Admittedly, I am a fair-weather fan of Bob Dylan. I like some of his songs and I like the history of the time he was making music so I thought I would read up on him to find out a bit more. I probably chose the wrong book.

Don’t get me wrong, All the Songs is a fascinating read but it is definitely for the hardcore Dylan fan. It is for the fan who loves the nuances of his songs. One who can recognise if he is playing his harmonica in a different key or has questioned whether or not there was a someone coughing in the track (believe me, that information is in the book).

I can honestly say I feel more prepared for a question to come up in a quiz about Dylan and further to that, my ability to give a decent shot at answering it. However, if I had known just how detailed this book was going to be I may not have picked it up. If you are a die-hard fan then this needs to be in your collection. If you just like certain songs then maybe just pick it up now and again or just read the information you want to know.

Bob Dylan – All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track by Philippe Margotin and Jean-Michel Guesdon is available now.

Dylan is a classic, an icon, at every iteration of himself. Even if you don't like listening to Dylan, you must appreciate this fact of musical history. Always the poet, he knows how to communicate the present time to an audience of peers. Such a great resource to have every song - but of course it is short those he has written since and is continuing to write (hopefully). This was such a good resource to have on hand as a Dylan fan, that I had to go out and buy a hard copy - even with the pleasure of having an advance digital copy for review via NetGalley.