1956 Publicity Shots

Looks great! It is a thrill to read a magazine that does not focus on Bouke!..

So his expensive books are still not complete? If so, he took a lesson from RCA et al: always keep something worthwhile for later editions, so you can make more bucks of the material you've got. Luckily I am not into books anymore!

Indeed, Tracey Jayne. The books I bought before have hardly any worth and I fear those expensive books 'Files' will be occasions with a short while.

Stopped buying books a while ago for this very reason and because of the expense. Im kind of upset I purchased a few of the Elvis Files books now. As I gaze at them on my shelf I realize they are just huge piles of costly dust collectors.

I bought the Elvis Files #5 and just love it. I am going to buy all of them as I love to look at the pictures while I listen to the music from that same time period .It is also nice to be able to show friends great pictures and articles about Elvis. I have about 5ooo books about philosophy, history, religion etc. and about 200 books about art. what strikes me is how expensive the art books are compared to the others, they are about the same price (or more expensive) as the different Elvis photo books. I asked my local book store and the said it was because of all the print/colors that cost a lot more than the regular books. However if one don't read the books or look in them anyway, then every price is to high of course . I really don't have a problem with the magazines either, as I see it the publisher had a choice of making more than 7 books (too many for most people), making the books bigger than their around 500 pages (making reading them difficult and shipment prices crazy) or not releasing all the pictures they have or will acquire in the future (reducing many peoples enjoyment ), and by doing it this way then people have a chance of buying either the mags or any of the books. I understand people who don't want to spend this amount of money on books that they don't read more than once or twice, but I don't understand that people see it as an "evil plan" to rob us of our money though. TCB.

I fully respect the opinion of Steve and Natha and can understand how they look at things, but I agree wholeheartedly with Alan about the difference in price, partly due to the printing of pictures (in colour and in b/w). Artbooks are almost always (even very) expensive and I have no problem with the price of The Elvis Files, taking into account the number of pages and pictures. As for the magz : amen too to Alan's comment . Always El.

Benny Scott, I agree with you and Alan regarding the prices of the books related to art books. I have a vast library too, no art mind you. These are for me valuable books too, while most of them are rare, hard to get or just printed in low quantities. But for me these books are the ones I read and studied many a time. Quite different from by small amount of Elvis books, which may uplift enjoyment not the deeper levels of the mind. What I meant about this magazine is that when the series was launched it was promoted as the definitive photo collection. However, ever since the volumes poured out the author published side books andnow this magazine. And yes, maybe the volumes would have been too thick or too difficut to handle. The my question is, why not one volume more to cover ALL he has. That would have been fair and NOT in line with the way ELVIS' musical legacy was handled. Expensive books like art books will however be worth that price after a while, as I have witnessed myself, 'cause the number of people interested in these books is vast. I also do respect and rejoice in the fact that people enjoy these volumes. It is just a personal observation, not in the least motivated by the poor economical situation we are in. On the side, as one can only read a limited number of books in a lifetime I have become careful in choosing the books I pick up.

Hi Natha, about " why not one volume more " : agreed, and I think you absolutely have a point here ! But things are what they are and we can't change E.Lorentzen's plans and way of working. As for the 'value' of Elvis-books , IMHO this is something each one of us has probably a personal opinion about it, and in my case the books are part of my Elvis-world in general and they'll always keep their value. Best regards. Always El.

I thought that I'd had the complete pictures within the purchase of Elvis Files Vol 2. I think Erik unfortunately had been possessed by Colonel Tom Parker's spirit. :)

Has it not occurred to any of you that Lorentzen is always buying photos and that some stuff turns up AFTER he's published his books? No, instead you bitch and moan about him publishing them in magazines. Would you prefer NOT to see them? if that's the case then don't buy them. Simples. But please don't think he's sitting on a massive pile of photos and 'rationing' them out bit by bit. That's not the way it is. He's always acquiring new stuff, but if you don't want to see it...

Harvey took the words out of my mouth, would people prefer that he buys up any previously unknown photo's and keeps them to himself? The books never claimed to be complete, each one is an overview on a certain period in Elvis' life.

Well said Harvey. Shame on those who bad mouth Erik. He should be praised to share his findings with us. Vol 1 was posponed to allow the inclusion of a lot of newly found photos he has recently acquired (and i see no increased price in his site fir that reason!). You are not obliged to buy his great books and mags.

