Careless Love

Careless Love is the full, true, and mesmerizing story of Elvis Presley's last two decades, in the long-awaited second volume of Peter Guralnick's masterful two-part biography.

"A masterwork." —Wall Street Journal

Last Train to Memphis, the first part of Guralnick's two-volume life of Elvis Presley, was acclaimed by the New York Times as "a triumph of biographical art." This concluding volume recounts the second half of Elvis' life in rich and previously unimagined detail, and confirms Guralnick's status as one of the great biographers of our time.

Beginning with Presley's army service in Germany in 1958 and ending with his death in Memphis in 1977, Careless Love chronicles the unravelling of the dream that once shone so brightly, homing in on the complex playing-out of Elvis' relationship with his Machiavellian manager, Colonel Tom Parker. It's a breathtaking revelatory drama that for the first time places the events of a too-often mistold tale in a fresh, believable, and understandable context.

Elvis' changes during these years form a tragic mystery that Careless Love unlocks for the first time. This is the quintessential American story, encompassing elements of race, class, wealth, sex, music, religion, and personal transformation. Written with grace, sensitivity, and passion, Careless Love is a unique contribution to our understanding of American popular culture and the nature of success, giving us true insight at last into one of the most misunderstood public figures of our times.

Winner of the Ralph J. Gleason Music Book Award
Winner of the Southern Book Critics' Circle Award for Non-Fiction
A New York Times Notable Book of the Year
A Los Angeles Times Best Book of the Year
A Publishers Weekly's Best Book of the Year
An Esquire Distinguished Book of the Year
Salon Magazine’s Top Five Non-Fiction Books of the Year
Winner of the 1999 Salon Book Award
People Magazine’s Best Rock And Roll Books
Billboard's 100 Greatest Music Books of All Time