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Elvis by the Presleys
For the first time, the inside story of legendary entertainer Elvis Presley’s life as a husband, father, son, cousin, friend, spiritual seeker — Priscilla and Lisa Marie Presley, and other family members, come together to memorialize our greatest star in this stunningly illustrated companion to a major television special and longer-form documentary.
Elvis by the Presleys is a uniquely fascinating treasure and serves as the essential companion to a major television special on CBS and, from Sony BMG, a longer-form documentary DVD and its related CD. Culled from hours of new family interviews conducted for the television special and DVD (much of it appearing exclusively in this book), enhanced with Elvis quotes, and illustrated with private family photographs and images of personal memorabilia from the archives of Graceland/Elvis Presley Enterprises, Elvis by the Presleys is an extraordinary document about an extraordinary figure.
In all, the book is the compelling result of a historic gathering of voices of those who not only witnessed from the wings Elvis Presley’s public life, but also knew the superstar out of the spotlight. His former wife Priscilla Presley, their daughter Lisa Marie Presley, his cousin Patsy Presley Geranen, Priscilla’s parents, and members of the combined and extended families sensitively and candidly share their intimate perspective on the real person, while at the same time celebrating one of America’s greatest stars.
As Priscilla Presley puts it in Elvis by the Presleys , “Who can think of Elvis without thinking of Graceland?” Here Graceland is seen as a teeming family retreat, where the kitchen was the center of operations; where tag football games were played in the yard; where folks drove golf carts up and down the hills; and where Elvis spent many of his happiest times.
Elvis by the Presleys reveals life at Graceland like never before. We witness the arc of his love affair with Priscilla; Elvis as a father to his adored Lisa Marie; his obsessions and passions; and the strength of his musical legacy, which continues unabated to this day. There are Christmas cards here, too; contracts and invoices; selections from Lisa Marie’s childhood scrapbook; and even a picture of the champagne bottle (signed) from Elvis and Priscilla’s wedding.
Here, now, is the tumultuous story of the life of a lovely yet complex man; a portrait of the career of a brilliantly accomplished yet often frustrated artist; an insider’s tale of enduring love, related with warmth and unguarded candor . . . and a story told the way only a family can tell it.
2-hour CBS special airs May 2005
4-hour Sony BMG documentary DVDand its companion CD in stores May 2005
The DVD is a longer-form presentation of the footage edited for the special. Both the special and the DVD are comprised of the family interviews, private home movies, performance footage and interviews, and photography — some of the material rare, some never before available to the public.
The CD of Elvis’s music features Elvis classics, hidden treasures, rarities and family favorites.
Elvis by the Presleys is a uniquely fascinating treasure and serves as the essential companion to a major television special on CBS and, from Sony BMG, a longer-form documentary DVD and its related CD. Culled from hours of new family interviews conducted for the television special and DVD (much of it appearing exclusively in this book), enhanced with Elvis quotes, and illustrated with private family photographs and images of personal memorabilia from the archives of Graceland/Elvis Presley Enterprises, Elvis by the Presleys is an extraordinary document about an extraordinary figure.
In all, the book is the compelling result of a historic gathering of voices of those who not only witnessed from the wings Elvis Presley’s public life, but also knew the superstar out of the spotlight. His former wife Priscilla Presley, their daughter Lisa Marie Presley, his cousin Patsy Presley Geranen, Priscilla’s parents, and members of the combined and extended families sensitively and candidly share their intimate perspective on the real person, while at the same time celebrating one of America’s greatest stars.
As Priscilla Presley puts it in Elvis by the Presleys , “Who can think of Elvis without thinking of Graceland?” Here Graceland is seen as a teeming family retreat, where the kitchen was the center of operations; where tag football games were played in the yard; where folks drove golf carts up and down the hills; and where Elvis spent many of his happiest times.
Elvis by the Presleys reveals life at Graceland like never before. We witness the arc of his love affair with Priscilla; Elvis as a father to his adored Lisa Marie; his obsessions and passions; and the strength of his musical legacy, which continues unabated to this day. There are Christmas cards here, too; contracts and invoices; selections from Lisa Marie’s childhood scrapbook; and even a picture of the champagne bottle (signed) from Elvis and Priscilla’s wedding.
