Book Description

It's a little-known fact that Elvis Presley—the most Christian icon of American pop culture—was Jewish. This book provides a behind-the-scenes account of the authors' search, from Israel to Graceland, to find the true roots of the King. With the help of a Hasidic Jewish Elvis impersonator, Dan Hartel, who performs at senior citizens' homes under the stage name "Schmelvis," and an eccentric Orthodox rabbi named Reuben Poupko, the authors trace Elvis's Jewish roots all the way to Israel. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Disappointing
I expected more from the author, as he has proven himself to be an excellent essayist on This American Life. Maybe I would have liked it more if I hadn't already heard some of his better material.

Elvis was not Jewish.
To be Jewish one most either convert or, at a minimum, have a Jewish mother. Elvis did not have a jewish mother. Elvis was not a convert. Elvis was a Christian. He may have had a great-great-grandmother who was Jewish but that does not make one a Jew. The authors obviously had far too much free time on their hands.

who would have guessed it?
I just finished reading Schmelvis, and, it really is a funny, clever little book. It's totally not your run-in-the-mill novel-- it reads like a travel log, with little tidbits from all the characters, and you really get to know them. It's sort of an anti-novel-- a story in search of a story. The characters are so hilariously believable, that you totally believe they have no idea what they're doing or thinking. It's got dialogues from the film, and the director's notes, and random other stuff, like an appendix called "who's who of famous jews." The book totally takes on this distinct personality-- like it's not about elvis presley at all, and not about a static answer, but more about the journey, the getting there. most of all, it made me laugh. i didn't really know what to expect when i picked it up, but this book is totally cool. haven't seen the film yet, but i totally want to now.

Hilarious!
This books is really, really funny. Not really about Elvis' Jewish roots but more of a quest for identity. Composed of script bits from the film's (of the same name) production, entries in journals, and little anecdotes about the cast and crew, this book is really the funniest book I've ever read. I highly recommend it. ... Read more

Book Description

Mary Pickford was a key figure in movie history, both as the first major silent-film actress and as a founder of United Artists, which made her the first major female film executive. Perhaps the first actress to convey realistic emotion on the screen, she was known as "America's sweetheart" from 1916 on, enchanting moviegoers with her amusing portraits of golden-haired princesses as well as her moving portrayals of sad-eyed waifs.

Eileen Whitfield re-creates Pickford's life in vivid detail, from her poverty-stricken childhood in turn-of-the-century Toronto through her reign as mistress of Pickfair, the Beverly Hills estate where she and her swashbuckling husband, Douglas Fairbanks, entertained in the 1920s, to her sadly moving demise in 1979. Along the way Whitfield casts a new light on one of the most important-but least understood-artists in the history of American film. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Excellent biography of the biggest female silent star
Although I've read several books on Mary Pickford, I was still glued to my seat as I read this fascinating biography. This book really concentrates on her relationships with her husbands Owen Moore; Douglas Fairbanks, Sr.; and Buddy Rogers. It is also thorough in covering her family of Charlotte, Jack, and Lottie. My only disappointment was that the not much of the actual making of her films was covered in-depth. The book has a perfect title, as she was probably the most powerful person in Hollywood from about 1915 until the coming of sound.

For Mary Pickford fans and students of the American cinema
Mary Pickford was a key figure in American cinematic history. She became the first major silent-film actress and went on to become the first major female film executive as one of the founders of Untied Artists. Popular known in her acting heyday as "America's sweetheart", she enchanted moviegoers with her portraits of golden-haired princesses as well as her moving portrayals of sad-eyed waifs. Eileen Whitfield's Pickford: The Woman Who Made Hollywood recreates Pickford's personal and professional life in vivid detail from her poverty-stricken childhood in turn-of-the-century Toronto, through her undisputed reign as mistress of Pickfair (the Beverly Hills estate where she and her actor husband Douglas Fairbanks entertained in the 1920s), to her sadly moving demise in 1979. Pickford is "must" reading for all Mary Pickford fans and students of the American cinema.

Nice- but did anyone proofread this?
This is a very nice book on an important actress. It becomes obvious that it was written while Buddy Rogers and Douglad Fairbanks Jr. werre living and updated to mention their deaths. It seems no one bothered to proof read the text when this was done.
Pg 366- "The University of Southern California will in herit these items after Rogers's death"
Pg 369- "On April 21, 1999, Rogers, frail at ninety-four, died..."

Pg 369- "Fairbanks Jr. continues his career of good works". It should have been "Continued" because in four lines he "died at the age of ninety-four..."

OK- this is nit-picking, but when you pay for a Paperback, you have the right to expect that an editor should have gone over the manuscript. Were they rushing this out to catch some of the interest generated by the re-release of Pickford's films?

Fascinating Woman - Fascinating Book
This biography is comprehensive without being dry and "scholarly." It reads like a novel, and it is a surprisingly even-handed biography, illuminating Miss Pickford's genius while showing us her not-so-attractive side. Time is spent on the alcoholism that was a prominent part of the last half of her life, and on her fights with family, including her three husbands, her two adopted children and the friendships she made, cultivated or broken along the way.

