Elvisin Print

Fifty poems by twenty-seven American writers. Modern, free-verse poetry, occasionally relying on profanity and vulgarity. Highlights are Thom Gunn's two contributions (1957 and 1982) and several poems by Fleda Brown Jackson. Not the sort of poetry found in fan mags and not for lovers of meter and rhyme.

Would-be Elvis impersonators (and quite a few who already think they are!) should delight in the tips that Rick Marino, president of the Elvis Impersonators International Association, presents in this handbook, covering all aspects of the impersonators trade. Note that the book is not about Elvis himself, though it does contain a number of photos of the real thing (and plenty of impersonators), along with a few basic facts and anecdotes.

This is a so-called "Paperback Audio" release, a sort of paperback on cassette. The card with which the cassette is delivered (in one of those horrible plastic bubbles) announces, "Solve a murder mystery on your way home from work!", but I suspect this refers to one of the other titles sold in this fashion... As the package is not opened, I have not listened to the tape, but the blurb on the back invites you to, "Listen to never before released interviews with Elvis and the people who knew him best..." Perhaps I should open the package after all!

Excellent little book, presenting a totally new perspective on Elvis and, more especially his fans, using graffiti quotes from the wall at Graceland. With good foreword by Vernon Chadwick and wonderful introduction by Robert Gordon, both authors of Elvis books. Graffiti quotes are interspersed with a few short, but highly readable texts. And as the author so rightly says, "That's what Elvis fans have in common with the man who called Graceland home: they know how to rebel in style." Ten out of ten!

More about Dewey than Elvis, of course, being the biography of Dewey Phillips, the deejay on the Red, Hot and Blue radio programme, who first played Elvis's "That's All Right" over the air. Amazing how Dewey Phillips, Sam Phillips and Elvis Presley managed to be in Memphis at the same time, ready to change the world. A tragic tale, however, but one that puts things into context and should please.

Greek book made up of excerpts from other books, including Goldman's, and newspaper/magazine articles. Plenty of photos, which are easier to understand than the text! XAIRE!

Excellent look at similar backgrounds and influences of two of rock'n'roll's truly greats, Elvis and Buddy Holly. Was destiny involved? Did they meet? (Yes!) Enthusiastically written by someone who is clearly knowledgeable about rock'n'roll and a fan of both artists. Well illustrated, too, with some new pics of both artists! Publisher's site

Fiction or prediction? A spoof or serious? I don't know, so I've classified this book under "Other". Every weird idea concerning Elvis is presented as "a series of prophetic warnings and messianic imperatives" -- not my own description, but that used on the back cover.

Pleasant pot-pourri of anecdotes and images from throughout Elvis's career. Most of the colour pics are from 1970's concerts, but there are others, too, and the black and whites are from other periods and are particularly interesting. Lightweight, old-fashioned fan material. Good stuff.

Book conceived as a scrap book of photos and press clippings following Elvis's career chronologically. Beautifully printed, an interesting and excellent coffee-table book.

More a biography of Tom Parker than anything else. It tells the real Dutch background of Colonel Tom and is less than flattering about his handling of Elvis.

Richly illustrated book by the man who photographed 497 of Elvis's concerts -- all unofficially! The book is not about Elvis, it's about the adventures and experiences of the author. Full of interesting anecdotes.

Most Elvis fans either love or hate Elvis Tribute Artists (ETAs). If you like them, you'll probably find this book highly readable and enjoyable. Deals almost exclusively with North America, so might be of less interest to followers in other parts of the world, however. Well illustrated (if you like ETAs!).

Short and superficial look at various aspects of Elvis memorabilia by category. Information is brief, but the book is well illustrated, including some pics of more unusual items, such as the 1957 Elvis Presley Game, the 1956 Elvis Presley shoe box and the 1955 "tuxedo" picture -- some 20 different sheet music covers, too!

I suppose you either believe in life after death, or you don't. I don't! Hans Holzer claims to be a practicing parapsychologist and researcher and the book tells his account of one Dorothy Sherry who came to him after having been contacted by Elvis after his death and their ensuing sessions together, often with Elvis. Dee Stanley and David Stanley are brought in to verify the medium's claims...

Strange form of cashing in on the Elvis name. The book is nothing more than the text of the carol "The First Noel", accompanied by some uninspiring illustrations. The bait, however, is the inclusion of the BMG Special Products CD of Elvis's own version of the song, recorded in 1971, or, as is mysteriously stated on the CD, "Prior to 1972".