Here, now, is the tumultuous story of the life of a lovely yet complex man; a portrait of the career of a brilliantly accomplished yet often frustrated artist; an insider’s tale of enduring love, related with warmth and unguarded candor . . . and a story told the way only a family can tell it.
2-hour CBS special airs May 2005
4-hour Sony BMG documentary DVDand its companion CD in stores May 2005
The DVD is a longer-form presentation of the footage edited for the special. Both the special and the DVD are comprised of the family interviews, private home movies, performance footage and interviews, and photography — some of the material rare, some never before available to the public.
The CD of Elvis’s music features Elvis classics, hidden treasures, rarities and family favorites.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2005
61 people are currently reading
864 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
August 24, 2022
The book in itself was a great read, so this is what I am going to review. It was filled with interesting details, I was surprised to read the thoughts of Elvis' parents in law for example and it's nice to see some first hand events told from Priscilla or Lisa Marie.
That being said, half of the book was filled with images that did not have much point, there was an A4 photo dedicated to Elvis' googles for example and they ruined the experience a bit.
But all in all, a great read.
That being said, half of the book was filled with images that did not have much point, there was an A4 photo dedicated to Elvis' googles for example and they ruined the experience a bit.
But all in all, a great read.
September 23, 2017
Great pics that I hadn't seen before and little insights into the more personal side of Elvis. I was especially interested in what Lisa Marie had to say about her father. She lost him at such a young age and to think he has been gone almost as long as he lived. But he accomplished so much and left a legacy that will continue to entertain fans for decades.
May 23, 2024
“In a very real sense, he still lives. He always will.”😭🖤
March 13, 2019
Super interesting book about the famous singer using the recollections of certain of his closest family members which gives a unique perspective. 240 pages with lots of photographs. Fans of Elvis, other music lovers, and history buffs of that era will love it.
May 1, 2014
Elvis, by the Presleys, is a great book filled with all the need-to-know information about him, his wife, daughter, aunt, grandmother, and more. Not only does the book discuss all the things that Elvis did and care for, but it also showed many illustrations to show us what they are as well. The book revolves around Graceland, which was home to Elvis and the rest of the Presley's, and explains to us that all the closest people to Elvis lived in it with him. The book shows both sides to Elvis, the side where he was a joyful young and healthy man who was spontaneous and never said or took no for an answer; however, they also showed the side of the unhealthy, overweight Elvis that was slowly passing away alone in Graceland after him and his wife had divorced. Elvis, by the Presley's, is an excellent book to read for people who want to know every single thing about Elvis and his family as well.
April 25, 2013
Reading this book made me appreciate Elvis greatly as a artist! He was so charming and this book has allowed me to appreciate him and his struggle to remain on top. This book as Elvis's music is very enjoyable! :) <3
January 3, 2023
Quick easy read. Good photos. No major revelations buy an interesting read nonetheless.
September 17, 2025
The book contains stories and memories from Elvis' family: former wife Priscilla, daughter Lisa Marie, his cousin Patsy, Priscilla's sister Michelle, and former in-laws, Ann and Paul Beaulieu. It also includes excerpts from Elvis taken from past interviews and printed on these pages next to his families recollections of his life. The pictures in this book are amazing! Shots of the rooms withing Graceland, photos of Elvis through the years, his years with Priscilla, baby pictures of Lisa Marie, and pictures of Elvis' guns, his wallet, and other pictures of Elvis personal items. There is also a documentary on DVD, Elvis By The Presley, that has more in depth interviews with Priscilla, Patsy and Lisa Marie. The book and the DVD were very informative and filled with beautiful pictures and some of my favorite Elvis songs on the DVD.
July 26, 2021
Mildly interesting notes of Elvis’s life by various members of the family. Really high quality pictures of various mementos and Graceland.