A good deal of time is also spent on how United Artists worked in its inception, why the founders thought that such a company was necessary and on the politics inside the company throughout its history. There is a Notes section that tells us where the anecdotes and quotes come from, and a tantalizing bibliography that I will end up using in search of other books on Miss Pickford and on silent film in general.

Buddy Rogers and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. were still around when this book was being researched and written, and they, along with numerous others, seem to have shared insights that help us understand the lady, and Fairbanks sheds some light on her complex and lasting love with his father - they continued to be very close up until his death. This may be one of the last things that Fairbanks and Rogers contributed to, and if this is how they would be remembered, its not a bad thing.

If you are interested not only in her films (which run far afield of just the "Little Mary" whom we all have heard about and seen), and for an interesting, highly readable overview of silent film in general, this biography is a must read. I am personally glad I bought it for myself, rather than borrowing it from the library (as I do with many books), because as I learn more about the era and see more of her films, I'm sure I'm going to want to go back to it again (probably more than once).

fabulous
Since this is one of the very best biographies of a movie actor this longtime film buff has ever read, I have to say I don't understand other readers' quibbles with it. The book isn't just beautifully written and well-researched, it's full of insights, perceptions and thoughts -- which most biographies are terribly short of. Silent movies and silent-movie acting are difficult subjects to discuss in fresh and provocative ways, and here Whitfield also triumphs. Her book is a great introduction to the early days of film and of film stardom too. But beware: this isn't a pop or trashy biography, and it isn't fanzine stuff either. This is literate, intelligent work -- think Arlene Croce or Simon Callow. Could that be what some readers are annoyed by? ... Read more

Book Description

In Elvis in Hawaii, former Hawaii resident and celebrity biographer Jerry Hopkins tells the story of the King of Rock and Roll’s twenty-year love affair with the Hawaiian Islands and its people. Over 100 photos, many previously unpublished, document Elvis’s ties to Hawaii, the site of two of his most important concerts, the setting for three of his films and up to a few months before he died, a favorite vacation spot. A must for Elvis fans and anyone interested in 1950s, ‘60s, and ‘70s Hawaii, this revealing portrait offers new perspectives on the life and career of a legendary performer. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

With over 100 black-and-white and color photographs
Elvis In Hawai'i is a unique look at the life of the legendary rock singer Elvis Presley, focusing especially on his love of the Hawai'ian islands and the people who lived there. Elvis' fondness of his favorite vacation spot is brought to life with over 100 black-and-white and color photographs, some never before published, and an upbeat yet adroitly narrated text by Jerry Hopkins. Elvis In Hawai'i is especially recommended reading for the legions of fans and admirers of "The King" of rock 'n roll.

A lavish keepsake...
Elvis had an affinity for Hawaii: he made three films there, did six concerts (including the historic 'Aloha' satallelite broadcast, and had many longtime friends. This loving assemblage of pictures and anecdotes, by one of Presley's first biographers, is full of the kind of critical judgment and eye for local detail that is often lost in fan-oriented books of this sort. There's pictures of him being casual with local people, accepting local awards, hanging out at the local radio station, and having a good time all around. Profusely illustrated with photos from private collections as well as official documents, this is a lovely keepsake.

Dreams come true in Blue Hawaii
All Elvis fans will recognize this title as a line from the song Blue Hawaii sung by Elvis in the movie with the same title.
However it's not only that it's also what Jerry Hopkins new book is all about; Telling the story of Elvis, following his dreams and having fun in paradise surroundings. Elvis visited the Hawaiian Islands many times, sometimes for business when filming on location or for one of the six live performances on the islands but also for a (well-deserved) vacation.

Jerry takes the reader on a stroll through the 50's, 60's and 70's as we follow Elvis from his first visit to the Islands in 1957 till his last visit 20 years later. Besides the obvious close-up look at the 3 "Hawaiian movies" ( Blue Hawaii / Girls Girls Girls / Paradise Hawaiian Style) the reader also gets to "hear" such funny stories as how the first concert in Hawaii (1957) was finalized (Colonel Tom Parker is supposed to have made a deal with an Australian promoter by winning a "game of dice" !!) and the story about a hilarious concert promotion by an Elvis impersonator
(No, this time there was no involvement by The Colonel). Not only do we get to know more about Elvis' activities in Hawaii, we also get to learn a bit more about Hawaii' natives with an Elvis connection, such as Karate teacher Ed Parker and James Shigeta (co-star in Paradise Hawaiian Style).

However, to me the highlight of this book must be the sections where we get to hear the stories of people who where actually there at the time.
People like country comedian Minnie Pearl, Velma Fisher (passenger on the SS Matsonia that sailed Elvis to Hawaii on his first trip in 1957), Tom Moffatt (Hawaiian D.J.) and Marty Pasetta (producer of the Aloha from Hawaii special). All have an interesting story to tell about their time with Elvis.

