued, entertained, or perplexed by the Dylan phenomenon, and anyone even mildly curious about this extra/ordinary figure should own this book. ( )