Book questions

[latebloomer]

Somewhere in my wildly disorganized study must be a copy of a bibliography of books about Elvis, but darned if I can find it! Thus: Would anyone know, without expending a lot of effort, who wrote the first book about Elvis that was published after his death? And which of his oh-so-devoted "friends" wrote the next book after "What Happened"?

Many thanks! The questions popped into my head today and are driving me nuts--uh, nuttier.

[brian]

I believe it was Becky Yancy's my life with Elvis. She wrote it while Elvis was alive and it was planned to be published but when he died the book's released date got moved up. Ed Parker also wrote and published Inside Elvis in 1978. The Boy who dared to Rock by Paul Lichter came out in 1978. Paul Lichter also co-wrote Elvis: the legend lives on which was published in 1978.

[drjohncarpenter]

Somewhere in my wildly disorganized study must be a copy of a bibliography of books about Elvis, but darned if I can find it! Thus: Would anyone know, without expending a lot of effort, who wrote the first book about Elvis that was published after his death? And which of his oh-so-devoted "friends" wrote the next book after "What Happened"?

Many thanks! The questions popped into my head today and are driving me nuts--uh, nuttier.

I believe it was Becky Yancy's my life with Elvis. She wrote it while Elvis was alive and it was planned to be published but when he died the book's released date got moved up. Ed Parker also wrote and published Inside Elvis in 1978. The Boy who dared to Rock by Paul Lichter came out in 1978. Paul Lichter also co-wrote Elvis: the legend lives on which was published in 1978.

The Lichter titles are really worthless, just text cobbled from other publications. Becky Yancey did have her book out by November 1977, and another that arrived was The Minstrel by Bernard Benson and Betty Page's insane I Got Ya, Elvis, I Got Ya!.


https://www.biblio.com/book/my-life-elvis-becky-yancey/d/712605194
https://www.biblio.com/the-minstrel-by-benson-bernard/work/247325
https://www.biblio.com/book/i-got-ya-elvia-i-got/d/319112351

[latebloomer]

Thanks, gents, and thanks, especially, Doc, for the links. I had seen Benson's title before, but not Yancey's or Page's titles.

[TheMaskedClown]

Wrent there a lot of quickie Elvis books released in 1977 after his death?

[timothy_sideburns]

In terms of his close associates/family/friends - I think these are the earliest ones in the years following his death

1977
What Happened - Red, Sonny, Dave
My life with Elvis - Becky Yancey

1978
A Presley Speaks - Vester Presley
The Graceland Gates - Harold Loyd
Inside Elvis - Ed Parker

1979
Portrait of a friend - Marty & Patsy Lacker
Where is Elvis? Ed Hill
I called him babe - Marion Cocke
The Life of Elvis Presley - Sean Shaver with Charlie Holdge, Dick Grob & Billy Smith

[drjohncarpenter]

Some amendments added to your post, hope this is OK.

In terms of his close associates/family/friends - I think these are the earliest ones in the years following his death

1977
What Happened - Red, Sonny, Dave --> Elvis: What Happened?" --> "as told to Steve Dunleavy" --> published before Elvis died
My life with Elvis - Becky Yancey
--> The Minstrel - Bernard Benson
--> I Got Ya, Elvis, I Got Ya! - Betty Page


1978
A Presley Speaks - Vester Presley
The Graceland Gates - Harold Loyd
Inside Elvis - Ed Parker

1979
Portrait of a friend - Marty & Patsy Lacker --> "Elvis: Portrait Of A Friend" --> Marty Lacker, Patsy Lacker and Leslie S. Smith
Where is Elvis? Ed Hill
I called him babe - Marion Cocke
The Life of Elvis Presley - Sean Shaver with Charlie Hodge, Dick Grob & Billy Smith --> interior author credit is Sean Shaver and Hal Noland --> book is 95% photos

[elvis-fan]

This has got to be one of the first... IIRC my father bought this book shortly after his death in September or October... I still have it stashed away... I'll have to check the publishing date.

king.jpg

[davide]

This came out in 1977 in the UK, by Todd Slaughter.

Davide

[drjohncarpenter]

This came out in 1977 in the UK, by Todd Slaughter.

Davide

This must pre-date August 16, 1977, though. Nothing on the cover indicates Elvis has passed.

[latebloomer]

This is what I treasure about FECC. Ask a question, receive answers in plenty--full measure, pressed down, and running over. What generous folks you are!

I have a sneaking feeling that my bibliography, if it ever turns up, may not be nearly as complete as a list you jointly compiled would be. Awesome, as always.

Thank you.

[drjohncarpenter]

This is what I treasure about FECC. Ask a question, receive answers in plenty--full measure, pressed down, and running over. What generous folks you are!