To me this book is a welcome addition to Jerry' previous two Elvis-biographies (Elvis: A Biography & Elvis: The Final Years). The book also features about 100 photos of which some are rare or never seen before. Quality of the photos varies from fair to very clear but the majority of them are interesting to see.

This leaves us with one big question: "Why did Elvis love Hawaii so much ?" I think the answer to this question can be found all-over in this book but is best described by Tom Moffatt when he says: "In Hawaii he could relax and wander more freely ...... people here respect his privacy"
Guess that alone was enough for Elvis to make Hawaii his paradise...............

Lots of great photos
This book is written by the guy who wrote the only serious Elvis biography while Elvis was alive, but this is not at all like that book. Instead, it's packed with great photos of Elvis in Hawaii, many from the local paper. There's also set lists from the benefit concerts he did -- written by hand by Elvis! Very fun! ... Read more

Reviews (5)

A mishmash of drivel
Please Charlie, did you write this in your lunch hour? Its rubbish. It jumps from one thing to another, it doesnt follow any logical line and gets names wrong (Its DJ Fontana, not JD). Did this guy really know Elvis? If it wasnt for the fact that he appeared on stage (as Charlie says "he" was entertaining millions!!) with the King you would doubt it.

Gave it two stars for the Elvis pictures but otherwise don't waste your cash. Buy the Enquirer instead, its more entertaining!

thankyouverymuch
this book was nothing great,in fact it did not seem to fit together,the stories were strewn about with different time periods of Elvis' life, this book was mediocre at best. i expected more from charlie hodge, the book i liked was the book by the memphis mafia.

Me 'n' Elvis by Charlie Hodge
I have many,many Elvis books written by FRIENDS? of Elvis a couple by his step brothers were fine,but the was written by a real friend.You could just feel the love he felt for Elvis.I really wish he had,had more like Charlie and I also hope Lisa Marie knows that this was written so she could read something really nice about her dad.It was worth buying and really worth reading

Elvis` one TRUE friend
I have read many books written about Elvis Presley by the "so called" friends and people who said the knew Elvis well. I believe Elvis Presley was a saved man who loved GOD and had strong faith in Jesus Christ and was a very generous and giving person. Since Elvis Presley was as human as the rest of us, he had to have had bad times in his life as we all do. I think most people want to read the worst written about a famous person be it truth or not. Charlie Hodges` book "Me`n Elvis" was a pleasure to read and very refreshing. I believe Charlie knew the REAL Elvis better than anyone. You can`t be with a person as much as Charlie was with Elvis and not know him. Don`t be afraid to give this book a try, the stories are wonderful, fun and will make you smile. Charlie Hodge, If you ever read this review, I think you were Elvis Presley`s one TRUE friend.

charlie's book
This book is basically a rehash of many Elvis stories the fans have read in several other well known Elvis books.Charlie Hodge was a close friend and does have some interesting stories but nothing new.What you take away from this book is the same thing you take away from the other books;Elvis was a generous loving man who would do anything for anybody but he faced a giant enemy,himself.GD ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Kitschy king at the movies
The king's kitchy side almost consumed him when he got to Hollywood, but I still love the tunes and the the constantly silly scenes that the movies are thick with. This is the funnest Elvis movie book that I have seen. All the movies are covered with official stills, movie set shots, and posters. The CD that's included has the best songs from the movies and the text lets you know that there are many more where those came from. There are also behind the scenes comments from co-stars, directors and producers that offer interesting and amusing insights into a under appreciated side of Elvis. ... Read more

Book Description

No other major contemporary American writer has inspired such intense curiosity about her life as Sylvia Plath. Now the intimate and eloquent personal diaries of the twentieth century's most important female poet reveal for the first time the true story behind "The Bell Jar" and her tragic suicide at thirty. They paint, as well, a revealing portrait of the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet whose stature has seldom been equalled.
"A revelation." The New York Times
... Read more

Reviews (10)

under the water with sylvia plath
The Journals of Sylvia Plath are an undisputible link to the base of her poetry. For a journal of a life, the entries are incredibly written and interesting. I have been very interested in her death by suicide which was the reason why I picked up these journals in the first place, but I found myself underlining sentences of her different viewpoints on life, ironically. If you you want to figure out about how Plath wrote her poetry and what events formed the woman who is such a mystery today, read this book. The only place where I thought that the diaries lacked was that all the information was not included. Some of her most passionate outrages and angry words have been taken out which I think are definitely a key to her poems that we do not possess. I am aware that the people in the journals must be protected but hope that the full works will be published in the future. The first half of the journals while Sylvia was in college have spoken to me and given me words and reasonings for my feelings that I had not been able to form myself before. I think any college student would benefit from reading her viewpoints and beautiful words. Anyone who is interested in the author will be impressed.

