Wow. Part 1 sold fast. Those were some good deals, and there will be a lot of good Elvis reading ahead for the buyers. Let’s see if we can do as good with Part 2.
My friend Alan Hanson is the man behind the Elvis History Blog. His approach to Elvis blogging was much more scholarly than mine, and he has read many dozens of Elvis books. A few years ago, he created his list of ten essential Elvis books. As Alan explained:
“An Elvis book has to pass a credibility assessment before I’ll even consider putting it on my reading list. It has to convince me that it contains pertinent, truthful, and interesting information about Elvis, told from a unique point of view.
“The following 10 volumes are my recommendations for a basic “Elvis Library.” Together they cover almost every aspect of Elvis Presley’s life and career from varying perspectives.”
It turns out that I own five of Alan’s Top 10. However, “Elvis, His Life from A to Z” is a book I have turned to hundreds of time for blog research, and it is falling apart. So, I won’t even try to sell it. Here are the other four with Alan’s short reviews. (His blog has long thorough reviews of each you may also want to check out.)
# 1 – Last Train to Memphis:
Editor’s Note: Last Train to Memphis has been sold.
“Any Elvis library should be anchored by a biography, and Guralnick’s two-volume set is still the most comprehensive one available. Some find it tedious and lacking in enthusiasm, but no other existing Elvis biography can match the breadth and detail that Guralnick provides. Another advantage of Guralnick’s work is that the author wrote from the perspective of an historian and not as an Elvis fan. Thus his memoir is balanced. The reader sees both the best and the worst of Elvis along the way.”
This softcover book gets 4-1/2 stars on Amazon reader reviews. You can buy a copy on Amazon in very good condition like mine for $7.50 plus $3.99 shipping. Or you can buy it from me at $7 delivered.
# 2 – Elvis Presley – A Life in Music (The Complete Recording Sessions):
Editor’s Note: Elvis, A Life in Music has been sold.
“Ernst Jorgensen has made his life’s work the preservation of Elvis’s music. In this book he chronicles every Presley recording session—studio, live, and informal—over the singer’s lifetime. A few other authors have taken on the same task, but none of them have had Jorgensen’s direct access to RCA’s files dealing with Elvis’s recording sessions. Jorgensen is a self-professed Elvis fan, as well, so his writing reveals his enthusiasm with his subject.”
This hardcover book gets five stars on Amazon reader reviews. You can buy a copy on Amazon in good condition like mine for $25.84 plus $3.95 shipping. Or you can buy it from me for $15 delivered.
# 4 – That’s Alright Elvis:
Editor’s Note: That’s Alright Elvis has been sold.
“Scotty Moore, who was there from the very beginning, provides a unique perspective on the rise of Elvis Presley in his book. Scotty certainly gives Elvis his due but also outlines recurring disappointments in his relationship with Elvis. In his occasional inconsiderate treatment of his backup musicians, the reader begins to understand how Elvis refused to take control of his own career. It was not in Scotty’s makeup, however, to harbor resentment toward Elvis, and that comes across clearly in the title and content of his book.” (Editor’s note: This book is more fun to read than Alan’s review might imply.)
This hardcover first printing gets 4-1/2 stars on Amazon reader reviews . You can buy a copy on Amazon in very good condition like mine for $20.20 delivered, or you can buy it from me for $10.
# 6 – Elvis Day By Day:
Editor’s Note: Elvis day by Day has been sold.
“As the title signifies, this volume provides a straight, chronological accounting of Elvis’s life from the day of his birth in 1935 until the day of his death in 1977. Guralnick, the biographer, provides Presley’s comings and goings, while music historian Jorgensen contributes the recording session and concert information.”
(Editor’s note: The description of this book on Amazon goes into greater detail. “From Elvis’ foremost biographer, Peter Guralnick, author of the bestselling two-volume biography, Last Train to Memphis and Careless Love, and Ernst Jorgensen, the premier archivist and reissue producer of Elvis’ recorded work, comes a unique chronicle of Elvis Presley’s life and music. Granted unprecedented access to hundreds of thousands of photos, documents, letters, artifacts, and memorabilia by Elvis Presley Enterprises, Guralnick and Jorgensen present the King as you’ve never seen him before. Elvis Day by Day is a complete account of public, private, rare, forgotten, and renowned moments, captured with such detail and immediacy they read like diary entries.”)
This hardcover book get 4-1/2 stars on Amazon reader reviews . You can buy a copy on Amazon in very good condition like mine for $40.98 delivered. Or you can buy it from me for $20.
Okay, If you like any of these books and would like to purchase them, let me know by email at philarnold@charter.net. Please don’t put it in Comments. These offers are for delivery to USA locations only.
Please indicate if you want a PayPal invoice, and I’ll get one right out. If you’d rather pay by check, let me know, and I’ll hold your selection for you until it arrives.
Thank you so much for your support.
Phil Arnold
Original ElvisBlogmeister
Post # 993