David Adler & Ernest Andrews, St. Martin's Paperbacks, 1990, Softcover, 179 pages, Illustrated, ISBN: 0-312-92197-7

Does a book published in 1990 and now hopelessly out-of-date regarding developments in the life of its subject, hold any interest in 2004? Well, in the case of Elvis My Dad the answer is no, although up to earlier this year the answer was a qualified yes.This biography of Lisa Marie Presley is pure tabloid journalism, a quickie bio full of superficial episodes and lack of substance. The book had some merit as the only dedicated biography about The King's daughter, however that merit quickly evaporated with the publication earlier this year of The Lisa Marie Presley Story: Sex, Drugs and Rock 'n' Roll by Katharine Cumming and Nicholas Maier.

In Elvis My Dad, the authors writing style is prosaic, and at times pretentious and stilted:

'Glumly and stoically, Lisa faced the new situation.'

'Puffed up, Lisa threatened the boyfriend. "I have the power and money to ruin you." (Sweet and unaffected? Unaware of who her father was? Lisa was obviously less naïve than the newspapers claimed.)'

The book travels far too quickly over Lisa's interesting life. Using well-worn tabloid clichés, there is nothing new within the large-print of its 179 pages.

The staple elements of Lisa's story (pre-marriage, motherhood and her own music career) are all there: the spoilt child, the rebellious teenage years, Michael Edwards, and the experimentation with drugs.

It also doesn't help that the book is made using low-grade pulp paper giving it a very cheap look and feel. Despite the superficial nature of the writing, Elvis My Dad does still convey a sense of who Lisa Marie Presley is, and someone unfamiliar with her story may therefore get something out of the book. While Elvis My Dad has been out of print for many years used copies can be obtained the used dealer networks on both amazon.com and bn.com

Verdict: Buy The Lisa Marie Presley Story: Sex, Drugs and Rock 'n' Roll instead.

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