Infinite Elvis: An Annotated Bibliography
Hinds, a journalist who has acted as an Elvis Presley consultant for NBC, the New York Times, and other media outlets, combines scrupulous research with 45 years as an Elvis fan to compile the most exhaustive bibliography of the King to date. Over 1700 book and magazine article entries run the gamut from standard biographies to Elvis comic books, cookbooks, travel guides, and dissertations. (Notable omissions include record reviews, deemed by Hinds to be "not about Elvis per se," and Internet resources/web sites.) The annotations are often evaluative and note the presence of footnotes, indexes, photographs, and bibliographies. Hinds takes pains to separate Elvis fact from legend by detailing which titles get the facts right and which perpetuate inaccuracies. Each entry is verified by at least one of five criteria, which include being "catalogued in a public, national, or academic library" and "listed in a credible database such as the OCLC." While OCLC numbers are sometimes given as the verification source, often a Library of Congress and/or Dewey Decimal classification number are provided when an LC or other database control number would be stronger identification. Entries are scattered among no fewer than 48 categories, with many of these further divided into subcategories, making a good index (not seen) crucial for finding specific authors or titles. The care in assembling this work is apparent, and though the annotations and chapter introductions make great reading, this resource will primarily appeal to serious Elvis fans and scholars. Lloyd Jansen, Stockton-San Joaquin Co. P.L., CACopyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.