I’m Sorry I Got Caught

Autographs and original works of art are always collectible. For fans of Bob Dylan, his new book The Philosophy of Modern Song had a special edition: For $600 you could buy an autographed copy complete with a certificate of authenticity from the publisher Simon & Schuster.

So imagine people's ire when they found the autographs were not signed by Dylan but by an Autopen machine. Yeah, I'd be pissed too. Daniel Kreps at Rolling Stone has more.

After initially rejecting requests for a refund, earlier this week, publishers Simon & Schuster said in a statement that they learned “the limited edition books do contain Bob’s original signature, but in a penned replica form. We are addressing this immediately by providing each purchaser with an immediate refund.”

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

Rolling Stone

While Dylan's statement said he was told this was done "all the time" and logistical problems led to him not signing the books by hand, this smells of a non-apology. Even the refusal of refunds by the publisher who GUARANTEED the autograph is genuine is a load of nonsense.

How could Bob Dylan ever think it was okay to do this when seeing all the marketing that the books were hand-signed by him? My guess is whether complicit or not, everyone involved is sorry they got caught. To pay six hundred dollars for a "penned replica" autograph is getting ripped off. Plain and simple.