It was in late 1961, photographer Ted Russell recalls, that he first heard about an up-and-coming young fellow who was coming out with his first album. A freelance photographer on the lookout for good subjects, Russell was intrigued by a rave review from The New York Times of the raw-voiced folk singer. Russell’s subject was a twenty-year-old Bob Dylan, a young folk singer whom nobody knew, and Russell photographed Dylan in 1962.

Bob Dylan: NYC 1961-1964 is a window into the singer/songwriter who would go on to become one of America’s greatest musical treasures: the book contains photos Dylan in his tiny Greenwich Village apartment, writing and practicing; snuggling with girlfriend Suze Rotolo, who later makes an visually iconic appearance on the cover of Dylan’s album Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan; and performing at celebrated folk club Gerde’s.

Bob Dylan: NYC 1961-1964 is an important chronicle of the days just prior to Bob Dylan’s celebrity, and is the perfect gift for both Dylan and rock history fans.