The Best Plath Available
This is Plath at her best -- and at her worst. Reading her journal entries allows you to become familiar with her style and her themes and helps to bring her poetry together.

This text is like an old friend to me, really. I read it and re-read it all the time.

This collection of journal entries offers far more and far more accurate insight into Plath and her life and struggles than any of her biographies do.

Plath is boring.
This book was horribly depressing. I wish she could have shoved her head into the oven earlier.

An Essential Book
If you love Sylvia Plath's amazing poetry; if you have an affinity for either reading journals, or writing your own; or if you simply have an interest in the lifestyles and choices of women of some 50 years ago, these collected journals are a must.

Real
Another reviewer wrote that this book was a big disappointment - that it stinks. How can one criticize someone's journals? I'm pretty sure Plath didn't expect these to be published one day - and so she didn't write them for the general public to read. These words are honest, riviting, disturbing, wonderful, priceless. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Another Elvis Wannabe
This is a book about two people who used each other. Priscilla used Michael for his modeling connections and Michael used Priscilla just to be part of Elvis's world. I felt Michael was more in "love" with Elvis than he ever was with Priscilla. What he wrote about Lisa Marie I thought was really sad. She was a neglected and sad little rich girl. When Michael wrote about himself his actions were embarassing and egotistical. He was always comparing himself to Elvis. Priscilla sounded more into herself than with him or Lisa. It certainly did not help his career after his involvement with Priscilla Presley. The pictures in the book were wonderful! I think the book would of been better if Michael had help creating the stories in a format with better wording and deleted stories that had no basis to his life with Priscilla and Lisa. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Stunning achievement
A stunning achievement written with a steadfast hand invoking Hitchcockian detail, dramatic irony, and dread. Edward Butscher returns the reader to the source - Plath's collection of poetry, The Bell Jar, and her entire work. With Butscher's insight into Plath's "extended suicide note", balloons will never be the same. ... Read more

Book Description

"By far the most intelligent and the only authentically satisfying of the five biographies of Plath."--Janet Malcolm, The New Yorker

In this authoritative and controversial biography, Stevenson charts the ways in which Sylvia Plath created her own legend--one at odds with the posthumous myth that has grown up around her.It is "the most genuinely feminist account of Plath's life yet: one in which Plath herself is held to be responsible for her own life, her own death" (Washington Post Book World).

(A Mariner Reissue) ... Read more

Reviews (17)

good bio on sylvia plath
This is one of the better biographies of Sylvia Plath (as is the Wagner-Martin biography, though Stevenson is much more thorough). Supposedly Stevenson comes down on the side of Ted Hughes, but to me the biography seems objective and fair. Even in those biographies written to make Plath look like a victim, she still comes across as tempermental and difficult to live around. I think Stevenson's biography is fair, if at times a bit ponderous to read. I'd suggest Silent Woman as a companion piece (it's a biography of Stevenson's biography). Bitter Fame has three appendices--memoirs of Sylvia written by others--Lucas Myers, Dido Merwin, and Richard Murphy. You get a sense of dread as you approach Dido's little memoir. I'm sure Plath was difficult and I'm sure Dido has her reasons, but you get the impression that she wrote her memoir just to 'get back at' Plath. To show her up so to speak, even though its tone isn't much different then what else you'll find in the book. Anyway, regardless of what type of person Sylvia Plath was, difficult or not, you cannot deny her genius, which is far greater than those who she came in contact with or have written about her.

You chow down on that paté, girl!
Janet Malcolm's superb THE SILENT WOMAN makes this book a must-read for anyone interested in biographical studies. Stevenson's book famously (or infamously) was written with the cooperation of the Plath estate--that is, Plath's windower Ted Hughes and his fearsome sister Olwyn, the latter of whom was berserkly antipathetic to Plath's memory--, and the result is a biography curiously hostile and judgemental of its subject. For good measure, Stevenson included in the book the hilariously bitter memoir of Plath (fittingly entitled "Vessel of Wrath") by W.S. Merwin's wife Dido, who seems to have been angrily sitting around for twenty years waiting for nothing more than to uncork her fury regarding how Plath once wolfed down some foie gras she had prepared for guests "as if it were Aunt Dot's meatloaf." (The memoir seems to embody everything that American guests fearfully fantasize about foreign hosts judging their every innocent gesture as malicious, selfish, and outrageous.) The result is a fascinating portrait of how, as Malcolm explains in her book, bearing resentful witness against someone else harms the bearer more than the subject of the rant.

Just a Little Too Bitter for My Tastes
Anne Stevenson begins this book with a real dislike for Plath and her bi-polar or as she puts it "psychotic" fits. What she fails to see, (or maybe she just does not want to admit), that Ted Hughes is just as guilty of feeding Sylvia's jealousy, her unstable behavior. He never "puts his foot down" to Plath's behavior or insists that Sylvia seek help with her depression, etc. Instead he leaves Plath after starting an affair with a friend of both of theirs without any concern for leaving his children with a woman he knows is unstable. Plath is a brilliant poet, but she suffers from bouts of depression, aggression (she destroys the book Hughes is working on in a fit of jealousy), and is prone to paranoia.