Elvis and other well-known individuals pass on messages after they have passed on...

"Official Graceland 25th Anniversary Collector's Edition" it says on the cover. Magazine-style edition, packed with photos and just a few articles, including one by Peter Guralnick. One of the better EPE efforts -- very good indeed, in fact, and very well printed, too. As an added bonus, it comes with its own BMG Special Products CD, containing "Heartbreak Hotel" and "a rare version" of "In The Ghetto."

Superb attempt to collect everything Elvis said or wrote. Excellently printed and well illustrated, including some unusual items, such as full report of Tennesse State Legislature session (when Elvis was made Colonel on the governor's staff!), as well as all press-conferences, radio interviews, etc. Also includes numerous notes and telegrams, as well as a few personal thoughts written down by Elvis. Good stuff.

A look at the commercialism surrounding the Elvis image. Definitely a different look at everything Elvis! Often amusing, lavishly illustrated, including many unusual shots of the man himself. Probably a must because of its kitchness!

Large format book examining some of the many Elvis collectibles on the market. Most certainly not comprehensive, but well illustrated and offering some guide to pricing, though prices seem on the high side. Unfortunately, very biased towards items manufactured and available in th USA, and all but one of the listed contact addresses are in the USA. Good dust-jacket photo, but title page photo is cropped to place Scotty in the centre and to eliminate Elvis almost completely! If you can't buy the items shown, the book's a must.

French translation (somewhat condensed) of "The Death of Elvis". Illustrations different to English original -- French version contains publicity photos of Elvis. Great cover based on Elvis stamp!

Disappointing unindexed list of "facts" about Elvis. Unfortunately not all the facts are equally relevant. Indeed, some seem to have been included simply to pad out the number to 2001. Curtin has done better than this.

Perhaps not quite the Ultimate album cover book as not all album covers are shown, but over 200 of the more unusual covers are present, including some for singles and EPs.

Guernsey's auctioned a load of stuff from the Graceland archives in September 1999 and this is the catalogue made for that event. Many of the lots are illustrated; all are accompanied by a description, as well as a sometimes quite extensive history, placing the item in "Elvis context". Just who would be interested in Vernon Presley's address book is a mystery to me, but many items are very desirable. Unfortunately, they also carry very high estimates! Nice book, but why so many printing errors?

Excellent collection of largely unknown anecdotes about various aspects of Elvis's life and career. Neatly divided into 36 chapters, each appropriately titled after an Elvis song. Can't help feeling that some of the stories have been romanticised somewhat, but if even only half is true, there's plenty of new material here. Accompanied by thirty-six "rare"photos, many of which are familiar to fans.

Volume 1 (1991-1992) of a supposedly annual publication covering Memphis: this issue contains a lot about Elvis and is well worth reading. But was there ever a Volume 2?

An account of the spiritual involvement of the author with Elvis during the last four years of his life and her belief that God worked through her to help save Elvis. Contact the author!

Now defunct magazine.

A collection of 185 recipes collected from Elvis fans. Not for the faint-hearted or the healthy-eating fanatics, the set includes mostly recipes from American fans, with just a smattering of international contributions. Weights and measures are purely for the American market -- cups and ounces. Having a Presley Party? This is the book to get!

If you can't go to Graceland, this is the book to read. If you can go to Graceland, this is the souvenir to have. Excellent!

Fan's look at the influence of Elvis on her life, especially in the fifties. Book came with CD.

The diaries of American teenager Donna Lewis, who lived near to Graceland and seems to have spent most of her time at the gates, or attending Elvis's outings to the movies and fairground! Good fun.

Second part of the diaries of American teenager Donna Lewis, who lived near to Graceland. Less fairground than Vol I, but still plenty of movies. Donna's father becomes Graceland guard and Donna gets inside Graceland for a reception. Presley family intrigues and rumours, too! Good fun.

Elvis made very few public statements. A great number of these are collected in this book, though by no means all. Unfortunately, insufficient information is given about the origins of the statements included. The book is illustrated in black and white, though the pictures are often extremely grainy and unusually trimmed: perhaps a left-over from the seventies!

"Being An Elvis Tribute Artist For Dummies" could well be an alternative title for this charity-linked work. It contains advice on many, many aspects of becoming and being an ETA, along with a closer look at some ETAs themselves, as well as an interesting Elvis photo section (with photos from Keith Alverson). Sadly marred by poor use of English.