According to Priscilla, Elvis was on pills all of his life, swallowing them like candy. Also interesting was that while they met in Germany while he was in the army and she was 14 (her father was a career military man), she was American and though Elvis talked the parents into letting her come to Graceland when he was discharged from the army, they were not intimate according to her (if I understand her correctly) until after they were married years later. And Elvis did not want sex with a woman after she bore a child, which probably was a big factor in their separation shortly after Lisa Marie was born.
According to Priscilla, Elvis was on pills all of his life, swallowing them like candy. Also interesting was that while they met in Germany while he was in the army and she was 14 (her father was a career military man), she was American and though Elvis talked the parents into letting her come to Graceland when he was discharged from the army, they were not intimate according to her (if I understand her correctly) until after they were married years later. And Elvis did not want sex with a woman after she bore a child, which probably was a big factor in their separation shortly after Lisa Marie was born.
July 31, 2022
Ok so on here doesn’t give half ratings but this is definitely a 3.5 star one. A really quick read, we heard things from Elvis’s ex wife Priscilla, their daughter Lisa Marie who was quite young when he died, and also from some of his other close family members. I found this quite interesting, a quick and gripping enough read. The different perspectives on him was nice, but the thing for me that dragged the rating down was just how like there would be a whole page taken up by a quote that we had already read a few paragraphs ago in a normal sentence/extract. I didn’t like the repetitiveness and that’s what dragged it down for me. Otherwise an interesting take on the star’s life
March 20, 2024
I really enjoyed this book, I could't help by smile through it. It was lovely reading about Elvis as a person, a human being, who was more than just a performer.
This story is told by many of Elvis's family members such as Priscilla, Lisa Marie, his in laws, and his cousins. It is sometimes hard to imagine Elvis as a father, a husband, a cousin, or a nephew. But this story tells so many wonderful stories of Elvis and how he built his home at Graceland. I couldn't help but smile when I read that Elvis loved shopping at Sears, loved horse back riding, or how much he adored Lisa Marie. I felt like I got a good glimpse into Elvis and his personal life through these stories.
This story is told by many of Elvis's family members such as Priscilla, Lisa Marie, his in laws, and his cousins. It is sometimes hard to imagine Elvis as a father, a husband, a cousin, or a nephew. But this story tells so many wonderful stories of Elvis and how he built his home at Graceland. I couldn't help but smile when I read that Elvis loved shopping at Sears, loved horse back riding, or how much he adored Lisa Marie. I felt like I got a good glimpse into Elvis and his personal life through these stories.
April 2, 2024
lisa marie shouldve been able to talk more in my opinion ik in a way Priscilla has a more “vivid” memory abt elvis than lisa does but we already heard more of her pov from her book elvis and me so i just think we should just let other ppl take the spotlight pero yo no dije nada !!! ANYGAYS good book almost went thru it in the end as they talked abt his death tbh… sometimes i forget that he is like gone..its kinda strange but gen i loved seeing the pictures and memories and everyone’s povs of him and how passionate he would get abt things its so nice to see how elvis was perceived esp by ppl so close to him. so, yea good read would recommend fs! now i cant wait to read jerry’s book now☺️
April 3, 2024
The book is good and has some very interesting viewpoints, like stories from Priscilla’s parents. But a lot of the quotes from Lisa Marie feel like they were taken from publicly available interview (one is a story taken from the prerecorded audio you hear when you tour Graceland), and a lot of Priscilla’s stories are also in her book. Weirdly, some of the photos are mislabeled and some only have the label “Elvis.” It fees like there wasn’t enough info for a full book, and some of the key players wouldn’t sit down for interview, so there’s some filler added in
December 18, 2024
I found this book very informative. It comes from those who knew him best, his cousin Patsy, Lisa Marie and Priscilla. The love that these three had for Elvis is undeniable. As they talk about Elvis you can definitely tell that they admired him and loved him deeply. Unfortunately, none of them was able to help him with his restlessness and help him to come to peace with himself and assure him that he was a good person and God loved him. I had a feeling from how he felt was that he wasn't worthy of love . It's sad because he was so loved.
January 22, 2022
Extreme Book Nerd Challenge 2022
Challenge Topic: Read a book from a topic in Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start the Fire."
