''The Bob Dylan Encyclopedia'' is a 2006 compendium of articles written by
Michael Gray covering the life and work of
Bob Dylan. It includes reviews of varying length for each album and numerous songs in Dylan's musical output, but is not just a work of music criticism. The topics for individual articles encompass Dylan's musical forebears, literary influences, personal acquaintances, key career events, musical associates, cultural context, forays into film and writing, and minutiae of all sorts.
Gray's opinions characterize the content found in the ''Encyclopedia''. Gray connects Dylan to the tradition of
country blues, and there are many articles relating to blues music and blues musicians, especially those from the 1920s and 1930s. Gray summarises the life and work of key early
rock and roll performers from the 1950s, as well as entries on influential artists from the fields of
country music and the
folk music revival
A roots revival (folk revival) is a trend which includes young performers popularizing the traditional musical styles of their ancestors. Often, roots revivals include an addition of newly composed songs with socially and politically aware ly ...
. There are also articles on historical figures, ranging from
Robert Browning
Robert Browning (7 May 1812 – 12 December 1889) was an English poet and playwright whose dramatic monologues put him high among the Victorian poets. He was noted for irony, characterization, dark humour, social commentary, historical settings ...
to
Marshall McLuhan
Herbert Marshall McLuhan (July 21, 1911 – December 31, 1980) was a Canadian philosopher whose work is among the cornerstones of the study of media theory. He studied at the University of Manitoba and the University of Cambridge. He began his ...
.
First editions of the ''Encyclopedia'' included a
DVD duplicating its content, making it readable on the
home computer.
References
Books about Bob Dylan
Books about rock music
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