The job of the biographer is to lay out the facts and let the reader see into the life of the subject of the book. Stevenson takes sides, mostly with Hughes' sister. The book comes off interesting (as Plath is an interesting subject), but tainted. Overall, it left a very bad taste on my palate for this author's work.

If you're interested in Plath...
The amount of secondary material on Sylvia Plath is enough to make anyone feel a bit queasy about her myth, and makes you question the motives of anyone who's adding to this morbid little industry. What is their agenda?
Undeniably, Plath fascinates, and not only because of the glassy, chill violence of her last poems. Ann Stevenson's biography does justice to both Plath as poet and as myth, though she tries to avoid salaciousness and does not ask questions that perhaps need answering. The thing is, Plath just becomes more and more mysterious the more you learn about her, and her death more bewildering and shocking. Does Stevenson subscribe to the chemically unstable theory? Or was Plath just an unstable personality? Stevenson never really delves into this murky but crucial territory.
The most interesting and poignant part of this biography is actually about Sylvia's early womanhood, in which Stevenson seems to have a particular feeling for her subject (perhaps because Sylvia's journals are available to her through these years). Stevenson seems to become more hesitant, more uncertain as she approaches adult Sylvia and her fabled Ariel poems, the Hughes marriage and suicide, preferring not to speculate too much on Plath's psychology and focus instead on Plath's poems, which is theoretically fine, but makes for less interesting biography because Stevenson does not write about the Ariel poems with particular insight. (She's competent enough and suitably admiring, but does not probe as deeply as is perhaps necessary.)

Still, this is a readable, if finally dissatisfying, biography. That said, it would be hard to write an entirely dull biography of Plath. I haven't read any of the other biographies available, but I can vouch that at least this one is balanced and scrupulous, if a bit over-cautious. My only other gripe would be
pictures, which are very shadowy and rarely show Sylvia herself.

Completely unobjective
It is curious that Stevenson claims hers to be the "objective" biography to correct "misunderstandings" about Sylvia Plath held by her followers ... never have I read a less objective piece of writing that attempted to pass as journalism. The book is riddled with negative adjectives for Plath at every turn ("brusque, mocking, scornful, contemptuous, fierce, snapping" - just in the course of half of one page), and every anecdote seems to be presented with the goal of depicting Plath as an emotionally stunted, deliriously ambitious, shallow American. True, all the major facts of her life are presented, given about an obligatory paragraph or so apiece, but given this kind of summary account, it is impossible for the reader to develop a sense of Plath as a whole person, an understanding of the imagery of her writing, in the same way that one does, for example, from reading Plath's unabridged journals or the excellent biography by Paul Alexander, "Rough Magic." In fact, Stevenson admits that she relies on information strictly from Hughes-based sources and certain passages from Plath's journals that reinforce her pereception of Plath as a gushing, phony American with a heart of black rot. Clearly Plath had her difficulties with various people. She had depressive tendencies and was probably not the most pleasant person to be around from time to time. But where Ted Hughes was not the epitome of evil, neither was she, and this biography does nothing to explore her humanity or the power of her poetry. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

How the King of Rock and Roll spend Christmas
Hey people who know Elvis Presley fans or are you an Elvis Presley fan and don't have this book, buy a copy of the book. In chapter 22, the author Jim Curtin tells the people reading the book that he met Elvis Presley in 1976. This is the first and only Elvis Presley spend Christmas.

And there are aslo pitcures in this book. And one looks pretty funny. It's a Elvis Presley t-shirt from the 90's, and there is a pitcure of an animated Santa Claus tells a person on a phone, "No, No, I said Elves, Send Me Fifty Elves." He has Elvis Presley look alikes but wants elves. (Page 152). I laught at A Very Funny Christmas. Which is on chapter 15. Some of you people might or might not know that Elvis Presley was once poor. And you can read about how he spend his poor Christmases.

I guess you are never to old or young to learn. In 1965, Elvis Presley decide to dress up as Santa Claus and had children on his lap telling him what they want for chirstmas. And when he had bigger children, he tried to get a hold of his laughter, but couldn't and got out of a mall, without people seeing him laugh.

You can aslo read Christmas Quotes by Elvis Presley. Like when he tells that he believed in Santa Claus until he was age 8. He had learn that it was his parents doing the role of Santa Claus. Why do parents use Santa Claus as a excplaimn to children at christmas who brought the presents fr them, and at Easter, when tell it was from the easter bunny, when it really was from them? Isn't that a lie? This is a great book to read whether it's Christmas or not.

A True Gift to the Elvis World
Yes this book is truly the best gift anyone can give the Elvis world.
I have to admit that this is the "BEST" Elvis publication to date.
The photos are beautiful, touching, warm, and holiday-oriented and the information is fantastic.

