Early Elvis Books

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Early Elvis Books

Postby suave harv » Sun Jan 15, 2023 12:14 pm

Charming! The first time I start a topic on here and it gets lost in a forum crash!

No problem, here's the pictures of the early Elvis books again, with some extra images. I think my original question was, are these the earliest 'none fanzine' Elvis books? I think the The Elvis Presley Story' was first published in the states in '59, and had a few later reprints. The two in the picture are from 1960 (the US one, which has a report on the upcoming GI Blues movie), and a 1961 UK print, (which doesn't have the GI Blues chapter).

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And I think this was the first ever Elvis hardback book. Would that be right?

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And lastly, another early paperback, from 1962. The Swngin' Kid.

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Re: Early Elvis Books

Postby HillbillyCat » Sun Jan 15, 2023 4:47 pm

Elvis Presley: A Life in Books is my go-to website in terms of Elvis book listings.

The first hardcover book "about" Elvis seems to be a Swedish book titled "Kär I Elvis" (in English: "Love Elvis") by Sven Wernström (116 pages, 1958). Nice front cover. I found the back cover of the book, from the text (translated via google translate) it appears to be a novel about members of an Swedish Elvis club:
One day the girls-in-the-gang disappeared. They were once again found in an old bar where they formed something they called "Elvis Clubs". Could the boys be in a club that had such a silly name? Yes, they had to in the first place, if they wanted to enjoy the many possibilities of the old jaw, and they wanted that.

They felt there too, because soon the truths began to emerge. Who was e.g. owner of the jaw - the flatterers, the young man who called himself Berra, or the old grumpy old man? And so money was suddenly needed, and where would it come from?

Coincidence probably also played a role when everything started to sort itself out, but mostly it was due to the blasphemy rock music. It could perhaps be debated, but for the gang in Mälarhöjden it was undeniably useful.

And how it happened is told in "Kär i Elvis".

(Source: https://antikvariat.tomasfriberg.se/ind ... how=R17897)
Kär I Elvis.jpg

"A Life in Books" also listed Gregory's "The Elvis Presley Story" as one of the first non-fiction hardcover books in 1959:
https://vnhouten.home.xs4all.nl/crd/0000430000_c.html
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Re: Early Elvis Books

Postby suave harv » Sun Jan 15, 2023 4:59 pm

That's really interesting, thanks. I'd love to know if the Gregory book actually did come out as a hardback, as that would make it the first proper hardback book, before Operation Elvis.
That A Life in Books site is good, but some of the books it lists are a stretch. Mister Will You Marry Me, for instance, isn't any Elvis movie (I know because I've read it!). And that Swedish book is more Elvis related, than a true Elvis book. But it's still interesting.

The US version of the Gregory Elvis Presley Story could be bought in the UK via Elvis Monthly, so I reckon there'd be quite a few US copies in the backs of wardrobes and lofts in the UK.


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Re: Early Elvis Books

Postby Yin Yang » Sun Jan 15, 2023 9:23 pm

In 1960 I got this book "De koning van de rock 'n' roll" (The king of rock 'n' roll).
A friend borrowed it and when I finally got it back years later it had the first 30 or so pages missing.
That was the end of the friendship and the last time I had someone borrow things from me.

https://vnhouten.home.xs4all.nl/crd/0000000600_c.html



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Re: Early Elvis Books

Postby AndresVanKujik » Tue Jan 17, 2023 10:15 pm

These are amazing! I never knew there were different versions of this, regarding G.I. Blues. Thank you for that. It is such a shame the Elvis or the dutch man never commissioned an official biography. It would have been interesting to hear his own perspective on it, or his officially approved one, whether accurate or not (it probably wouldnt have been if the Colonel got his fingers on it).
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Re: Early Elvis Books

Postby Nigel77 » Wed Jan 18, 2023 1:07 am

After years of investigating the James Gregory book I've found no evidence it was also published as a hardcover. Also, it is my view that it (softcover) was published in early 1960......as it was a collection of articles from USA tabloid mags...which are dated months in "advance" of their actual release, this explains the "1959" copyright in the book. I agree with Hillbilly Cat (and Elvis Presley: A Life In Books) that Kär I Elvis (Love Elvis) by Sven Wernström, is the first "book" published about Elvis. At 116 pages it overshadows the "magazines" previously published in other, mostly non British/USA countries, with many less pages.

Interestingly, another book vying for the of being the first Elvis Presley book published is a pornographic release. Its precise publication date is unknown but considered to be 1958 - and "Miss Elvis Presley", a stiff (no pun intended) eight page (5" x 8") book comprises hand drawn ink and watercolor drawings. It formed part of a unique slipcase release of 21 gay cartoon books (valued at US$50,000.00!), and the Elvis volume featured graphic images of Elvis in compromising positions with other males. Promotion for the set included:

'The optimistic portrayal of certain physical attributes of the characters certainly parallel or reflect the similarly endowed characters of Tom of Finland or might possibly even predate them slightly. Due to the singular and clandestine nature of the books, this collection would be almost impossible to recreate today. Originally held for many years by an art dealer who never encountered anything like it, the collection has been in the possession of only one other private owner since.'



