Across seven decades, Bob Dylan has been the first singer of American song. As a writer and performer, he has rewritten the national songbook in a way that comes from his own vision and yet can feel as if it belongs to anyone who might listen.

In Folk Music, Greil Marcus tells Dylan��s story through seven of his most transformative songs. Marcus��s point of departure is Dylan��s ability to ��see myself in others.�� Like Dylan��s songs, this book is a work of implicit patriotism and creative skepticism. It illuminates Dylan��s continuing presence and relevance through his empathy��his imaginative identification with other people. This is not only a deeply felt telling of the life and times of Bob Dylan but a rich history of American folk songs and the new life they were given as Dylan sat down to write his own.

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