A great package all the way around from cover, to size, to quality. This was money well spent!

Jim Curtin (who I have found to be the top author on Elvis books along with his writer Renata Ginter), is truly top of the line in his publications.

I did notice that Curtin's books lack the fabrications that ALL other Elvis books have. No BS in his books and what a relief!

It is quite nice to sit down and read something nice on Elvis for a change, rather than have to put up with made-up stories and information about his sex life, his drug addictions, his death, his fetishes. God let the man rest in peace.

My request is to have all the publishers publish books ONLY by Jim Curtin and Renata Ginter from now on.

Just imagine, no more bad Elvis book would be ever pushed on the public again! That would be Elvis heaven!

A actual surprise!
I came across this book in a local used book shop.
For some reason this book was not sold outright in the main bookstores.

My first initial reaction to this book, once I flipped through it, was:
too bad: some of the printing is not high quality.
But hey, once I looked through the book and read some of the stories, my second reaction took over:
wow the contents are really nice!
as an Elvis fan, I loved the collectibles and as a result I bought another copy off the net.
one is for my library and the holidays and the other I use as a collectible guide.

This is a GOOD book (a real good one) and its done by someone I really didn't know anything about, nor had I heard of him.
But I did do a check on him, once I liked his book, and he did 6 other books on Elvis.
I will see if this man, who proclaims to be the world's foremost Elvis expert, is the real thing, or another self proclaimer like the "fantastic four" (Lichter, Dowling, Tunzi, Guralnick/Jorgensen)

A hint though: from what I see in this book, this man may actually be the REAL DEAL!
he has quality and intregrity.

Beautiful, Beautiful, Beautiful!
If this rating scale could go up to a 10 - I would give this book the 10! It is the absolute best!

Christmas has always been one of my favorite holidays, but never had a connection of Elvis and Christmas crossed my mind, other than playing his music. So I was surprised to see this book in the stores and offered on the net. I immediately bought it, and let me say this: this book is by far worth the money.

What a neat collection of Christmas collectibles, photos and stories. All perfectly selected and all with a reason.

This is really a drop-dead gorgeous publication.

Just another winner from Jim Curtin!

A real tear jerker !
I don't know why, but everytime I look at this book and read it, I cry. I know it is a happy time for all and Christmas is the best holiday in the world ... but it is so sad that Elvis can never share another one with his fans.

I will thank Mr. Curtin right here and now (and I sent him a letter as well) for bringing out this tremendous book. He is right when he says that we can now share every Christmas with Elvis, through his book. The book has photos of Elvis during the holidays and very moving stories as well. And as an added bonus, there are Christmas collectibles all throughout it as well. Some go back to the 1950s and others of today. I have noticed quite a few that I know I would like to have for my own, as my own little connection to Elvis at Christmas.

But let me make it known, this book will forever be on my coffee table, all year round.

A beautiful dedication to the man we all love! ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Absolutely Wonderful fall in love with this one I DID!
This book is the best book I've read about Elvis. June tells the story with such love with each word she says. You could actually feel the love between them you would think she would've married him. You get to here about a side of Elvis that everyone wishes they could have known. You wish you were the one that fell in love with Elvis. Who doesn't! If any of Elvis's girlfriends could write a book about him no one could beat widdle bitty June's. You have to read the book to figure out where the widdle bitty comes from. She was one lucky lady to have known the one and only Elvis Presley. He is missed by so many people.

Great Book! Highly Recommend!
I really enjoyed this book a lot! Out of all of Elvis' girlfriends June seems the most "real" of all of them! I have seen her on TV and she seems like a great woman! The times she shared with Elvis are so innocent and he treated her with such respect. It was the Elvis before he was touched by Col. Parker, Hollywood and Vegas. He was a semi-regular guy, Elvis, his mammas son. I was actually suprised how liberal Gladys was with June going into his bedroom in her home. She must have trusted her son a lot and June was a nice girl too. Gladys also seem to have loved June like a daughter. It is too bad his friends and fame had to come between them. I know Elvis had great works ahead of him, despite that it would have been nice if he could have had a real life like a normal person. He had such a good heart and tried so hard to treat others well. June has a wonderful book and I highly recommend this! You will not be unhappy, but more of an Elvis fan than ever!

A great Elvis book
this is a very good book about Elvis. one thing I really loved about it was his mother was still alive when this story took place.I could not put it down.it grabs your attention from the first page if you love reading books on Elvis you will love this one it is a sweet love story with a sad ending.

