Plugged into Elvis Presley: a reading guide to the man and the myth

LAST TRAIN TO MEMPHIS by Peter Guralnick (1994)

The first volume in what is considered by many to be the holy grail of rock biographies. One of the genre's keenest observers, Guralnick here traces Presley's birth, rise to fame, army service, his life-changing encounter with Colonel Tom Parker, and the death of his mother in 1958.

CARELESS LOVE by Peter Guralnick (1999)

The second volume of what's ultimately a two-volume, 1600-page exhaustively researched history of the King, subtitled The Unmaking of Elvis Presley, traces the story of the legend's final two decades. Here is his descent into obesity, drug abuse and his comeback period before his tragic death.

MYSTERY TRAIN by Greil Marcus (1975)

Published before Presley's death, this book by America's smartest chronicler of pop music places Elvis within the broader context of a seismic shift in US culture that traces a lineage from bluesmen Robert Johnson and Harmonica Frank through to Sly Stone, The Band and Randy Newman. Thought by many to be "the greatest book about rock 'n roll ever written", it's a testament to its author's intelligence and understanding of US music and pop culture.

DEAD ELVIS by Greil Marcus (1991)

In his follow-up book Marcus takes the death of Presley as a starting point for a collection of essays examining the singer's influence on the world he left behind. Examining the symbolism, mythology and iconography that Presley left in his wake, Marcus makes a strong case for the influence of Presley on the punk movement that was exploding in the year of his death.

THAT'S ALRIGHT, ELVIS by James Dickerson and Scotty Moore (1997)

Probably the best of the insider accounts written by those who knew Presley, this is Sun Records guitarist and early manager Scotty Moore's story of the shy young man who walked into the Memphis studio and recorded That's Alright, the single which launched his career. Moore played guitar on all the Sun sessions and managed the trio of which Presley was part before retiring after their break-up.

ELVIS by Dave Marsh (1982)

Probably the most easily accessible and straightforward biography of Presley, Marsh's illustrated book delves into the many aspects of Presley's life to give a solid overall picture of his career.

ELVIS AND ME by Priscilla Beaulieu Presley with Sardra Harmon (1985)

She was 14 when she met and fell in love with Presley and here Priscilla Presley recounts their tumultuous love affair, marriage and divorce. It's an honest account, which also serves as a testimony to her business smarts and how she turned Graceland into one of the world's most profitable tourist attractions.

WATCH Priscilla Presley talks about Elvis on 40th anniversary of his death

THE COLONEL: THE EXTRAORDINARY STORY OF COLONEL TOM PARKER AND ELVIS PRESLEY by Alanna Nash (2001)

A look at the mysterious Svengali who had a mythical hold on Presley's career for most of his life, Nash's book took six years of research. It is part biography and part murder mystery as it painstakingly delves into the history of one of music's most mysterious figures.

THE DEATH OF ELVIS by Charles C Thompson and James P Cole (1991)

Written by an old-school newsman and a producer of the US TV magazine show 60 Minutes, this sometimes lurid but convincing book put paid to the notion of Presley having died from a heart attack or other accidental causes. Rather, it shows that The King died - unfortunately for those who would believe he was a wholesome icon who could do no wrong - as the result of a prolonged drug addiction to a range of substances including codeine.

• This article was originally published in The Times.