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Re: Early Elvis Books

Postby suave harv » Wed Jan 18, 2023 9:20 am

Very interesting!

I think the Presley Story book would have been first available in the UK via Elvis Monthly, and the earliest advert I could find was the January '61 Monthly. . .

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And it appears they're selling the US version, along with another US book, the Elvis Yearbook. So I reckon they had a bunch shipped over. Then, in '61, there was a UK print run.

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Here's an advert for the Operation Elvis book was advertised in the December '60 Monthly.

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Last edited by suave harv on Wed Jan 18, 2023 9:56 am, edited 1 time in total.


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Re: Early Elvis Books

Postby Yin Yang » Wed Jan 18, 2023 9:23 am

AndresVanKujik wrote:These are amazing! I never knew there were different versions of this, regarding G.I. Blues. Thank you for that. It is such a shame the Elvis or the dutch man never commissioned an official biography. It would have been interesting to hear his own perspective on it, or his officially approved one, whether accurate or not (it probably wouldnt have been if the Colonel got his fingers on it).


The closest we come to an accurate and veriviable biography is the 1971 project "Elvis", a 12 part radio show by Watermark Inc.
You hear people who knew Elvis talk about those times and you hear lots of Elvis music.

Meantime it has always surprised me in the USA they "discovered" Colonel Parker was stateless (ex-Dutch) in the late seventies, while a Dutch woman's weekly (or was it monthly?) magazine called "Rosita" already in 1960 published about Elvis' manager being Dries van Kuijk from Breda and in 1961 his brother visited him and met Elvis and the hangers-on too.



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Re: Early Elvis Books

Postby AndresVanKujik » Wed Jan 18, 2023 10:00 am

Nigel77 wrote:Interestingly, another book vying for the of being the first Elvis Presley book published is a pornographic release.


And can you provide us any evidence of this.... :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
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Re: Early Elvis Books

Postby Nigel77 » Wed Jan 18, 2023 11:03 pm

AndresVanKujik wrote:
Nigel77 wrote:Interestingly, another book vying for the of being the first Elvis Presley book published is a pornographic release.


And can you provide us any evidence of this.... :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:


I can - you can view a photo of the book set and its description (half way down the page) here: https://www.elvisinfonet.com/index_may17.html



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Re: Early Elvis Books

Postby AndresVanKujik » Thu Jan 19, 2023 3:55 pm

Nigel77 wrote:
AndresVanKujik wrote:
Nigel77 wrote:Interestingly, another book vying for the of being the first Elvis Presley book published is a pornographic release.


And can you provide us any evidence of this.... :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:


I can - you can view a photo of the book set and its description (half way down the page) here: https://www.elvisinfonet.com/index_may17.html


I meant can we just see the dirty bits... for research purposes only of course.. :?
"Man, I just work here..."



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Re: Early Elvis Books

Postby Russ 55 » Sat Jan 21, 2023 1:48 pm

Interesting, just got it for Kindle £2.99 .



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Re: Early Elvis Books

Postby Nigel77 » Sun Jan 22, 2023 2:35 am

AndresVanKujik wrote:
Nigel77 wrote:
AndresVanKujik wrote:
Nigel77 wrote:Interestingly, another book vying for the of being the first Elvis Presley book published is a pornographic release.


And can you provide us any evidence of this.... :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:


I can - you can view a photo of the book set and its description (half way down the page) here: https://www.elvisinfonet.com/index_may17.html


I meant can we just see the dirty bits... for research purposes only of course.. :?

I've only seen a few of the pages and they certainly aren't for publication on Phoenix.


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Re: Early Elvis Books

Postby John » Sun Jan 22, 2023 8:24 am

Nigel77 wrote:
AndresVanKujik wrote:
Nigel77 wrote:
AndresVanKujik wrote:
Nigel77 wrote:Interestingly, another book vying for the of being the first Elvis Presley book published is a pornographic release.


And can you provide us any evidence of this.... :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:


I can - you can view a photo of the book set and its description (half way down the page) here: https://www.elvisinfonet.com/index_may17.html


I meant can we just see the dirty bits... for research purposes only of course.. :?

I've only seen a few of the pages and they certainly aren't for publication on Phoenix.

Phoenix doesn't mind.



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Re: Early Elvis Books

Postby AndresVanKujik » Sun Jan 22, 2023 10:05 am

Nigel77 wrote:I've only seen a few of the pages...


Ahem... Of course ..
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