A charming glimpse of the real Elvis
If you want to know what Elvis was really like, as a man and as an artist, before he got caught by fame and by the show business world, I believe this is one of the best books for you. In 1956, June Juanico seems to have had enough personality to deal with a boy friend as famous and requested as Elvis already was. "In the twilight of memory" is a delightful page turner, well written and with so much detail that you can relive every moment June shared with Elvis. With June Juanico's account of her summer romance you learn more about Elvis Presley's personality, charm and charisma than by reading most books on the king's life (Peter Guralnick's excluded)

Elvis Romance
I Thought this book was wonderful! It was a good romance and great story line! I recommend it to any Elvis fan who like to hear about his past loves. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Elvis:Precious Memories
I take issue that this Elvis (maternal) cousin has taken on the name, Presley. Her mother was a Presley by birth... so where does Donna's father feature in all this name changing?

As for the book Donna claims as her own it is in fact just a reworking of her mother's original book. However, the original & this re-works does offer some precious gems... Nuff said from this Elvisbuff.

Elvis:Precious Memories
I have read this awesome book more times then any other. What a wonderful insight from a family member. No phoniness here, just straight talk and no nonsense! I would recommend it to all Elvis fans!

The best book ever written about Elvis
I really enjoyed the book and would recommend it to all of Elvis' fans. It was written from the heart and also showed what a real family man Elvis was. I had the chance to meet Donna Presley and what a breath of fresh air she is. I also had this book send to Eurpoe to one of my sisters whom also is a huge Elvis fan. She really enjoyed the book also.

A great view of the personal Elvis by members of his family.
So many books have been written about Elvis Presley that you almost can predict what the next sentence will be. Not so with this one. The beauty of this book is that it truly gives you the sense of perspective from a family member's point of view... an "insider's point of view". I felt as if I were listening to an old family friend telling me about "great uncle so and so" (who just happens to be Elvis Presley)! The book does a good job of tying a lot of the family members together, reminding us that, in addition to being a Superstar, Elvis was also a man with a family that he loved and was devoted to. Some great never-before published photos lend an air of personal closeness to the Presley family and homeplace, drawing the reader into a better understanding of the dynamics that helped shape the man and the image. From their perspectives, his two cousins do a good job of blending their "precious memories" together with their love and appreciation for their famous relative. I would highly recommend this to true Elvis fans as well as anyone who wants to get another view of a very famous man. ... Read more

Book Description

The definitive guidebook to the King's city_from the placeswhere he lived to the stages where he performed to the restaurantswhere he ate. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

A must for Elvis Fans visiting Memphis!
When I started reading books about Elvis, I began to take notes on where he'd lived, played, recorded, etc., knowing one day I'd travel there. Then I discovered this book! Mike and Cindy had done the work for me. The book is not only well written, but there are informative stories AND they tell you if a place has been demolished, or moved -- information that saved me a lot of time. After reading the book I decided that I HAD to take Mike's tour of Memphis -- it was well worth it. I had a glorious time -- Mike is a walking Elvis-encyclopedia (and fun too!). After the tour, my niece, who was traveling with me said, "well, I think we've done it all and seen it all"! And yes, thanks to Mike and Cindy, we had.

The Ultimate Read For Any Elvis Fan!
This is the ultimate read for any Elvis fan. Especially if they are going to spend any time in Memphis. It's eerie, even chilling, to walk the grounds where Elvis walked as a teenager, and even during stardom. This is a step-by-step narrative of how to find nearly every address related to Elvis in Memphis, and every one of them with a used-to-be secret. It's really cool!

I had this book on my bedstand for months as a gift from my wife. Once I picked it up and read the first page, I couldn't put it down. Every page is loaded with "Man, If I would've only
known."

But you better hurry! These sites are rapidly falling by the wayside. As we saw in a store window in Memphis, you can contact the authors for a personalized tour. Although we haven't taken it, this would be a way-cool afternoon.

Thank you Cindy Hazen and Mike Freeman,
Dave-n-Tina Campbell
Mt. Vernon, Texas

Authors hit right note with guide to Memphis!
Memphis Elvis Style Cindy Hazen and Mike Freeman A phenomenal number of books have been written about Elvis. Recently it would seem that ever more such books are being published. Some are just rehashes of the same old story; others are the recollections of a five-minute fling, being as much a flight of phantasy as a worthwhile document; a few, a very few, are really worth buying and can be returned to again and again. "Memphis Elvis Style" by Memphis residents Cindy Hazen and Mike Freeman is most definitely one of the latter. It has not been launched under a blaze of publicity, but it is nevertheless an almost indispensable addition to the Elvis library. "Memphis Elvis Style" is, in fact, a guide book of Elvis related sites in and around Memphis. The no less than 129 sites have been cleverly organised firstly by their chronological relationship with Elvis and then further grouped by type. In addition, maps and an index help searching both in the book and in Memphis itself as simple as possible. And if this wasn't already enough, each entry contains detailed instructions on how to find its site and exactly what to expect, many buildings having been flattened or modified in the course of the years. But the book is also for those who have never been or never will go to Memphis. Cindy and Mike have achieved this by expanding each entry with some background information and an anecdote directly relating it to Elvis. This additional information provides some excellent reading and is sometimes quite amusing - I particularly liked the story of Elvis's visit to his local McDonald's with girlfriend Linda Thompson., but there are lots more stories and Elvis lore to satisfy all readers, even those looking for information about Hi Records, car dealerships, and just about everything else associated with Elvis in Memphis. Definitely a book to get! David Neale September 199 ... Read more

