Elvis By The Presleys (2006 Paperback)

Book

ElvisNews review

This time the book of this series will get a closer look. The CD already had its turn and the DVD will follow soon.

Design

The book is printed on high quality paper, which honours the sometimes great photographs in it. The lay-out of the text is good, which makes the text very readable. Overall the book makes a very good first impression and might attract occasional buyers because of that.

But the set-up of the book is not new, it look familiar. We first saw the close ups of Elvis' personal items against a white background in the release "Now And Then". It will do well as a coffee table book.

Content

Most hard-core fans were looking forward to the book because of the pictures. Well, there are some great ones, but not many unknown ones. Unfortunately less than we hoped for. A lot of pictures do fit better in the Graceland guide, but alas… Graceland was Elvis’ castle, so somehow it fits.
The contents of the book will disappoint some people, since nothing really new is revealed. We think that’s okay, since some things are what they are – just personal. Lisa’s stories are sometimes touching, and at least interesting to read.

What some people are doing in the book will be a question forever, since they don’t fit in the title of the book. Even for Priscilla that is questionable, since she was divorced and used her maiden name before remembering the name Presley could bring some extra income. That’s exactly why one can have his or her doubts about her honesty too, but at least what she says sounds openly and realisticly, especially about Elvis’ drugs abuse. And she does deserve credit for making Graceland what it is today.

Overall the text gives a good read and there is not too much factual nonsense (although there are some, well, let’s say mix-ups in facts).

Conclusion

The book is attractive, with less rare pictures than we hoped for and giving not much more insight, but a pleasant read. It’s not a must have, but it fits well in any collection, better than a lot of other books on our man.