# Is "Lyrics, 1962-1985" by Bob Dylan a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Lyrics, 1962-1985 by Bob Dylan (Alfred A. Knopf, 1985) is identified by: US Knopf, 1985; incorporates all of 'Writings and Drawings' plus roughly 120 new pieces, additional full-page illustrations, and an index; ISBN 0-394-54278-9 (9780394542782). US Knopf 1985 is the true first of this expanded compilation.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- US Knopf, 1985; incorporates all of 'Writings and Drawings' plus roughly 120 new pieces, additional full-page illustrations, and an index
- ISBN 0-394-54278-9
- Borzoi imprint with stated 'First Edition'
- Octavo in dust jacket
- Publisher imprint reads Alfred A. Knopf
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Bob Dylan |
| Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf |
| Year | 1985 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | US Knopf, 1985; incorporates all of 'Writings and Drawings' plus roughly 120 new pieces, additional full-page illustrations, and an index |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
US Knopf, 1985; incorporates all of 'Writings and Drawings' plus roughly 120 new pieces, additional full-page illustrations, and an index; ISBN 0-394-54278-9 (9780394542782). Borzoi imprint with stated 'First Edition'. Octavo in dust jacket.

## Is this the true first?
US Knopf 1985 is the true first of this expanded compilation. The UK Jonathan Cape edition follows. Note that some listings loosely call it a 'second edition' because it succeeds the 1973 'Writings and Drawings'; that is a colloquialism for the revision, not a printing state, and the 1985 Knopf printing is the genuine first edition of this expanded text. Dylan-signed copies are scarce but signature is not a point of the trade first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The UK Paladin paperback (ISBN 0586086471) is a reprint. Confirm the Knopf imprint and 1985 date.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Lyrics, 1962-1985* by Bob Dylan a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/lyrics-1962-1985
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.