Reviews (1)

what it was like the day elvis died
This book takes you back to August 16,1977, the day Elvis Presley died.The book lets you see how elvis's death affected so many people from all over the world.The book begins with the early unconfirmed media reports of elvis's death,and then goes to how the media reacts when these reports are confirmed.And then the book focuses on the vigils the fans held outside of Presley's home in Memphis after he died.Also included are obituary's and articles about elvis from several newpapers from around the country.This book does a great job of giving the reader a feel for what it was like that sad time in 1977,and is recommended to all Elvis fans. ... Read more

Amazon.com

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. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

The Elvis Empire uncovered
ELVIS INC. is one-stop shoppingfor anything to do with Elvis and money. All but the first chapter deal with events after Elvis' death. Especially good are the sections on the estate's lawsuit against manager Parker in the early 1980s, and on the stratospheric rise of Graceland afternear-bankruptcy in the two yearsafter Elvis died. There is more detail inthis book on these subjects than I have seen anywhere else. Toward the endI did feel that the book loses a little focus, and is not quite aspertinent asthe first half. As, O'Neal goes off on sometangents, suchas the marriage of Lisa Marie to Michael Jackson. To be fair, though, morerecentevents are just not as salient.But O'Neal keeps it alwaysinteresting. And I love that pink cover - groovy, man!

Interesting, Informative and a real Eye-opener of EPE
As an Elvis fan, I have read a great number of books about Elvis and his life.What makes this book stand out from the others is the fact that the reader gets a good look at how Elvis Presley, the person has grown intoElvis Presley Enterprises, the money-maker.It is well known by now thatColonel Tom Parker hindered Elvis' career in many ways.Even though hehelped Elvis make it to the top, Elvis had the sheer talent to make it withor without Parker.In this book, it is revealed how much Parker actuallytook from Elvis in the monetary sense.When Elvis died, his estate wasnearly bankrupt due to his lavish spending and poor management of hismoney.But as you realize when you read this book, Elvis PresleyEnterprises has gone to great lengths to make it the money machine it istoday.O'Neal gives details on lawsuits EPE has won and lost and tells youof some of the future plans EPE has in store.There is also a chapter onElvis' only heir, Lisa Marie and there is a detailed account of herinheritance as well as the "relationship" with Michael Jackson. I would recommend this book to anyone, Elvis fan or not.Every page hadsomething interesting and new and I found it hard to put down.

Terrific!
Elvis fans, buy this book.You fill find out just what a business Elvis really was (before and after death) to people like Priscilla and Parker to name a few.Terrific book! ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Elvis Through My Eyes
I try to get all of Bill Burk's books. I enjoy his writings about Elvis so much.
I also have all his Elvis World Magazines. He only writes the truth. You will find no lies about Elvis in his books so they will sell.

Elvis: Through My Eyes
This is the longest-running, best-selling book in the Graceland shops since its first printing in 1987! The author -- a personal friend of Elvis' and a journalist who wrote almost 400 stories and interviews on Elvis during a 20-year span -- paints an insider's picture of Elvis, the human being behind the glitter. He was the lone journalist allowed on Elvis' private train car coming home from the Army and the first to take Elvis aloft in a small airplane and allow him to handle the controls. Follow the ups and downs of Elvis from 1957 to 1977, including their last private conversation while parked behind a donut shop near Graceland after midnight just 3 months before Elvis died. The author -- well-known to Elvis fans around the world, and widely "researched" by more famous writers -- has always been sensitive to the private Elvis.

One of the BEST Elvis books written, by one of the BEST
This book is one of the most comprehensive looks at a legend ...an inside look by Mr. Burk who was the only journalist allowed inside Graceland to interview Elvis. I was fortunate enough to have a friend to loan me the first edition years ago, and I contacted Mr. Burk to try to obtain a copy which was out of print at the time. I'm so grateful that he had another printing done and I was able to obtain a copy for myself. Just one in a series of works from Mr. Burk about his favorite subject. I will always buy Mr. Burk's books.

Trough My Eyes
I just loved this book, once you start reading it you can't stop. This book shows how down to earth Elvis really was!

Great author!!!
If you read any of Mr. Burk's books you should know that they are well researched, which means that you can believe what he writes - good and bad. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Wonderful book
My husband and I just finished reading this book. I have always been an Elvis fan and Wayne Carman shows his love and respect for Elvis Presley in this book. I would recommend that any Elvis fan, karate fan or enthusiast to pick up this book and read it. It is filled with life changing words of wisdom and can help you change your life. Elvis was a fantastic individual and Wayne brings that to life in this book. My husband and I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Carman and he is a wonderful man. He writes with knowledge, beauty and love. Read this book, it will change the way you look at life! ... Read more