A few months ago, we established that the lyrics to one Bob Dylan song are worth more than $2 million. Given that precedent, we’d assume that a book containing the lyrics to every song he ever recorded would be worth more money than has ever existed in the world, but apparently Simon & Schuster disagrees. According to The New York Times, the publisher is working on a new book that will collect every Bob Dylan lyric, and it’s going to sell it for the relatively cheap sum of only $200.
The book, which will be titled The Lyrics: Since 1962, will come in at about 960 pages and weigh more than 13 pounds. It will contain the lyrics to every song off of Dylan’s albums—as well as any officially released bootlegs—and a “lengthy, philosophical introduction” written by “British literary scholar” Christopher Ricks. Also, if $200 is too small a price to pay for content that’s available for free on the Internet, the book will also be released in a special $5,000 edition that’s actually signed by Dylan himself. It will also include “a slipcase and gilded pages,” just in case anyone is on the fence and can’t decide if the signature is worth that much money on its own. Jonathan Karp, the president of Simon & Schuster, even told The New York Times that it’s the “biggest, most expensive book” his company has ever published, so it’s the perfect item for any Bob Dylan fan who believes spending a lot of money on material things will finally bring them happiness. Spoiler alert: It will!
Anyway, the publisher hasn’t released any official images of the book, so here’s a list of things that weigh less than 13 pounds that will help you visualize how big it is:
- A 12-pound baby
- A Quarter Pounder from McDonald’s
- A bowling ball
- A 12-pound baby holding a Quarter Pounder
- A book containing the lyrics to every Bob Dylan song except one
- A Quarter Pounder with a bowling ball instead of cheese
- A book containing the lyrics to every Jakob Dylan song
- The hat Bob Dylan is wearing in that picture, probably
- A book containing the lyrics to every song written about Quarter Pounders
- A ghost