Bob Dylan in 2009
Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images
Bob Dylan's publisher has apologized to disappointed fans and offered them a refund for the purchase of special editions of Dylan's new book.
The publisher Simon & Schuster admitted that the supposedly "autographed" copies of "The Philosophy of Modern Song" were not individually labeled.
"We would like to apologize to those who purchased the limited edition 'The Philosophy of Modern Song'," Simon & Schuster said in a statement on Instagram on Sunday.
“It turns out the limited edition books do contain Bob's original signature, but in the form of a written replica.
We will take care of it immediately by providing every buyer with an immediate refund.«
Buyers had previously complained for several days.
They had compared their copies on social media and found that the autographs were suspiciously similar.
However, the books were accompanied by a letter from Jonathan Karp, the publisher of Simon & Schuster, in which he vouched for the authenticity of the signature.
According to Variety, only 900 of the special copies were printed — and each cost $599.
Accordingly, the first buyers were delivered their copies on Friday.
After the first photos of the signatures appeared online, the suspicion quickly arose that they had been created with a signing machine.
Such machines can capture and reproduce genuine signatures.
Such signing aids are widespread, especially in the world of celebrities - in collector circles, however, they are frowned upon and such signatures are considered less valuable.
According to Variety, fans are now puzzling over how the publisher came to issue the signatures as genuine.
The Philosophy of Modern Song is Dylan's first work since 2004's Chronicles, Volume One.
The new book contains more than 60 essays about the songs of other musicians, it's about the art of songwriting.
Dylan has been working on the book since 2010.
kko/AP