Three quarters of a million people visit Graceland each year--40,000 of them during "Elvis Week," the anniversary of his death in August. Strausbaugh describes the religious fervor of Elvis followers, and places Elvism in the context of many grassroots movements away from traditional churches, and explores parallels to Elvis worship in other cultures past and present.

From worries surrounding his birth to a stunning revelation about his death, the contents of this book unveil a never-before-told image of Elvis Presley as recalled by members of his family. Also included are many never-before-published photos from the Presley family album. The principal authors are two of Elvis' cousins who were among his closest friends.

Pop Culture Expert Editor's Recommended Book, 06/01/97: Elvis is not about music. Nor is Elvis simply about fame. Nor can we explain what makes Elvis special by the avidity of his fans, the charm of his films, his devilish good looks, or his gyrating hips. None of this is sufficient to exhaust the richness that is the phenomenon of Elvis 20 years after his death. Gilbert Rodman looks at the posthumous career of this redneck holy man in order to shed light on the myths by which American culture survives. This is not your typical fan book, but neither is it a dry academic exercise. Rather, it is a twisting, unpredictable analysis and narrative that shows how an American religion came to find its prophet in a slick-haired country boy from Tupelo.

Through illustrations, specially created maps, and never-before-seen photos, The Elvis Atlas explores the world of our greatest musical icon. With lavish maps illustrating everything from Elvis' tour circuit through the South in 1965 to the radio coverage of the Louisiana Hayride, these maps bring the reader into the true realm of the King of rock and roll.

Almost as good as a round-trip ticket to Graceland! Contains a day-by-day chronology of the King's life; more than 100 first-person anecdotes from his step-brother and oldest friend; more than 300 personal photographs, letters, and private documents; information on every Elvis movie and recording; bios of the King's 50 closest friends; and an experts-only Elvis quiz. The author, David Stanley, is actually Elvis' brother in a "I'm my own grandpa" kind of way: his mother married Elvis' dad.

Forty years after their romance, twenty years after his death, Elvis Presley's first love, June Juanico, remembers their time together in this memoir every fan will want to read.

Just as the King of Rock n' Roll will never really die, so will his financial empire continue to fascinate. Part way between a biography of the musical icon and a business book, Elvis Inc. recounts the fiscal rise of the legend and details the problems and possibilities that later developed with the massive estate he left behind. Penned with the sensitivity of a fan and the perception of a business writer, Sean O'Neal recounts how Presley's fortunes crashed and burned and then were resurrected to previously unimagined heights -- even after the King had abdicated his position in the material world. This book is the defintive story of what has happened to the estate Elvis left behind, the abysmal condition it was in, how it came to grow into a huge success, and how it works tirelessly to promote the Elvis image and defend its control of that image. As Lisa Marie's massive inheritance approaches, everyone wants to know what really goes on behind the closed doors at Elvis, Inc.

Karal Ann Marling, a professor of art history and American studies at the University of Minnesota, examines Elvis Presley, the cultural phenomenon, through the places he lived. From his place of birth, the two-room "shot-gun house" in Tupelo, to the fabled hilltop mansion, Graceland, Marling shows that despite international acclaim he never lost his Mississippi roots. Elvis often shared Graceland with "the guys"--an entourage of relatives, assistants and school pals--"like a teenager whose parents weren't home" and was not above putting a bullet through the television when he saw something he didn't like. Marling argues that through conspicuous consumption, compulsive refurnishing of rooms and garish decor, Presley knew he was thumbing his nose at good taste and consciously cultivating his own legend.

The International Conference on Elvis Presley, convened at the University of Mississippi, transformed a rock and roll icon into a scholarly phenomenon. Educators, artists, and Elvis aficionados from across the world - plus over one hundred internationally based reporters - collected on Oxford, Mississippi, soil to analyze and celebrate Elvis's impact on the world stage. From this conference, which became front page New York Times Magazine news, springs this book, the best and brightest essays and artwork swirling around the cultural, social, political, and iconographic figure of Elvis Presley. Taken together, In Search of Elvis represents a daring and groundbreaking academic analysis. Richly illustrated with original Elvis-inspired artwork, this book captures the subterranean essence of one of the most phenomenal artists to have ever lived.

jkreines@aol.com, 02/02/97, rating=10: The true tale of the early, sweet and innocent Elvis. Such an antidote to Goldman's sleazy Elvis book -- this book literally oozes truth and reality as opposed to Goldman's hillbilly fantasies. Guralnick is the best there is when he's writing about indigenous music of the South. Loved this book.

dschock@microsoft.com, 01/02/97, rating=10: Like EP in concert... hot, sweaty, dangerous and rockin'. By far the most exciting and real book ever written on EP. Goesbeyond the myth to explore the underlying story of how a confluence of time, place and talent resulted in EP's phenomenal rise from local hero to national icon. The most interesting passages, to me, describe what it was like when EP hit the stage during his first live performances. Guralnick made me FEEL what it must have been like both for EP and the crowd. Hot, sweaty, dangerous and rockin'. A real appreciation for EP as a musician. Can't wait for the sequel.