Robert Shelton’s book Bob Dylan: No Direction Home is the only firsthand account of the beginnings of the world-famous songwriter’s career. Shelton was the first to recognize Dylan’s talent and wrote about him in the New York Times. He remained friends with Dylan until the late 1970s and wrote his book with Dylan’s consent and collaboration. Dylan also allowed Shelton to speak with his parents, brother, and friends and provided him with a number of interviews. Shelton completed the book after twenty years. It was first published in 1986 in a much shorter form than the author intended. The editor of the current version, Elizabeth Thompson, published his original long text in 2011 to mark Dylan’s seventieth birthday. Today’s version of the book, with a large number of photographs, is shorter and describes not only the beginnings of Dylan’s career but also analyzes his lyrics, albums, development, transformations, and personality.