I have a sneaking feeling that my bibliography, if it ever turns up, may not be nearly as complete as a list you jointly compiled would be. Awesome, as always.

Thank you.

How can any true fan not love this discussion forum?

[jurasic1968]

So true, Doc.

[Steve Morse]

This came out in 1977 in the UK, by Todd Slaughter.

Davide

This must pre-date August 16, 1977, though. Nothing on the cover indicates Elvis has passed.

You are correct.

The book was in fact ghost-written by Anne Nixon, respected author of several Elvis books and multiple dozens (probably hundreds) of articles in Elvis magazines.

The final paragraph in the book is interesting. I will transcribe it later on.

[Steve Morse]

As mentioned, above.

[jetblack]

I believe it was Becky Yancy's my life with Elvis. She wrote it while Elvis was alive and it was planned to be published but when he died the book's released date got moved up.

Becky Yancey - My Life With Elvis - one of my first Elvis books.

http://www.elvis-collectors.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=97341&hilit=becky+yancey

Andy

[mrt]

... The Life of Elvis Presley - Sean Shaver with Charlie Hodge, Dick Grob & Billy Smith --> only credit is to Sean Shaver --> book is 95% photos

The book says Shaver and Hal Noland (with «intimate memories of» Hodge, Grob, and Billy Smith).

This has got to be one of the first... IIRC my father bought this book shortly after his death in September or October... I still have it stashed away... I'll have to check the publishing date.

The book only says 1977 - no date.

This came out in 1977 in the UK, by Todd Slaughter.

Later the same year a second edition was published - only the back cover was new,



A couple of other 1977 books not already mentioned,

[latebloomer]

Thank you all. You've done a great job putting together the first books. My copies of Becky Yancy's and Betty Page's books just arrived.

So, for posthumous 1977 books, you found:

The Minstrel, Bernard Benson (poetic tribute completed in the spring of 1977; New York)
My Life with Elvis, Becky Yancy, Cliff Linedecker (employee; November, New York)
I Got Ya, Elvis! I Got Ya!, Betty Page (fan; Memphis)
Elvis, Lonely Star at the Top, David Hannah (New York)*
Presley: Entertainer of the Century, Anthony James (New York)*
The King Is Dead: Elvis Presley, Martin A. Grove (New York)
The Life of Elvis Presley[/b][/b], Sean Shaver & Hal Noland (fan; New York)
The Life and Death of Elvis Presley, Harrison House*
Elvis Presley, Todd Slaughter (Suffolk, England)

and, having finally located my copy of Elvis Presley, a Bio-bibliography (Patsy Guy Hammondtree, Westport, Connecticut, 1985), which lists the asterisked titles above, these, as well--but whether from before or after August, 1977, is not indicated:

Starring Elvis Presley, James Bowser (New York)
Elvis the King: Memorial Collector's Edition, Wellington-Hall Publishers (Pasadena, California)
Elvis in His Own Words, Omnibus Press (New York)
Elvis Recording Sessions, Ernst Jorgensen, Erik Rasmussen, John Mikkelson (Stenlos, Denmark)
Elvis, The Man and the Myth, Nigel Trevena (London)

According to Hammondtree, the first "insider" (tell-all) books appeared in this order:

Elvis, What Happened?, Dunleavy, West, West, Hebler (entourage; New York, August, 1977)
My Life with Elvis, Becky Yancy, Cliff Linedecker (employee; New York, November, 1977)
Inside Elvis, Ed Parker (karate instructor; Orange, California, 1978)
A Presley Speaks, Vester Presley, Deda Bonura (uncle & employee; Memphis, June, 1978)
I Called Him Babe, Marian Cocke (nurse; Memphis, 1979)
Elvis, Portrait of a Friend, Marty & Patsy Lacker, Leslie Smith (entourage; New York, 1979)
Elvis '56: In the Beginning, Alfred Wertheimer (photographer; New York, 1979)
Where Is Elvis?, Ed Hill, (1979) (not listed by Hammondtree)
The Truth About Elvis, Larry Geller, Jess Stearn (hairdresser; New York, April, 1980)
Elvis, We Love You Tender, Dee Presley, Rick, David & Billy Stanley, Martin Torgoff (step-family; Memphis, 1980)
Elvis, Albert Goldman (as told to him by Lamar Fike, entourage; New York, 1981)

Priscilla's book was in the works when Hammondtree wrote her scholarly compilation, and so was not listed. But Hammondtree's evaluations of the other books, and of many of the periodical and newspaper articles, are excellent. The book includes a brief biography and evaluation of elvis work; a chronology of Elvis' life; and excellent sections on Elvis' movies and recordings, including the beginning of the endless posthumous releases. Well worth reading, even though it stops at 1985.

