Quote:

"Elvis Presley is the greatest cultural force in the 20th century."

(Leonard Bernstein)


Quote:

"If you're an Elvis fan, no explanation is necessary; If you're not an Elvis fan, no explanation is possible."

(George Klein)


Quote:

"For a dead man, Elvis Presley is awfully noisy."

(Professor Gilbert B. Rodman)


Quote:

"History has him as this good old country boy, Elvis is about as country as Bono!"

(Jerry Schilling)


Quote:

"Absolute id crashed into absolute superego...as the uptightset man in America shook hands with just about the loosest."

(Mark Feeney on the 'Elvis meets Nixon' meeting)


Quote:

"Elvis is everywhere"

(Mojo Nixon & Skid Roper)


Quote:

"...especially in the South, they talk about Elvis and Jesus in the same breath"

(Michael Ventura, LA Weekly)


Quote:

"The image is one thing and the human being is another...it's very hard to live up to an image"

 

(Elvis Presley, Madison Square Garden press conference, 1972)


Quote:

"Elvis was a major hero of mine. I was actually stupid enough to believe that having the same birthday as him actually meant something"

(David Bowie)


Quote:

"No-one, but no-one, is his equal, or ever will be. He was, and is supreme"

(Mick Jagger)


Quote:

"I wasn't just a fan, I was his brother...there'll never be another like that soul brother"

(Soul legend, James Brown)


Quote:

"Before Elvis there was nothing!"

(John Lennon)


Quote:

"There were rock 'n' roll records before Heartbreak Hotel, but this was the one that didn't just open the door…it literally blasted the door off its rusted, rotten, anachronistic hinges…. producing....no propelling...an unstoppable, fundamental and primordial shift in not only musical... but social, political and cultural history"

(JNP, BBC website)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Book Review: "Elvis On Stamps A Pictorial Reference Book " (Volume 1)

R.G. King & Floyd R. Kidd, K&K Publishing Company, USA, 1996, Hardback (with dust jacket), ISBN: 09655123210

Signed copies cost US$29.95 plus exact postage

Elvis On Stamps is a glorious, full color celebration of Elvis stamps from around the world.

Each of the many stamps is presented in full page format on high quality semi-gloss paper making them suitable for framing.

The countries represented in Elvis On Stamps are a diverse collection, and on reflection, their relative obscurity in the minds of most people in western nations highlights Elvis' amazing global impact.

The first section comprises a series of nine $1 Elvis stamps issued by Antigua & Barbuda, a small country located off the coast of Venezuela. All 9 stamps feature artist drawings of The King. The stamps include several portraits of the younger Elvis and Elvis circa 1960s film years. My favorite is a great late 60s profile picture while stamps presenting Elvis and Priscilla's wedding and Elvis in the mid 1970s are also very good.

 

The second country covered is Burkina Faso, a small African nation bordering Nigeria and the Ivory Coast. Its three Elvis stamps all use photographs of The King from the 1950s and 1960s.

Another African country, the Central African Republic has produced one Elvis stamp, showing the "Hillbilly Kid" of the 1950s.

The Russian States obviously have a particular affinity with Elvis as, over the years, they have released numerous stamps bearing his image and that of other pop culture identities.

The first set of six individual stamps from the former Communist bloc have a grainy look to them when seen in larger than normal format, but in their original size are eye pleasing.

The most interesting Russian stamps are a series of panaramic issues where the full picture is only seen by placing individual stamps side by side. One panarama features James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, Humphrey Bogart and Elvis, while another has Elvis, Marilyn, James Dean and Marlon Brando.

A 10 stamp panarama adds the faces of "The Duke" (John Wayne) and Clark Gable, and two angels, with a very sexy Marilyn Monroe reclining provocatively (with her legs slightly apart) on an orange-red clam-like shell.

There is also a fourteen stamp panarama featuring Elvis (resplendent in his white jumpsuit), Marilyn and James Dean as the centerpiece, with a cavalcade of other legends surrounding them. The stars include Laurel & Hardy, Groucho Marx, Indiana Jones, Rudolph Valentono, Jessica Rabbit and Sylvester "Rocky" Stallone.

Arguably the best of the Russian multi-stamp issues is a clever three stamp panarama showing a sultry pairing of a young Elvis and Marilyn about to kiss. What a moment that would have been!

Madagascar offers several striking Elvis stamps. Two montage stamps featuring artist drawn scenes from firstly, Double Trouble, Kid Galahad and Speedway, and secondly, Clambake, Roustabout and Viva Las Vegas, are visually quite stunning and their impact is heightened by seeing them in full page format rather than just their original size.

Gambia has issued nine Elvis artist drawn stamps and they are particularly colorful and interesting. Spanning Elvis' life to the early 1970s, the stamps include Elvis as a small boy (the toddler Elvis from the cover to the album Elvis Country) and a fantastic drawing of a loving Elvis with daughter, Lisa Marie. All of the stamps from Gambia include an Elvis signature in the bottom left hand corner.

Other countries represented in the first volume of Elvis On Stamps are The Republic of Chad, Dominica, Germany, Grenada (which had the distinction if issuing the first ever Elvis stamp in 1978), and the Maldives.

