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List Price: $49.95 | | Publisher: Ballantine Books
Salesrank: 712254
Released: October 5, 1999 |
| Our Price: $54.55 |
| Used Price: $11.89 |
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| Media: Hardcover |
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Editorial Review:
From Elvis' foremost biographer, Peter Guralnick, author of the bestselling two-volume biography, Last Train to Memphis and Careless Love, and Ernst Jorgensen, the premier archivist and reissue producer of Elvis' recorded work, comes a unique chronicle of Elvis Presley's life and music. Granted unprecedented access to hundreds of thousands of photos, documents, letters, artifacts, and memorabilia by Elvis Presley Enterprises, Guralnick and Jorgensen present the King as you've never seen him before. Elvis Day by Day is a complete account of public, private, rare, forgotten, and renowned moments, captured with such detail and immediacy they read like diary entries in a life--from first steps to the first time the young "hillbilly cat" stepped on stage; from the creation of a revolutionary new sound to the last days of a universally known, tragically misunderstood music legend.
Lavishly illustrated with more than three hundred color and black-and-white photographs, this one-of-a-kind volume features such hitherto unknown details of Elvis' childhood in Tupelo as a father's touching postcards from prison and the family's backbreaking struggle to make ends meet. It includes Elvis' first work application at eighteen in which he describes his leisure-time activities as "sing[ing], playing ball, working on car, going to movies." At last, the complete story of how Elvis met his legendary manager, Colonel Tom Parker, is revealed in detail, and long-debated mysteries like Elvis's famous lost tryout for the Arthur Godfrey show are finally put to rest. In addition, the reader will find an invaluable and reliable reference guide to every recording session, record release, song hit, movie, and live performance (including a number of shows not previously documented)--clearing up in the process many misconceptions and misunderstandings about Elvis' life.
All the facts are here--from Elvis's unlikely visit with President Nixon in 1970 to his spontaneous articulation of patriotism and pride in a 1957 telegram to a marine private (coincidentally named Nixon). Within these facts are a story: funny, sad, sometimes uplifting, occasionally disturbing--but always fascinating for the disarmingly unbuttoned, behind-the-scenes view of a celebrated life.
From private moments to public milestones, this is the first complete and accurate chronology of Elvis' life, in a form that offers instant accessibility to Elvis expert and casual reader alike. Elvis Day by Day is an extraordinary piece of American musical history, bringing the life and times of Elvis Presley into dazzling focus for the record--and for the ages.
Description of Elvis Day by Day: The Definitive Record of His Life and Music:
On the heels of Peter Guralnick's acclaimed two-volume study of the rise and fall of Elvis Presley (Last Train to Memphis and Careless Love) comes a book that chronicles the same epic tale in a manner that's far less weighty than the preceding tomes, but almost as telling. For this quick-hit chronology of the Elvis story, Guralnick and his collaborator, archivist/record producer Ernst Jorgensen, were given access to 35 tons of Presley flotsam that included everything from his first income tax return to a mother lode of unpublished candids. Freed from a narrative structure, the authors chronicle the cultural icon through snippets that capture the mundane (Elvis gets his first Tupelo Public Library card, February 13, 1948) and remarkable (Elvis enlists in the battle against drugs when meeting President Nixon in the White House, December 21, 1970). Little by little, the fragments fit together to form the picture of a man hurtling toward the precipice (March 24, 1977: "Elvis's stage wardrobe is limited to two jumpsuits that he can fit into"). In this sense, Day by Day's scrapbook appearance is deceiving; this is serious business, indeed. --Steven Stolder
Elvis Day by Day: The Definitive Record of His Life and Music Reviews:
How information for book was obtained 
2004-01-09 - A previous reviewer questioned how the writers could know what Elvis was doing from day-to-day. Just a clarification...the authors had full access to the Elvis archives that house artifacts from the entertainer's life, including 60,000 photographs, 4,000 pieces of wardrobe, stacks of furniture, and more than a MILLION pieces of paper.
The archives are located in 5 warehouses not open to the public and the authors were granted rare access to the archives.
The public usually only sees the "hot" items such as the flashy outfits and gold records. But the housed artifacts include items such as grocery receipts from Tupelo, Army leave papers for some R&R in Paris, casual notes, canceled checks, furniture invoices from when Elvis decorated Graceland and other odds and ends.
Obviously, no one person is going to know exactly what Elvis did everyday of his life but with as many items that have been archived, the authors give a more fuller picture of Elvis' life than you might expect.
Discover all 16,217 days of Elvis Presley's life.
2003-05-20 - Ernst Jorgensen and Peter Guralnick have really out done themselves. Thanks should go to the Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. for being cooperative and allowing this precious book to be made.
You can almost literally follow all the living days of Elvis. This book covers his family history, and from the day of his birth a day by day listing (like a diary) of what Elvis did in his personal life leading to his destined professional life.