Subtitled, "The Ultimate Bathroom Elvis Trivia Book". Collection of more that 500 questions and answered, grouped into 52 chapters. Could have been good, but just too many obvious errors for the book to be taken seriously. Still,if you run out of toilet paper...

Subtitled "A Neighbor's Memories of Elvis", Sara tells of meeting Elvis in 1957 when his own personal fences were still down and those around Graceland were not yet built. Times would change and fences erected to protect both Graceland and Elvis, but his humanity still showed through the cracks. Unpretentious, but highly enjoyable little book!

Odyssey of a documentary film crew and its "star," Schmelvis, as they travel across North America and to Israel in search of Elvis's Jewish roots. Amusing, but hardly relevant!

Quite excellent children's book (but highly enjoyable for "older children," too!), richly illustrated on every page with oil-wash paintings by Floyd Cooper. It's a story about a period in Elvis's childhood when he was influenced by all kinds of music, especially that of the travelling Sanctified Church.

Sensitive account of Elvis's unsung contributions to charities. A look at yet another side of the man, and this is the only book to delve in any detail into this side. (By same authors as "Memphis Elvis-Style".)

Detailed look into the strange life of the mysterious Tom Parker, alias Andreas van Kuijk, the illegal immigrant, originally from the Netherlands, who started out as a carnival worker and ended up as the manager of Elvis Presley. A tough read for those who think that Parker was the best thing for Elvis since sliced bread.

What killed Elvis? Was there a cover-up? A remarkable account of the investigation leading up to ABC's 20/20 television programme which first publicly questioned the official report on the cause of Elvis's death and the repercussions of that programme.

What happened on and after August 16 1977 and who was involved? Elvis's chief of security reveals all (?) in this hefty tome. Pity about the printing errors and the use of a matrix shadow on the bold face type, which cheapen the presentation.

50 quizzes of ten or more questions, covering all aspects of Elvis's life and career. Great fallback if your in need of a few questions for your next fan club meeting!

Good collection of press-clippings covering the first ten years of Elvis's career. Mostly from British sources, though some of the clippings come from the USA and other countries. Very interesting.

A good collection consisting of short stories, essays and articles from 1956 to 1989. Varying in quality, some excellent, some so-so, but all about Elvis. A worthy addition!

Could Elvis be the new Messiah, the reincarnation of Jesus? The author uses texts from the Bible and Nostradamus, as well as other indicators to support her theory.

Extortion attempts, a paternity suit, death threats, and the strange case of his executive jet. The information printed is said to be copied directly from the FBI files. Fascinating, yes; great reading, no! A lot of duplication, too. Includes 36 pages of facsimiles of original documents, but a great deal is blacked out (presumably to protect the innocent!). Not my cup of tea, but I'm sure some fans of Elvis and many of the FBI will enjoy the book.

1977 (?) reprint of 1960 fan magazine special issue. Printed on newsprint paper (slightly heavier), but containing some unusual photos and a collection of typical fan articles. Nostalgia-ville!

Excellently produced book with more than just delicious recipes for relatively simple food: also includes an interesting introductory essay and is richly illustrated with pics of all sorts of memorabilia as well as of the completed dishes.

Not, in fact, a book about Elvis at all! Nevertheless, Graceland has seen fit to back the publication ("the Graceland edition") and allow Elvis's portrait to appear on the cover. Elvis is known to have read and found some sort of comfort in this book. It is said that he was so enamoured of it, that he gave away many copies to friends, urging them to read it. EPE, of course, does not give it away...

Comic book story of an Elvis impersonator in Las Vegas and his growing, religious-like, following. Great for the cartoon and strip-figure fans, nothing special for the purely Elvis fans.

Great photos, but not as many "previously unpublished" ones as the notes would have you believe. Some photos duplicated and some errors in the text, which is unforgivable, given the provinence of the contents.

Little text, lots of photos, but nothing unexpected or unusual. Cashing in?

Eat like the Presleys, with recipes supplied by Uncle Vester and the Graceland cook. Some of the ingredients will be hard to find (and even difficult to understand!) in Europe, but it all looks like good stuff (apart from the chicken gizzards...)! Who said Elvis only ate junk food?

I don't include all the magazines/newspapers I have, but this is a MUST. This issue (from October 1977) contains a comic-strip biography of Elvis, starting from his first visit to Sun, up to his death. Pretty accurate, too! And what a superb cover!!

Touching true story of the struggle to open the closed world of a young girl suffering from cerebral palsey. Her one solace is Elvis, who hears of her plight and begins a correspondence with her, continuing until her early death some months later.