Dylan's songs sound as if they have been part of the folk music tradition for centuries The Ballad of Bob Dylan examines the influences behind his songs. Through a combination of first hand accounts, reportage and a wealth of interviews with those who have known Dylan for decades The Ballad of Bob Dylan is the fullest picture yet of Dylan's work in the studio. The Ballad of Bob Dylan is a vivid portrait, nuanced and insightful, of the greatest songwriter of the twentieth-century.;Cover; Title Page; Dedication; Acknowledgments; Contents; Part I Washington, D.C., 1963; CHAPTER 1 Lisner Auditorium, December 14, 1963; CHAPTER 2 The Night Bob Dylan Rescued My Sister; CHAPTER 3 The Pauper and the Prince; CHAPTER 4 Spiritual Homing Pigeon; CHAPTER 5 Finding His Voice; PART II Madison Square Garden, 1974; CHAPTER 6 New York, 1974; CHAPTER 7 A Sea Change; CHAPTER 8 Wired for Sound; CHAPTER 9 The Poet in the Garden; CHAPTER 10 Midwinter: An Interlude; PART III Tanglewood, 1997; CHAPTER 11 Young Blood; CHAPTER 12 Finding the Beat; CHAPTER 13 Telling the Story.