Dylan tome is music for the eyes

A new book, The Lyrics: Since 1962, will collate every Bob Dylan lyric ever recorded by the iconic singer-songwriter.

The volume, due to be published next month, will run to more than 960 pages, and at 6.1kg, it will retail for $200 (about R2 200). Jonathan Karp, president of Simon and Schuster, said it was "the biggest, most expensive book we've ever published".

Die-hard fans may also be able to get their hands on an extremely limited-edition copy, signed by Dylan himself, which is expected to sell for $5 000.

All of Dylan's songs will be featured chronologically, and the book will include alternative versions from his "bootleg series", and reproductions of all the album covers.

The book's editor, Dylan expert and literary scholar Christopher Ricks, told the New York Times the way in which songs are laid out in the book is meant "to help the eye see what the ear hears".