Whom he made friends with, movies he would stay up to see all night, when a certain song was recorded and released, what TV shows he appeared on and where he performed before making it big, his movie deals, it's all here. Every account of his life.
Now you can follow the 16,217 days of his life. 42 years and 220 days of his wonderful life and the entertainment he gave to us. There are 487 photos inside this book with 337 of Elvis Presley. The two most interesting "unknown" facts in this diary that I enjoyed reading and certainly raised an eyebrow were the two dates of April 17, 1963 and November 22, 1963.
On April 17, 1963, for a party at Graceland, what did Elvis order for food and beverage?
On November 22, 1963, whom was Elvis with and what were they doing on that tragic, historic day?
Here are some more intersting facts!
Elvis sees Graceland Mansion for the first time (Page 99).
This film (Page 108) was the only film Elvis thought he could not see due to the untimely death of Judy Tyler.
What did Elvis purchase for $1000 (Page 109) for each side of the steps leading to the front door of Graceland.
July 13, 1959 was a day of destiny for Priscilla Beaulieu in Germany that would change her life forever (Page 140).
July 17, 1962 would be an important time for Priscilla to see Elvis. Read Page 178 to find out why.
Elvis Presley spends Christmas Day 1963 with... ? (See page 192).
As Elvis was filming "Paradise Hawaiian Style", this pussycat of a male singer (Page 209) dropped by to met Elvis.
February 1, 1968 made Elvis very proud and full of joy (Page 238).
Did you know Elvis Presley never "performed" in Las Vegas until 6 years after VIVA LAS VEGAS (1963) was filmed? What happened to Elvis on July 31, 1969 before he walked on the Las Vegas stage for the first time? (Page 259).
On January 14, 1973, Elvis said "Aloha" to the whole world via satellite in Hawaii from the Honolulu International Center Arena (Page 319).
What was the last known movie Elvis Presley saw (Page 377). Read this book to find out and buy it for your very own home personal library.
My Favorite B-S book of all time 
2001-08-02 - Aahhhhh finally my favorite!
A wonderful personal daily diary on Elvis!
I have just a few questions:
Just how would these two "Elvis wonders" know what went on EVERYDAY of Elvis life?
Were they there with Elvis every moment?
Were they a fly on the wall in a past life?
Did a psychic tell them EXACTLY what happened to Elvis and when?
Maybe they were Elvis reincarnated?
If these men knew Elvis' daily happenings, they would have to be at least 10 years old in 1935, to remember anything ... and that would make both men around 76 in age, right?
ONLY ELVIS CAN WRITE HIS DIARY --- NOT THE MASTERS OF THE ELVIS UNIVERSE!
Elvis is....Elvis
2001-01-14 - Elvis Day By Day is not perfect. The depth of the book doesn't match say, The Beatles Anthology and it could have. It doesn't have the striking pictures that other books in the genre do. But let's not get to critical. Ernst Jorgensen has almost singlehandedly revitalized the music of Elvis into mainstream America and Guralnick, while not always perfect has presented an accurate image of Elvis. Many little things add interest to this book. These include the many photos of documents that Elvis signed. Also, some unreleased and rare photos.I could have suggested more quality photos and experiences from the 68-72 era. The day by day in these years could have been better chronicled, in my opinion. I thought the picture of Elvis on stage live with Tom Jones was quite neat and worth the price of the book. Overall this book is excellent. I thoroughly enjoyed it and any fan will be delighted to have it on their coffee table. Kevin Hogan, ...
The 'Definitive' Elvis history book.
2000-05-09 - I initially bought this as a gift, but ended up keeping it myself. This is not your typical rock star coffee book with the same rehashed Elvis tidbits regurgitated over and over again.
From the very 1st pages you will learn more about Elvis's family that has ever been told. The records are more than just accurate, their are TONS of factual pictures and documents that have been scoured up from all of the Presley family and elsewhere. It is outsatnding! For the devout Elvis fan, I guarantee you will learn new tidbits, especially his early life in highschool, how many times they moved, and ALL the odd jobs he had.
The day-to-day history is simple to read, and full of very amazing trivia. Short enough to keep you interested, yet very detailed. The only con I have with this book is that it lists many of his early booking dates, with no more than the location and those get a bit tedious after a while.
The pictures throughout the book are amazing. Never have I seen a collection of Elvis pictures, and I'm sure many of them have never been in print before. The occasional full page 'splash' pictures capture The King in all his splendor from different periods of his life, whereas this book can almost be considered an art/photography book. (I really liked his judo poses throughout the years in his different costumes backstage-amusing)
In addition to the life of Elvis, we see the corresponding day by day accounts of Col. Tom Parker, Priscilla, Vernon, Gladys, and tons of other characters that somehow would come to touch Elvis's life. Truly a treasure, you will not be disapointed with this book at this price! Now I gotta buy another one as the first gift I intended it to be.
