How Many Roads: A Life of Bob Dylan

About this book

Exploring Bob Dylan’s career, recordings, and life to the present day, a portrait of an artist constantly seeking freedom and artistic control. How Many Roads chronicles Bob Dylan’s rise from apprenticeships in Minneapolis cafés and Greenwich Village folk clubs to international stardom as a breathtakingly original songwriter and singer. Scott Peeples follows Dylan through decades of radical shifts in his writing, recording, and performing styles, from the intimate lo-fi Basement Tapes to the musical collage art and apocalyptic blues of the twenty-first century. Spanning Dylan’s entire career, How Many Roads illuminates Dylan’s deep respect for tradition alongside his artistic restlessness, a combination that extends into his prose writing, filmmaking, and visual art. Weaving lucid analyses of Dylan’s major albums and live performances into a briskly paced biographical narrative, Peeples offers newcomers and Dylan diehards alike a fresh perspective on the most compelling and challenging popular performer of our time.

Details

Format

Hardcover

ISBN-13

9781836392590

Publisher

Reaktion Books

Published

October 12, 2026

Pages

360

Weight

24.8 oz

Subject

Music