Bob Dylan has delivered a rare public statement to apologize for his “misjudgment” in light of the uproar over his use of a machine to sign copies of his new book that were billed as “hand-signed.”
The book, The Philosophy of Modern Song, was published in early November with a limited run of 900 “hand-signed” copies sold for $599 each. Each copy was accompanied by an authentication letter from the publisher Simon & Schuster.
As purchasers began to receive their copies, a number of them published images of their books online, whereupon it was shortly discovered that all had identical signatures.
In a statement, the 81-year-old artist stated that he had hand-signed all of his signatures “throughout the years.” Simon & Schuster issued an apology for the situation last week and offered refunds to dissatisfied customers.
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“As it turns out, the limited edition books contain Bob’s original signature, but in the form of a replica,” they stated on Twitter.
The authenticity of Dylan’s signatures on his art prints, several of which are currently selling for over £12,000 (US$14,500, A$21,500), has also been questioned. Castle Fine Art, a UK art reseller that sells reproductions of Dylan’s paintings, stated that they were “completely unaware of the use of autopen” and discovered that only two lines of prints, both produced this year, were signed using an autopen rather than by hand.
“We can confirm that all previous editions were individually hand-signed by Bob Dylan himself,” they wrote in a statement, offering refunds to purchasers on the condition that they return their initial certificates of authenticity “in exchange for one bearing the autopen signature.”
Autopen usage has been widespread in political circles. In 2011, Barack Obama became the first president of the United States to sign legislation with an autopen.
However, its use by celebrities has sparked additional controversy. This year, admirers have accused Dolly Parton of using an autopen to sign her most recent book. Last year, Sinead O’Connor also revealed using a signature stamp to sign her memoir.