It is fascinating to browse through books like Elvis On Stamps as they offer a vibrant and engrossing visual record of the many stages of Elvis' life, musical career and movies.

(Opposite: Elvis stamp sheetlet from Antigua)

Elvis On Stamps should not be confused with the similarly titled 2003 release by Thailand's Nitaya Kanschanawan. The other author to compile a book around Elvis' portrayal on stamps is Britain's Jo Woodward, with her 1997 book 'Elvis In The Post (Catalogue and Guide to Elvis Presley International Postage Stamps)'.

Verdict: Ronald King has produced a wonderfully expressive, and at times mouth watering, visual record of Elvis' portrayal on stamps from around the world. Elvis philatelists will love this release and all fans will be amazed at some of the stunning artwork from countries many of us haven't heard of.

Click to comment on this review

Click to buy Elvis On Stamps

Coming soon: EIN talks to Ronald King

                         
                   
                 
               
             
           
         
 

























































                    
                   

 

Reviews
Book: Behind The Image Vol. 2
Book: Elvis on Screen
DVD: Elvis & Me
FTD: All Shook Up
FTD: Tickle Me
CD: Elvis by the Presleys
Book: Warman's Elvis Field Guide
DVD: Why Elvis?
Book: Dewey and Elvis
CD: Black & White Elvis
CD: All Shook Up
Book: Rough Guide to Elvis
FTD: Rockin' Across Texas
FTD: Elvis Is Back
TV Special: "Elvis by the Presleys"
Book: Elvis by the Presleys
CD: Tom Green
Show: Sonny West
CD: A Legendary Performer Vol. 5
CD: Young & Beautiful (TV Guide)
DVD: Elvis by the Presleys "Target" bonus disc
Mini-series: Elvis
FTD: Big Boss Man
Articles
Elvis - symbol of freedom or not?
The importance of being Elvis
Elvis rules on television! (updated August 2005)
Tribute to Elvis (16 August 2005)
Elvis in the 50s - Maxine Brown
Meeting Elvis & Priscilla
How & where to sell your Elvis collection
Welcome to Gulag Graceland
The King and I
Elvis was a racist? (4)
Elvis was a racist? (3)
Schism between Elvis' stage & studio work
Tupelo, Miss....Elvis 2005
Elvis was a racist? (#2)
Elvis vs. Jerry Lee Lewis
Elvis was a racist? (#1)
Elvis making a killing
Elvis & the treasure chest of blood money
Priscilla - "no angel"
Elvis in the 1970s
More on Elvis on TV
"Orion" gunned down!
Elvis Is Back
Elvis - Hero with 1000 faces
Elvis Film Guide
Elvis & other major artists miss out on Grammy Awards
How did Elvis die?
Interviews
Bernard Lansky
Albert Wertheimer
Priscilla Presley
Marshall Terrill
Lisa Presley on Larry King Show
Tony Joe White
Stanley Oberst
Bud Glass (part 2)
Red & Sonny West
Ed Bonja (Part 2)
Ernst Jorgensen
Phil Aitcheson (Presley Commission)
 
Audio-visual
Candlelight Vigil 2005
Elvis On Tour (Hampton Roads) footage
Elvis On Tour
Elvis photo gallery #1
Elvis Week 2005 Photo Archives
EPE's multimedia Elvis gallery
Graceland cam
Listen to the Elvis "strung out" in Vegas audio
The "Real" Elvis off-stage
Unreleased Elvis audio now online
View EPE Graceland tourism ads
View video of "All Shook Up" opening night on Broadway
 
Reference
All about Elvis
All about Elvis tribute artists
All about Lisa Presley
All about Graceland
Elvis books 2005-07
Elvis film guide
Elvis Online Virtual Library
Elvis Presley Research Forum
Elvis was a racist? (archives)
Elvis Week 2005
How & where do I sell my Elvis collection?
Links to Elvis' family & friends
Online Elvis Symposium
Sale of EPE "Archives"
6th Elvis Website Survey
Spotlight on The King
"Wikipedia" Elvis bio
 
 

Quote:

"Elvis Presley is the supreme socio-cultural icon in the history of pop culture"

(Dr. Gary Enders)


Quote:

" Elvis is the 'glue' which holds our society together....which subconciously gives our world meaning"

(Anonymous)


Quote:

"Eventually everybody has to die, except Elvis"

(humorist Dave Barry)


Quote:

"He is the "Big Bang", and the universe he detonated is still expanding, the pieces are still flying"

(Greil Marcus, "Dead Elvis")


Quote:

"I think Elvis Presley will never be solved"

(Nick Tosches)


Quote:

"He was the most popular man that ever walked on this planet since Christ himself was here"

(Carl Perkins)


Quote:

"When I first heard Elvis' voice I just knew I wasn't going to work for anybody...hearing him for the first time was like busting out of jail"

(Bob Dylan)


Quote:

"When we were kids growing up in Liverpool, all we ever wanted was to be Elvis Presley"

(Sir Paul McCartney)