Customer Reviews

Elvis: A Celebration

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This mammoth-sized book is an Elvis fan's dream come true. I can't even begin to fathom how many pictures are in here, many, never before seen.

The photographs are organized by a specific era of Elvis' life:
1. Prologue (1935-1955)
2. Elvis, Scotty & Bill (1954-1955)
3. Shake, Rattle & Roll (1956-1957)
4. All Shook Up (1957-1958)
5. Serving Uncle Sam (1958-1961)
6. Hollywood Calls (1960-1969)
7. Intermission (1964-1976)
8. TV & Vegas (1968-1969)
9. Showtime (1970-1977)
10. Epilogue (beyond August 16, 1977; includes photos from the funeral and some Elvis memorabila)

This is an extraordinary book! Any Elvis Presley fan will cherish and keep it forever.

Since most of Elvis' life was over before mine ever began, the only way I can understand the fascination with his life is by seeing his life in pictures. To be honest, I was rather impressed with this collection. Not only do you see his entire life in pictures, there are many exclusive pictures you won't find in any other collection.

What DK has literally done is given fans a memorable collection at an affordable price. This book has a classic feel while also showing Elvis at his prime. The truth is, if you've never understood the fascination with Elvis, you will after reading this comprehensive volume.

This is a unique collection of over 600 photographs. You will find archive pictures, news photographs, autographed photographs, rare memorabilia, movie stills and never-before-published pictures. If you are interested in the details of Elvis' life, you will enjoy reading the detailed caption tidbits sprinkled throughout this well-organized visual feast.

This celebration is organized into ten chapters:

Child & Teenager (1935-1955)
The Sun Years (1954-1956)
Superstardom (1956-1957)
The King (1957-1958)
Army Days & After (1958-1961)
In the Movies (1960-1969)
Relaxing (1967-1973)
TV & Vegas (1968-1969)
Elvis on Tour (1970-1977)
Elvis Lives: The Legend Continues

Since I have mostly seen pictures from later in his life, I was personally surprised by the sheer magnetism of his younger years. In a way, this volume spares us from the reality of his rapid decline by highlighting the high points of his life and only briefly touching on the later years. There is a list of "facts, figures and statistics" on the life of Elvis at the end of the book which will be appreciated by the true fan.

Who knew that in 1957 Elvis was promoting "Teddy Bear Eau De Parfum" or "Elvis Presley Lipstick." The pictures of "Elvis in the Army" are quite interesting and you can also read about how Priscilla met Elvis when she was only 14 in Germany. There is a small section on his life with Prinscilla. Want to see what Elvis looks like with a beard or see pictures of him doing karate? This is your book.

An affordable way to have your own "Elvis Photo Album."

~The Rebecca Review

I happened to see this on the new book shelf at the library today, and so brought it home. I am not an Elvis fan. My mother was, and soon after she died(2 yrs. ago), for some reason I was drawn to learn exactly why my mom liked Elvis. So last summer I spent hours of my life studying Elvis, reading every available book about him. It was a fascinating study of a man I had known very little about. And in doing all that study, I saw many photos of Elvis too. This book is just that...a photo biography. It is not the book to read if you really want to know about the inner man that was Elvis. This is Elvis eye candy, for those folks who mainly want to gaze upon Elvis, page after page after page after page....for over 600 pages! I find it quite a good collection of photos, from the very beginning of Elvis' life to the end. I must say, there were few I had not seen, but then I recently did a LOT of reading in LOTS of books about Elvis. This book would make a wonderful gift for those who are just starting out in their Elvis education, for those who want ONE book that pretty much contains every available image of Elvis, or for the die-hard fan who just has to have everything ever published about Elvis. My favorite part of the book was the first 347 pages, as I personally liked the younger, pre-jumpsuit Elvis. To me, the Classic Elvis was the 1950's Elvis.

If you are remotely interested in Elvis in any way, shape, or form, this book will not disappoint you.

I'm not normally a picture book person, but I liked this one quite a lot. Care has been taken in writing the captions and section introductions, which does not always happen in picture books--this is a scholarly book as well as a fan book. The only negative about the book is that it is not the definitive book of photos of Elvis--there are (I presume for copyright reasons) none of the famous photos of Elvis on Milton Berle or Steve Allen. There are also no truly unflattering photos of the later Elvis, but I assume those buying the book would, like me, not want such photos anyway. On the other hand, there are many pictures I hadn't seen before, and all the pictures, familiar or not, are well-presented. A good buy.

Having acted with Elvis in Jailhouse Rock, I remember many of the images in this book. I like to look through this book over and over to keep my memories alive. The book is a great item to have for every Elvis fan and people that would like to find out more about the King. I love the layout and the quality of the pictures! My thumbs up for this book, Elvisly yours, Jennifer Holden

This is a wonderful book! I was totally mesmerized from the time I picked it up, could not put it down. Such wonderful, warm pictures that any true Elvis fan will love and cherish forever!!!!

This is a beautiful book dedicated to Elvis. I was looking for an Elvis picture book and I am very happy with this. I only wish there was some more information.
However, this is a picture book, and not really meant as a biography of words.

To think that a publication from Dorling Kindersley would be at least something worthwhile. But I was fooled.

This book is a lame attempt at "celebrating"? Elvis' death 25 years later.
(I thought one's death should be commemorated and not celebrated - oh well Dorling Kindersley is actually HAPPY that Elvis is dead so they can cash in on the poor man's demise).

The photo quality is pathetic!
The information is rather dull and uninviting.
I wasted so much money on this book thinking it would be educational or at least "fun". I was wrong on both accounts.

This got me thinking: I went to check Dorling's other publications and I was right!
All their other books are beautiful compared to this cheap and made-quick Elvis book.
I guess they did not want to spend any decent money to make a real good book!

Hey Dorling next time why don't use a real expert in the Elvis world to put together a book for you ... and make sure you invest at least a few dollars in printing like your other books.
Elvis may be dead --- but he deserves some kind of respect.

I suggest that people do not buy this book .. but rather go to a bookstore or library and flip through it.
Don't waste any money on this 25th Anniversary Disaster!