A collection of Bob Dylan’s love letters from his teenage years has recently went up for auction with the starting bid at $250,000. The collection includes 42 handwritten notes, over 150 pages and includes a valentine, that were sent to Barbara Ann Hewitt between the years of 1958 and 1959, when Dylan was 17-18 years old, living in Hibbing, Minn. The sale conductor, RR Auctions, did not reveal the precise contents, however, they did offer a hint at what the letter contain.
The lot description for the auction reads, “Wide-ranging in scope and content, the young Dylan reveals his dreams of changing his name and selling a million records, offers bits and pieces of poetry, and professes his never-ending affection, He prepares for the Hibbing High talent show; invites Barbara to the Buddy Holly show in Duluth; speaks of singing, songwriting, and recording; comments on the cars and clothing of the late 1950s; and writes on the records he’s listening to.”
RR Auctions stated that, The couple met in their high school history class. “On New Year’s Eve, 1957, Barb and Bob had a date to a holiday-season party downstate, in the Twin Cities area, and they fell in love that night,” RR Auctions reported. “January of 1958 saw the beginning of an epistolary correspondence that went on into 1959, and perhaps beyond. Barb’s letters to Bob may or may not survive. This archive is one of the most culturally important of the 20th century we have ever offered, They really give an insight into how he’s going to present himself. It shows that Dylan dreamed all this up, and it all came true – he foresaw it.”
The lot is going to be sold on November 17th, with Dylan keeping copyright of the lyrics and poetry he had written.
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