I'd like to see a page built here on FECC expanding Hammondtree's list to the present list of books and articles--last count I saw was over 2000 books about Elvis, not to mention the vast number that include serious references to his life and work.

EPE, sadly, will never do the work of assembling all the information held in Memphis, not to mention the rest scattered throughout the world. The younger group of writers--I think of them as the second wave (Brian Petersen, David English, E-cat, and many others)--are doing outstanding work at trying to wade through decades of error, misinformation, hyperbole, gossip, and downright lies to preserve a factual record of the life of arguably the most famous human who ever lived. We never got the chance to read Elvis' side of the story, and Priscilla and the entourage have blurred the facts with their self-serving, undocumented verions for too long. (Indeed, Priscilla is at it again, as I write!)

Any comments?

[drjohncarpenter]

The book says Shaver and Hal Noland (with «intimate memories of» Hodge, Grob, and Billy Smith).

Thanks, I'll update my post.

[mrt]

Elvis, We Love You Tender, Dee Presley, Rick, David & Billy Stanley, Martin Torgoff (step-family; Memphis, 1978)

— This one was not published until 1980

My Life with Elvis, Becky Yancy, Cliff Linedecker (employee; New York, November, 1977)

Newspaper clipping on the book,



Then there’s the «Elvis Special» books by Elvis Monthly if you want to include FC publications,



And also «Elvis Minnealbum» (Norwegian) — the first in a series of three was published in 1977, and the other two in respectively 1978 and 1980.

[latebloomer]

Thanks, mrt, for the correction.

You raise a good point: An inventory (bibliography) of books that are about Elvis should include several categories:

books in which Elvis is the central subject that are mostly text, even if generously illustrated with photographs
books in which Elvis is the central subject that are mostly photo albums, even if generously "captioned" with text
books in which Elvis is a central subject (such as a study of his influence on the development of rock-and-roll, for instance), regardless of illustrations
books in which a section is devoted to Elvis
books which contain a brief but relevant mention of Elvis

But a thorough bibliography also should include periodicals devoted exclusively to Elvis, the vast number of periodical and newspaper articles, and the transcripts, films, or recordings of interviews of or about him. Books about his studio and performance music and his films should be included in a separate section, but cross-referenced in the more biographical listings, above.

Again, comments?

[mrt]

So, for posthumous 1977 books...

Not mentioned here is two photo books by Paul Lichter that was advertised in newspapers late 77,



I don’t have either but I assume perhaps both are «magazine type» books published soon after Aug 77.

«The Illustrated Elvis» (Harrison) was also advertised as hardback in 77,



I only have the original 76 SC edition but a good guess might be the book was published as hard back soon after august of 77 (on the cover it says "1935 - 1977").

I just flipped thru a small stack of 1977 issues of «The Star» and «National Enquirer», and except from those mentioned above, the only other Elvis book I found advertised is «What Happened»,



I also believe a Danish book titled «Elvis er ikke død» (Elvis is not dead) was published in 77,



There’s no publishing date (that I could see), but the foreword is dated August 1977,



Not sure if this qualifies, but Boxcar published a concert photo album in a gold colored box in 77 - my worn copy,

Elvis Recording Sessions, Ernst Jorgensen, Erik Rasmussen, John Mikkelson (Stenlos, Denmark)

Actually, if I’m not mistaken, this one was first published in 1974. I also think (not sure) that the updated 77 edition was published in August. I only have the 1984 edition,



I don’t have the Ed Hill book, but I checked the others on your list, and only two of those not already dated has the publishing month printed, — the Vester book and the Geller book,

...books which contain a brief but relevant mention of Elvis

Such a category would include a lot of books..!

[elvis-fan]

Not sure if this qualifies, but Boxcar published a concert photo album in a gold colored box in 77 - my worn copy,

That album was sold at Elvis concerts during his 1977 tour dates... there were still many copies remaining after his death and were sold as late as 1984 I believe... that's when I got mine anyway.

[mrt]

Not sure if this qualifies, but Boxcar published a concert photo album in a gold colored box in 77 - my worn copy,

That album was sold at Elvis concerts during his 1977 tour dates...

Thanks. I didn't know that - I thought the album was printed and ready to be sold at the tour that never was, but that, when Elvis died, they added the gold box and sold them thru mail. Anyway, I'm fairly sure the gold box cover thing was not included with the albums sold at the shows, right?

[Juan Luis]

Not sure if this qualifies, but Boxcar published a concert photo album in a gold colored box in 77 - my worn copy,

That album was sold at Elvis concerts during his 1977 tour dates...

Thanks. I didn't know that - I thought the album was printed and ready to be sold at the tour that never was, but that, when Elvis died, they added the gold box and sold them thru mail. Anyway, I'm fairly sure the gold box cover thing was not included with the albums sold at the shows, right?

That's what the dealer told me when he sold me a copy.