Bob Dylan publisher apologises for replica autographs in $600 books

Copies of The Philosophy of Modern Song were sent out with a letter of confirmation that the book was hand signed

Bob Dylan' The Philosophy of Modern Song was released on November 1. Getty Images

Bob Dylan's publisher is offering refunds for a $600 special edition of his new book, The Philosophy of Modern Song, acknowledging that the allegedly “hand-signed” copies were not individually inscribed.

"To those who purchased The Philosophy of Modern Song limited-edition, we want to apologise," Simon & Schuster announced in an Instagram post on Sunday.

"As it turns out, the limited edition books do contain Bob's original signature, but in a penned replica form. We are addressing this immediately by providing each purchaser with an immediate refund."

Simon & Schuster's statement came after days of complaints from customers, who through social media had compared their copies and found the autographs suspiciously alike. The books had arrived with a letter from Simon & Schuster chief executive Jonathan Karp, vouching for the signature's authenticity.

In Karp's letter, he assures readers that the copy they have is "very special" and "one of just 900 copies available in the US" that as signed by the artist.

Autograph collector and Instagram user @agraphaday posted a photo of his copy of the signed book with an image of Karp's letter.

"Anyone else get their 'guaranteed hand signed' #BobDylan book? At least it’s now free," they wrote, tagging Simon & Schuster with the hashtag, "#sham".

The Philosophy of Modern Song, in which Dylan assesses compositions ranging from Hank Williams's Your Cheatin' Heart to Jackson Browne's The Pretender, was published on November 1.

A Dylan spokesperson declined comment Monday.

Additional reporting by AP