Simon & Schuster has acknowledged that the recently sold limited edition copies of Bob Dylan’s newest book contained replica autographs.
Priced at $599 (£420) per copy, each copy of The Philosophy of Modern Song had supposedly been hand-signed by the “Blowin’ in the Wind” singer himself. The publisher had even included certificates of authenticity with each order.
Although, once customers began receiving their books on Friday 18 November, some began comparing photos of their copies.
They soon came to the realisation that 17 variations of Dylan’s signatures had been recreated using an autopen, an automated signing device.
When fans requested refunds, the publisher initially refused, insisting that they were indeed hand-signed.
However, within 48 hours, Simon & Schuster sent out emails to customers on Sunday (20 November) apologising for the “mistake” and offering them a full refund.
According to Variety, customers were also told that they could keep the copy at no cost.
The publisher later tweeted: “To those who purchased the Philosophy of Modern Song limited edition, we want to apologise.
“As it turns out, the limited edition books do contain Bob’s original signature, but in a penned replica form,” adding: “We are addressing this information by providing each purchaser with an immediate refund.”
The Philosophy of Modern Song contains Dylan’s commentary on 66 modern songs by other artists and is available for purchase now.
Most recently, a collection of 42 love letters handwritten by Dylan to his high school girlfriend sold at a Boston auction for nearly $670,000 (£563,000).
