GUTHRIE, Woody.

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

Bound for Glory. First edition, presentation copy, inscribed on the front free endpaper, "To Louis Jones- All I hope is that you'll find enough fighting in this book to prove Hitler wrong when he called us a nation of sissies. Woody Guthrie". In the inscription, Guthrie characteristically employs the political allusions associated with his American socialism and anti-fascist inclinations. Guthrie's political views were most famously displayed by his guitar sticker, which stated "this machine kills fascists".As one of the most significant figures in American folk music, Guthrie's partially fictionalized autobiography influenced the work of many others, including Bruce Springsteen, Johnny Cash, and John Steinbeck. Bob Dylan said of it: "I went through it cover to cover like a hurricane, totally focused on every word, and the book sang out to me like the radio" (King). After reading it, Dylan quickly envisioned himself on the same path as the "Dust Bowl Troubadour", and during his on stage debut at Cafe Wha? in the Greenwich Village proclaimed, "I been travellin' around the country, followin' in Woody Guthrie's footsteps" (Smith). Dylan took much inspiration from Guthrie in his early work, naming one of the two original compositions on his self-titled debut album Song to Woody. The song met his hero's approval.

Found via Rare Books Intel, a search across rare-book dealers, auction houses and marketplaces worldwide.