Reply With QuoteIMO, Peter Guralnick's two-part biography Last Train to Memphis and Careless Love is a good place to start.
Guralnick has written extensively about American music and musicians and is highly regarded in this field.
Enjoy your reading!!!
I have plenty of elvis books offering nice glossy pictures and small anecdotes into the mans life but i have come to realise i dont really have any with slightly more substance.
I happen to see a copy of Jerry Schillings book in a store the other day which accounts his life with elvis and it got me wondering which are the best books about presley?
i would be inclined towards books by friends and family accounting for there experiences with him but then they are biased due to there nature, id appreciate any insight people have.....also a really good biography suggestion is welcome.
Meryy Chirstmas and thnak you
"I Just Want Them To Get The Best I Had" Elvis Presley
IMO, Peter Guralnick's two-part biography Last Train to Memphis and Careless Love is a good place to start.
Guralnick has written extensively about American music and musicians and is highly regarded in this field.
Enjoy your reading!!!
Both Peter Guralnick books are essential, but be forewarned, they are saturated with detail. They're both great, satisfying reads, but don't expect to breeze through them in a week. It's a long journey, but totally fun.
The other books I have read are Priscilla's book 'Elvis and Me', Jerry Schilling's book 'Me & a Guy Named Elvis', Ernst Jorgensen's 'A Life In Music-The Complete Recordings', and Jerry Hopkins' 'Elvis-The Biography'.
Priscilla's by far is the most easy read, and full of really good info, even though alot of it is a somewhat unfavorable portrait of Elvis. It's not mean spirited, she loved the man, but she tells her story straight-no chaser.
Schilling's book is a great portrait especially during the 60s movie years, and Elvis' time living in LA. It also includes a first-hand account of the meeting between Elvis and The Beatles.
Jerry Hopkins' book is good too. I would suggest reading it after the Guralnick books. Even though the Hopkins book has been cited by other writers including Guralnick and Schilling, it has informational flaws that any hardcore Elvis fan will spot. It's a fun book to read just for comparison to other Elvis biographies.
Ernst Jorgensen's book is also regarded as essential as it details Elvis' recoding career at length.
Originally Posted by Junebug
IMO, Peter Guralnick's two-part biography Last Train to Memphis and Careless Love is a good place to start.
Guralnick has written extensively about American music and musicians and is highly regarded in this field.
Enjoy your reading!!!
I agree
This is the best you can have about him
I agree the 2 Peter Guralnick are essential
also Elaine Dundee's Elvis and Gladys
I recommend avoiding anything with any of the Stanley's involved in it.
and take any MM written book with a huge grain of salt - they all skew things to themselves being Elvis real confidant and the only one trying to help - sometimes they leave out the ones they don't like or minimize them.
Better are the books done by researchers who interview a lot of people to get a broader view than the self interested one.
don't forget June Juanico's book Twilight of Memory, I also enjoyed
Love Me Tender Diary by Trude Forsher, the Col. secretary.
Also Rough Guide to Elvis - very good, imo!
Just pretend, I'm holding you, and whispering things soft and low.
And think of me, how it's gonna be and just pretend I didn't go
I have both these books, but haven't gotten around to reading themIMO, Peter Guralnick's two-part biography Last Train to Memphis and Careless Love is a good place to start.
Guralnick has written extensively about American music and musicians and is highly regarded in this field.
Enjoy your reading!!!
That's good to know, it gives me more incentive to read them.I agree
This is the best you can have about him
franny
The book by Mark Hendriks from Belgium is the very best. The book by Becky Yancey, Elvis,s secretary. Read that years ago, liked it then.
I also enjoy Elvis, his life from A to Z.
And the Guralnick books are a must read.
You'll find the awesome – FTD WRITING FOR THE KING (Ken Sharp)one of the best books because it's all about the one thing that matters most – the music!
Highly recommended:
Elvis fashion by Julie Mundy – short on text but simply gorgeous.
Elvis '69 – fantastic (Ken Sharp)
68@40 totally gorgeous,it's got the lot!
Last edited by my boy; 12-22-2009 at 03:37 PM.
Love him, or hate him............'The Colonel' offers incite into Tom Parker, and therefore how he and Elvis related to one another
"NO-ONE, BUT NO-ONE,IS HIS EQUAL, OR EVER WILL BE. HE WAS, AND IS SUPREME".Mick Jagger
Guralnick's books are great, full of details though. I actually skipped a chapter or two. Enjoyable to read is June Juanico's Elvis in the Twilight of Memories. It's very light to read, and it's simply a story about two young lovers. Also gives an insight on Elvis' early years.
Elvis Word for Word by Jerry Osborne.
It is a VERY good book, because it is what Elvis said, exactly how he said it. Plus there are rare pictures, letters Elvis wrote, and other cool stuff.
Elvis is The King!
I'm actually 'reading' "Elvis by the Presleys". I say 'reading' in quotes because this seems more like a coffee table book than it does a legitimate biography even though the testimonials from the family have some historical merit. If you've seen the documentary of the same name or read Priscilla's book, it pretty much covers the same ground. The great thing about this book is that it contains well composed, well lit photos of Graceland and several rare Elvis artifacts. Their approach to the archival items in the book is the same as the way these items are presented in exhibits at Graceland. One thing EPE, and (I guess) Priscilla and Lisa are very good at is leaving absolutely no stone unturned when it comes to detail. I'm always amazed at the stuff that's put on display at Graceland. It shows you that-whoever it is in charge-whether it's Sillerman or the Presleys, they give the fans every possible detail when it comes to illustrating how Elvis lived. The "Elvis by the Presleys" book is a worthy buy if you come across it.
ELVIS BY THE PRESLEY'S is a fine book with interesting text and a few superb pics –love the one of his 'butterfly' jumpsuit.
Last edited by my boy; 12-23-2009 at 02:17 AM.
Joyce Bova..........'My Love Affair with Elvis'
Barbara Leigh...'The King, McQueen and the Love Machine
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Elvis & Gladys
I'm the King of the Jungle, They call me Tigerman
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A must is Scotty Moore "That's Alright"http://www.scottymoore.net/thatsalrightelvis.html A fantastic read!!
I wondered about this one, I've been an admirer of McQueen since I saw Bullitt. Can you give me a bit of a "review"?
Just pretend, I'm holding you, and whispering things soft and low.
And think of me, how it's gonna be and just pretend I didn't go
Re: The Best Elvis Books?
I agree there! I also like Larry Geller very much, I thought Last train to Memphis was fine. Mostly, I like a writer who does no slanderous or uncalled for attacks on Elvis.
Documentary is one thing, but a nice book, is to be enjoyed with love.
"I just wanna be......your Teddy Bear"
I'd like to buy the book from Jerry Schilling "Me and a guy named Elvis".... have you read it? Is it a goo d book to read?
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