这两张一套的精选辑基本上以1970年分作两个阶段，第一张是从他第二张专辑《The Freewheelin Bob Dylan》里头的两首单曲“Blowin In The Wind“与”Dont Think Twice, Its All Right“开始，一路宛如点兵点将地唱到60年代末期《John Wesley Harding》的出版。接着第二张则从他因车祸受伤后转而向美国乡村音乐致敬的《Nashville Skyline》开始一直到现今两千年为止，整整三十首歌可说是非常仔细地帮乐迷作了一次很简明扼要的介绍巡礼。此外，这次又重新数字混音使得许多音质听来更为清晰，是一张所有乐迷必备典藏的入门经典。

The Essential Bob Dylan is a compilation by Bob Dylan, released as a double-CD set in 2000, part of Columbia Records' "The Essential" series. The Essential Bob Dylan spans from 1963's "Blowin' In The Wind" (taken from The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan) to 1999's "Things Have Changed" (Dylan's Oscar-winning song from the motion picture, Wonder Boys).

The Essential Bob Dylan has proven to be a solid seller in Dylan's catalog, reaching #67 in the US, and peaking at #9 in the UK.

The British and Australian releases include all of the tracks from the US edition plus several more.