I really like Elvis so I very much enjoyed this book. I learned a lot of things I didn't know. Like how he didn't like making the movies he was making, that he was a very private type of person, and he had a temper. But he loved his Dodger (Gma) and LIsa Marie (daughter) immensly.
Challenge Topic: Read a book from a topic in Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start the Fire."
I really like Elvis so I very much enjoyed this book. I learned a lot of things I didn't know. Like how he didn't like making the movies he was making, that he was a very private type of person, and he had a temper. But he loved his Dodger (Gma) and LIsa Marie (daughter) immensly.
February 22, 2024
This book is filled with personal stories and pictures from various members of Elvis' family, most notably Priscilla and Lisa Marie. It is enjoyable to read these personal glimpses from those who knew The King the best. I do think Priscilla's storytelling was very whitewashed and glossed over a lot, but that's understandable as this book wasn't intended to dig up dirt. Any Elvis fan will enjoy the stories and the pics are really cool too, some of which I had never seen.
March 4, 2023
Repetitive, pictures are the bonus
If you’ve read Priscilla’s “Elvis and Me,” or Jerry Schilling’s “Me and a Guy Named Elvis,” you’ll already know most of these details. There’s only a few other quotes/tidbits that are were new from the other books. The gems are the photos of Elvis’s personal belongings and such. Otherwise it was just a collection of short memories of him.
If you’ve read Priscilla’s “Elvis and Me,” or Jerry Schilling’s “Me and a Guy Named Elvis,” you’ll already know most of these details. There’s only a few other quotes/tidbits that are were new from the other books. The gems are the photos of Elvis’s personal belongings and such. Otherwise it was just a collection of short memories of him.
December 19, 2025
Found this in a free library and whizzed through it in a couple of hours. Nothing particularly insightful - sound bites from the family feel very edited and manufactured - nothing we have not heard before. More like a picture postcard book that any kind deep dive into the artists professional or personal life. Pretty forgettable.
May 25, 2019
Everything same old same old.
I was very disappointed with this as eveything written had already been written, nothing new. If I had known most of what was written was by his ex, divorced wife I wouldnt have bothered reading it in the first place.
I was very disappointed with this as eveything written had already been written, nothing new. If I had known most of what was written was by his ex, divorced wife I wouldnt have bothered reading it in the first place.
February 2, 2021
If you've read Priscilla's book, or saw the movie, much of this is familiar - and to be honest, a little lazy. The pictures are beautiful however. I was especially interested in a few new stories from Lisa Marie that I hadn't heard about before.
February 2, 2023
Favorite book about Elvis!
I loved everything about this book, the memories from so many were fascinating. I adored his music and also was sad at how lonely that life had to be.
A great read for anyone who loves Elvis Presley’s music.
I loved everything about this book, the memories from so many were fascinating. I adored his music and also was sad at how lonely that life had to be.
A great read for anyone who loves Elvis Presley’s music.
February 4, 2023
Good reading
As I read this I could almost picture the stories unfold. It's lovely to hear such stories about family and friends reminiscing. It shows that there was much love and laughter that keeps them as beautiful memories.
As I read this I could almost picture the stories unfold. It's lovely to hear such stories about family and friends reminiscing. It shows that there was much love and laughter that keeps them as beautiful memories.
November 25, 2023
This was a fun read. Lots of pictures of Elvis memorabilia. Fond recollections from his close family members, including his daughter Lisa, Priscilla, Priscilla's mother, father and sister, and Patsy who is a cousin of Elvis. I really enjoyed reading and looking at all the pictures.
December 14, 2017
Beautifully presented, well compiled. This was a joy to read over an afternoon.
May 30, 2018
Well I loved Elvis anyway but now I love him even more! Lots of interesting information and images included, I just wish it had been a bit longer and gone into more detail.
November 14, 2022
An amazing inside of Elvis Presley's life. I 100% recommend it.
April 24, 2023
I thought the book was very interesting & informative. I enjoyed it
March 21, 2024
What a fun book!
March 28, 2024
This is a beautiful book. Lots of private pictures and stories! Love it!!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews