THE ELVIS ATLAS
Yesterday was the 15th anniversary of the publication of my co-authored book THE ELVIS ATLAS: A Journey Through Elvis Presley's America, published in US hardback by the now-defunct Reference Division of Henry Holt in New York. I was e-mailed, recently, by someone in the Dylan world, to say he had noted that a new edition was to be published by Chartwell Inc., a subsidiary of Music Sales Inc., on September 15th.
This was news to me. Having looked into it, such a thing was indeed being advertised (and pre-orders taken) on Amazon.com - and with my name misspelt on the front cover - yet when I contacted the publisher, who passed me on to the original packager's agent, I was then told the whole project was only a possibility. I have asked, now, whether this possible republication will repeat the many dozens of errors that were included in the original edition (which went to press when I was on holiday, so that I had no opportunity to proof-check it). I hope not. Perhaps having made the new putative publisher aware of all these errors (as well as the new one of my own name being misspelt) they will back off and not publish it after all. That would certainly be cheaper than bothering to correct everything.
Amazon, to their credit, were very quick to correct my name on the link at the top, but not of course in the publisher's blurb below it...
posted by Michael Gray | 11:48 am
2 Comments:
I've got like 4 of the first editions of the Elvis Atlas and it's a good book. I especially like the maps with the tours. There is something interesting material in this book. You know I hope to get you to sign these some day...
Thanks for your comments, Jack. And yes, I'm not saying the book's no good: just that the large number of errors that were let through are unfortunate (and though none of them were my responsibility, they remain an embarrassment to me as co-author).
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