Dylan, Bob . CHRONICLES: VOLUME ONE - ISRAEL "IZZY" YOUNG'S EXTENSIVELY ANNOTATED COPY. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2004. First Edition. First Printing. Octavo (22cm); white and gray paper-covered boards, with titles stamped in silver on spine; dustjacket; [6], 299, [1]pp. Mild wear to spine ends, with a handful of tiny spots to upper edge of textblock; Near Fine. Dustjacket is unclipped (priced $24.00), with corresponding light wear to spine ends and corners; Near Fine.

First volume of Dylan's memoirs, this copy from the library of Israel "Izzy" Young," founder and owner of the Folklore Center in Greenwich Village, who gave refuge to a young Bob Dylan when he first came to New York in 1961, and who produced Dylan's first concert there. In Chronicles, Dylan remembers him affectionately on pp.18-22. Extensively annotated throughout by Young, with more than 190 pages annotated and/or with reader's marks by him, providing commentary on Dylan's own observations and other memories of Dylan during his early days in Greenwich Village. This copy bears the following note beneath the first chapter heading: "26 October 2004. This book consists of five parts. I'll read it in five days, not necessarily in order, perhaps in two weeks time - this is my personal copy - with my first thoughts as I read page by page and chapter by chapter. Izzy Young." An additional note in Young's hand on the rear flyleaf states: "October 2004 from Bob Dylan's office." Attempting to weigh the quality of Young's annotations, when read alongside Dylan's words, the reader encounters "a book-within-a-book," the narrative of which vacillates between agreeing and being at odds with Dylan. Facts, dates, corrections, and memories emerge - some clear, others non-linear - all of which serve to provide a unique historical perspective on Dylan and his times from a close friend and insider.

Pasted in at the back of the book is Izzy's computer-generated liner notes to the reissue of Karen Dalton's 1968 LP - Karen a blues singer and guitarist whom Dylan had met and performed with in Denver the summer of 1960 (as described in Chronicles on p. 12). Young's annotations end with a 17-line, 160-word note about Karen Dalton, and his upcoming visit to Seattle to see Dylan and Jeff Rosen [Dylan's lawyer]: "Karen Dalton is not noticed in any of the Dylan biographies, and neither is she named in the scholarly books on folk music. So we [i.e. Dylan and Izzy] are agreed on her and we are alone in this matter. Bob Dylan was sent a copy of the article by Jeff Rosen ... I have no insight as to what will happen there [in Seattle] ... There will be many surprises for me, I am sure of that..."

Also pasted in at the back is a printed email dated April 7, 2005 from Sam Charters asking Izzy to annotate a copy of Dylan's Chronicles for the Charters Music Archive in Storrs, CT: "The reason I ask you to do this annotated edition for the Archive is that I believe you have a unique contribution to make to our understanding of an important era in the development of American popular culture. Because of the close involvement that you and Dylan had ... I feel your annotated copy of the book will be of considerable use to scholars..." 

A unique copy.