A critically-acclaimed examination of Bob Dylan's lyrics as poetry, through the prism of the 7 Deadly Sins

'I consider myself a poet first and a musician second'
'It ain't the melodies that're important man, it's the words'

There is no shortage of books about Bob Dylan. This one, however, is unique in its approach and the virtuosity of its execution.

Ricks examines Dylan's songs through the biblical concepts of the seven deadly Sins, the four cardinal Virtues and the three Heavenly Graces. He does so with what one critic has described as 'an ultimately irresistible combination of laser-like intelligence with a fan's exuberant idolatry'.

"Ricks's writing on Dylan is the best there is" - * New Yorker *

"The rewards are just as one would expect: a bracing attention to artfulness, a wonderful sensitivity to nuance, and a particularly brilliant sympathy with the purpose and effect of Dylan's rhymes" - * Guardian *

"Everything Ricks has to say about Dylan is original. He is a critic who seems to be talking to you from within the work. He can turn the smallest niche in a poem into a vast cathedral of resonance and implication." - * Sunday Times *

"A great case has been made by a great critic (Christopher Ricks) that a great lyricist - Bob Dylan - is, in fact, a poet" - * New York Review of Books *

"Bob Dylan is fast becoming rock's equivalent of James Joyce" - * Observer *

"Compelling, convincing and challenging work of literary scholarship." - * Sunday Herald *

"Structured around the concepts of sin, virtue and grace, Ricks's close reading and imaginative cross-referencing will indeed uncover meanings in Dylan's songs that would never have occured to you." - * Daily Telegraph *

"Zips along with irrepressible good humour. . . Ricks's work has the lustre of a lifetime of engagement with greatness." - * Financial Times *

"Fascinating, there are wonderfully penetrating and illuminating moments to be found. I was never less than stimulated and frequently stirred." - * Sunday Telegraph *

"Ricks is an exemplar of the diminishingly seen art of "close reading", and explicator of Milton, Keats, Tennyson and Eliot. . . Such clockwork analysis never seems to drain Dylan's work of its vitality, but rather to renew a listener's amazement. . . In doing so he's found the songs all the more extraordinary, not wanting in any measure. . . Ricks's book leads you back to Dylan's music, no small virtue." - * New York Times Book Review *

"A serious-minded and forensic examination of Dylan's use of language, image and onomatopoeia." - * Hot Press *