SEASON’S READINGS : Forgive Them Lord : BOB MARLEY: Spirit Dancer, <i> Photographs by Bruce W. Talamon</i> . <i> Text by Roger Steffens (W.W. Norton: $35; 128 pp.)</i>

The odds might have seemed remote that a young musician from a small country could popularize a relatively unknown style of music to a worldwide audience. The way Bob Marley made Jamaican reggae catch fire, it looked preordained.

Thirteen years after his death from cancer, Bob Marley & the Wailers discs play in coffeehouses and nightclubs throughout the world. His record sales still number in the millions and his music seems as immediate today as when he initially composed it.

His career started slowly but as word spread of his “otherworldly” performances, Marley soon played to hundreds of thousands of fans in coliseums across Europe.

Although music listeners in the United States never quite embraced him with the zeal of the rest of the world, the dreadlocked singer/songwriter became an international superstar and unofficial Caribbean diplomat who carried more political clout than the prime minister of his country.

“Bob Marley: Spirit Dancer,” Bruce W. Talamon’s collection of photographs from his travels with Bob Marley & the Wailers from 1979-1981, documents the Rastaman’s essence. Great shots of dreadlocks, backstage smoke-outs and preconcert sound-checks fill the pages, while more intimate pictures of Marley kicking a soccer ball or spending time with well-wishers provide a glimpse into his offstage passions.

Much of Marley’s songwriting dealt with overcoming oppression. “Emancipate yourself from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds,” he sometimes announced in concert, thereby bonding himself with the common man.

According to the text, written by Roger Steffens, Marley relished the opportunity to greet and chat with fans. After an assassination attempt in Jamaica forced him to flee his native country, Marley occupied three flats in London, so friends would have a place to stay.

In one particularly poignant series of photos, Marley addresses a group of young African men on the beach of Libreville, Gabon. The men apparently sought Marley out and asked him to explain his views on Pan-Africanism. As the men listen with rapt attention, Marley’s outward display of concern shows how unique and effective a communicator he was and, through his recordings, will always be.