Double Dylan (From the Bottom of the Deck)

Every few years I go through an intense Dylan phase.  I listen to the early records, I rewatch Don't Look Back (Pennebaker, 1967)and No Direction Home (Scorsese, 2005), and I hunt around for copies of Tarantula.  I used to see a nice copy every couple of years and sold each one as soon as I got my hands on it.  

Christ, I think it must be a dozen years since I've held one in my hands.  Needless to say, I refuse to buy one online.  If it's meant to be, it'll come my way.  

I went scouting for books on Sunday morning and ended up standing between a man in a trench coat with a bad cough and some chick named Maggie with a face full of black soot.  

Two books caught my eye.  

Michael Gray's Song and Dance Man: The Art of Bob Dylan (Dutton, 1972) was the first full-length critical study of Dylan and his music.  Copies in good shape are a little uncommon and this one was only $4.  I didn't think twice.

The other book was a first edition of Writings and Drawings by Bob Dylan (Alfred A. Knopf, 1973).  This is the first one I've seen that was pink; somewhere I have a copy that's brown.  The book was priced $3.50.

It's worth noting that even though these books were published within a year of each other, a new copy of the Dylan study cost $7.95 in 1972 while a book of Dylan's own lyrics, thick as a college textbook, cost $6.95 in 1972.

Oh me, oh my, love that.