{"product_id":"the-colonel-and-the-king-tom-parker-elvis-presley-and-the-partnership-that-rocked-the-world-9781399635318","title":"The Colonel and the King: Tom Parker, Elvis Presley and the Partnership that Rocked the World","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe conclusion of the critically acclaimed music writer's Elvis trilogy, focusing on his relationship with the 'Colonel', his legendary manager\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eINCLUDED IN \u003ci\u003eTIME\u003c\/i\u003e'S 100 MUST READ BOOKS OF 2025\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe concluding volume of Peter Guralnick's critically acclaimed Elvis Presley biographies\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Guralnick knows the intricacies of this story more   than anyone, except perhaps the Colonel and Presley themselves'\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eGUARDIAN\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn early 1955, Colonel Tom Parker discovered a teenage   Elvis Presley and declared him destined for greatness. What followed was one   of the most extraordinary partnerships in music history and the creation of a   bond built on loyalty, ambition and an unshakeable belief in each other.\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFrom the meteoric rise that reshaped popular culture to   the struggles that shadowed their final years, this concluding volume of   Peter Guralnick's acclaimed trilogy reveals the full complexity of their   relationship.\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eDrawing on previously unpublished letters and telegrams   from Parker's own archives, it offers an intimate, unflinching portrait of   two American originals: the visionary manager who invented the modern superstar and the artist who became one. Brilliant, flawed and inseparable, Elvis and the Colonel changed the music world forever.\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Guralnick's view of Parker is both clear-eyed and sympathetic, but best of all, it's persuasive' \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eTIME\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A riveting and revelatory read' \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eSUNDAY INDEPENDENT\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ch4\u003eDetails\u003c\/h4\u003e\u003cp\u003eISBN13: 9781399635318\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFormat: Paperback \/ softback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNumber of Pages: 624\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEdition: \u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublication Date: 07 Jul 2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublisher: Orion Publishing Co\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublication City, Country: United Kingdom\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDimensions (cm): 19.6(H)x13(L)x3.6(W)458\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWeight (gm): 458\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch4\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h4\u003e\u003cb\u003ePeter Guralnick\u003c\/b\u003e is a journalist and author who has written extensively on American music and musicians. His other books include the prize-winning two-volume Elvis Presley biography, \u003ci\u003eLast Train to Memphis\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eCareless Love\u003c\/i\u003e; the acclaimed trilogy on American roots music, \u003ci\u003eSweet Soul Music\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eLost Highway\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eFeel Like Going Home\u003c\/i\u003e; the biographical inquiry \u003ci\u003eSearching for Robert Johnson\u003c\/i\u003e; \u003ci\u003eLooking to Get Lost: Adventures in Music \u0026amp; Writing\u003c\/i\u003e, and the novel \u003ci\u003eNighthawk Blues\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003ch4\u003eReviews\u003c\/h4\u003eIn music circles, a new entry in Guralnick's Presley chronicles is practically the equivalent of an update to Robert Caro's series on Lyndon Johnson. Guralnick's exhaustively researched two-volume biography of Presley in the 1990s revolutionised Presley scholarship and remain vital documents * NEW YORK TIMES *\u003cbr\u003eA grandmaster of American letters * IRISH TIMES *\u003cbr\u003eGuralnick knows the intricacies of this story more than anyone, except perhaps the Colonel and Presley themselves . . . Parker died in 1997 and took some of his secrets with him to the grave, but Guralnick's book offers the most rounded, complex and myth-dispelling understanding of him we are ever likely to get -- Eamonn Forde * GUARDIAN *\u003cbr\u003eA seasoned chronicler of all things Elvis (his \u003ci\u003eLast Train to Memphis\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eCareless Love\u003c\/i\u003e are seminal works), Guralnick here probes the relationship between Presley and his overbearing Svengali. There is no better writer about early rock 'n' roll and roots music * BOSTON GLOBE, Summer Reading Picks *\u003cbr\u003eGuralnick's brisk prose, assiduous attention to detail and generous insights make this both an engrossing study of the complex interpersonal dynamics between two outsize personalities and a revealing peek into the making one of rock 'n' roll's biggest acts. Presley fans won't be able to put this down * PUBLISHERS WEEKLY *\u003cbr\u003eWith unique access to an incredible stash of correspondence, Guralnick reveals Parker's charm, humor, genius and audacity, depicting a genuine person, not the sinister Svengali of other accounts * BOOKLIST *\u003cbr\u003eThe enigmatic Svengali Colonel Tom Parker left behind countless mysteries and unanswered questions after his death in 1997. If there's one writer uniquely poised to unpack those mysteries and questions, it's Grammy-winning music writer Peter Guralnick, whose biographies of Presley are universally regarded as the definitive biographies of the King * VARIETY *\u003cbr\u003eAn intriguing perspective on the music business when rock was first making its mark, and a special treat for Presley fans. A fascinating look at a truly unique personality and his direction of Elvis's career * KIRKUS *\u003cbr\u003eA surprisingly human portrait of the man behind the brash showman's façade . . . Guralnick has delivered a beautifully written and broadly sympathetic portrait of a complex, secretive individual whose loyalty to his sole charge was absolute * MOJO *\u003cbr\u003eGuralnick [is] an excellent Elvis historian -- Ray Connolly * DAILY MAIL, Book of the Week *\u003cbr\u003eMeticulous -- Sean O'Hagan * OBSERVER *\u003cbr\u003eVeteran pop-music scholar Peter Guralnick, Elvis's most ardent and compassionate biographer, makes the case that Parker was hardly the monster he's commonly been made out to be . . . Guralnick's view of Parker is both clear-eyed and sympathetic, but best of all, it's persuasive. You come away thinking differently about a person you thought you'd already nailed down. And isn't that what a biographer is for? * TIME *\u003cbr\u003eDramatically humanizes Parker from the one-dimensional Svengali depicted for decades * VARIETY *\u003cbr\u003eGuralnick's two-volume biography of Presley is an indispensable modern classic. The focus in the new book is on Parker's side of the relationship, a story that has rarely been told * WASHINGTON POST *\u003cbr\u003eGuralnick's book, written with full access to Parker's unpublished, witty, clever letters, gives a more nuanced, sympathetic picture. The author is no biased sensationalist -- Harry Mount * SPECTATOR *\u003cbr\u003eA riveting and revelatory read * SUNDAY INDEPENDENT *","brand":"Peter Guralnick","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48979757334745,"sku":"9781399635318","price":26.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0502\/9530\/8441\/files\/9781399635318.jpg?v=1784470339","url":"https:\/\/www.arielbooks.com.au\/products\/the-colonel-and-the-king-tom-parker-elvis-presley-and-the-partnership-that-rocked-the-world-9781399635318","provider":"Ariel","version":"1.0","type":"link"}