Customer Reviews

The Elvis Encyclopedia

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

 

 

The first part of this book is more or less a timeline. It tells what Elvis was doing, where he was, if the show sold out, ect. I'm not sure how factual it is, I have not cross-referenced it with any other books.

The next part focuses on each member of Elvis' inner circle. Their names are in alphabetical order and the book tells a little about each of them. I find this useful because I have a hard time remembering who each person is when George Klein is mentioning them on Elvis Radio.

The next part is a complete list of his movies. It has some pictures from each movie, gives a synopsis, and tells the cast.

The next part of this book is the part I find most useful. It has a complete list of every elvis song. I have been trying for years to get a copy of every Elvis song, but I have had no complete list to compare it to. Now I just highlight the songs that I have and gaze in amazement to see the many that I don't have.

Then there is a list of every Elvis record. It gives the catolog numbers, tells when it was released or rereleased, and tells what songs are on each album. This could be useful if you were trying to get a complete set of elvis records. That would be awesome to be able to do, but it would cost way too much money for me. I'm happy with the 50 or so that I have found cheap on ebay, at yard sales, and good will stores.

The last part is Elvis trivia.

That is what the book sonsists of as far as I can remember. I don't have the book in front of me so I may have missed some things. Anyway, the book is well worth the money.

I've read dozens of books on Elvis. The value of this book to me was twofold: First is the reference information on films and music. Second is the commentary by a Graceland insider who brings a somewhat different perspective from the older members of the Memphis Mafia. However, there are other books that provide considerably more biographical information, such as the ones by Guralnick.

I note that there seems to be several versions or reprints of this book. The one I have is a hardcover 2007 reprint with a 1995 copyright. The cover is a portrait photo of Elvis wearing a red shirt. This is a big book with large pages. There are lots of photos and some documents.

Here is the breakdown of the book with the number of pages indicated for each section:

Table of Contents - 1.

Acknowledgments - 1

Introduction by David Stanley - 2

Foreword by Lamar Fike - 2

Elvis' Life - 136. Presented in calendar-like format.

Elvis' Inner Circle - 14. Includes Memphis Mafia and other key people.

Elvis' Movies - 38. This gives an excellent rundown with lots of info and some photos.

Elvis' Discography - 66. Excellent alphabetical listing of all his songs with lots of info on them. Also lists LPs, EPs, cassettes and CDs but no 8-tracks. Also provides charting history for the hits.

Elvis Trivia - 13.

Index - 3.

one of the best elvis books i have read. it was very informative about all the aspects of his life. its also very well written and filled with excellent photographs. i would suggest this book if you are interested in learning more about elvis. David Stanley moved into Graceland when he was a child with his mother and 2 brothers and proceeded to bodygaurd for elvis early in his teenage years until elvis passed away, so you know the book is accurate.

ANOTHER "TRUE" STORY OF ELVIS,WRITTEN BY DISGRUNTLED
EX-EMPLOYEES WHO NEED THE CASH. MIXED-IN WITH SEMI-
ACCURATE INFORMATION IS THE USUAL "DON'T BLAME US" ALIBIS.
WRITTEN BY ELVIS'FATHER'S FORMER STEPSON WITH INPUT FROM
ANOTHER FLUNKIE. THE FUNNY PART IS HEARING INTERVIEWS BY
THE AUTHORS TALK ABOUT ELVIS' DRUG USE AND WEIGHT,WHEN
THEY HAVE NO ROOM TO TALK!
TOO BAD ELVIS ISN'T AROUND TO PAY THEIR BILLS ANYMORE,SO
WE DON'T HAVE TO SEE THEM SELL B.S. STORIES FOR MONEY!
INTERESTED BUYERS ARE BETTER OFF BUYING A NATIONAL ENQUIRER.

This book is not worth its price like most of the books where Lamar Fike is involved. It contains information already published over and over a hundred times but more accurately in other publications. If you are interested in Elvis Presleys life and music, "Elvis Day by Day" by Jorgensen and Guralnick is the better choice.

This book has information on every movie, song, and the days of Elvis' life. It's like DAY BY DAY by Peter Guralnick (spelling?) but not as much $. Awesome color photos and a really nice cover make this book something to show off. 5 Stars!