I'd bet my last dime that the people who are whining about Erik releasing the photos in the next magazine would be moaning if he held on to them until he had enough material for another massive book. And then they'd start complaining about how much the book would cost, how much it would weigh, how much shelf space it would take up, blah, blah, blah... There's just no pleasing some people.

well i got the elvis files vol 2 3 4 5 and i am looking farward to vol 1 6 and 7 to me this megabooks are better to own than have alot of other crapy books from authors who don't have a clue about elvis. i just bought the book elvis the best of british - the hmv years 1956-1958 and i can only say if you don't have it well then don't wait....go and buy it....well that's my thought anyway

As the adds for the magazine indicate: "Due to the huge interest in 'The Elvis Files' series, author Erik Lorentzen decided to use his archives for a brand new magazine." So that stopped me from buying these books. A pile of books worth the value IF they would be complete. But the add already stated these were not complete. That's what I meant, not to complain as such. I only wished this time it would have been complete. And if he did not have this series his research should have made clear that these were missing. Why not patiently go for completion? A book is quite different from a magazine, harder to store nicely and to go through without slightly damaging it. And that is what I am buying books for. Not just to gather dust.

Natha, like I wrote in a previous posting I can understand the way you see things, and I also could (can) second the idea of the "why not a volume more". Only problem is ( in my case, and I'm sure I'm not the only one) : time is no longer on my (our) side, see what I mean ? It also seems to be well known that E.Lorentzen is still looking for new stuff, so I think the word "complete" can't be found in his book and for that he is not to blame IMHO.(don't get me wrong, I'm not saying you blame him !) Reading your postings since I'm a member of this site makes me conclude you're not a complainer or moaner at all , on the contrary ! As for he books AND the magazines 'an sich', personally I like 'em . It's a pity that our USA-friends have to pay insanely high shipping costs if they want this stuff. We, here in Europe, don't have to pay such high prices. I pick these books up at an Elvis shop and it costs me 5,30 euro ( +/- 7 $ ) to get there by train. I'm thankful I have the opportunity to be able to buy them at a reasonable price. Wish everybody would be that lucky. Always El.

Thanks Benny, for your kind reply. I stand corrected about the books being 'complete'. I misunderstood the initial promotion, as I thought it was all he had he was going to publish as a major work and did not realise that he was still searching for more (and more). I too appreciate that mr. Lorentzen made fans share in his collection! I'm also ageing now and time is running short. Luckily my ears are the best part of my body, so I can still enjoy the great Legacy at full strength every day. Reading and heavy (weightwise) books are increasingly becoming difficult for me. ELVIS is an integral part of my life, hence I appreciate every effort to keep his memory alive. At this point in my life I rather buy CDs. Like me, buddy, you are always positive and uplifting in your approach. So actually it is needless to say that your contributions on this vine are always appreciated and taken into serious account by me. Take care. Elvisly yours

I agree 100% with Benny, Natha is neither a complainer or a moaner, actually he is what I would call ( "a good Elvis fan), who can state his views without trying to start a witch-hunt on the people who give us the great products, even when he doesn't agree with what they put out.

If you feel left out Tracy, I can kiss your a## too . No seriously, There are a few people on this site that allways moan over everything, and I wanted to make sure that Natha or anybody else didn't think that I considered him as one of them, the people I'm talking about wouldent take me for an a## kisser I am sure, but problably an a##.

Oh please can the 'looking for trouble' (so-called ) fans be banned from this site or, at least, be asked to stop such postings ? What's wrong with respecting and admiring sympathetic members ? In the (recent) past some others tried to spread discord on this site, but in the end they lost and were no longer welcome here. It started quite innocently but their remarks and attacks went from bad to worse. Many members know who we are talking about and it looks like we're heading for a new example of the sort. I wouldn't be surpised if there was a connection between those troublemakers. This statement from my side is final and I won't react any further on eventual postings in connection with this matter, and stick to the real topic instead. Alan, Natha and MANY, MANY OTHERS : my deepest sympathy and respect !Always El.

Erik is a long time Elvis fan, a follower and supporter for many decades. His books are a real work of heart, love and sincerity. And I know how much work and time go into such projects - you simply can´t do it for the money! Nowadays, we get a lot of so called "Elvis-product", but when I saw these new found publicity shots, my heart made a jump! Elvis in his prime, the King of Rock´n´Roll in never before seen photos! What more could we wish for 35 years after his death? So - IMHO - please stop complaining all the time but cherish the work of Erik and the other peole, that are really determined to Elvis and his legacy!

Agreed paisley ! I'm really looking forward to this Vol.3 Magazine . Always El.