Elvis mania hits London auction

LONDON, UK (Auction Daily News) - As The King of Rock �n� Roll lays siege to British pop charts for a third week, a memento of his philosophical leanings goes under the hammer at a London auction house, expected to fetch up to 5,500 pounds ($8,265) Tuesday. The copy of �The Prophet� by Kahlil Gibran bears a 38-line message from Elvis Presley to Tom Diskin, the right-hand man of his manager Colonel Parker, extolling the virtues of true friendship and signed �E.P.�

The inside sheet is signed in black marker pen beneath the words �Christ Flight; Christ Love; Christ Peace.� A dance remix of Presley�s �A Little Less Conversation� fought off bad boy rockers Oasis this week to take the No. 1 spot in British singles charts for the second time.
�The book is a well-thumbed copy,� said Ted Owen, co-founder of auctioneers Cooper Owen.

Also for sale is a design in The King�s own hand for security tags for his army of cohorts. �It�s like a business card with the TCB logo,� said Owen. �TCB was like a code for his so-called Memphis Mafia � Taking Care of Business � with a lightning bolt through it: taking care of business in a flash,� he added. �It was on his car; a plane; gold necklaces and rings for his entourage.�

INSPIRED BY HIS HAIRSTYLIST

Owen said Elvis� choice of a book for Tom Diskin was influenced by the man behind his world-inspiring quiff, hairstylist Larry Geller. �Larry was into new age mysticism and used to give stuff to Elvis, who�d lock himself away for days to read them,� he said. Lebanese poet and philosopher Gibran�s �new age bible� is a guide to living, love and spirituality written early last century.
Alongside the Elvis memorabilia, are tapes of another 1960s icon, John Lennon.

Presley�s 18th UK chart topper broke a long-standing tie between The King and The Beatles for the greatest number of No. 1 hits. A taped interview with Lennon in 1971, nine years before he was shot dead on a New York pavement, is interrupted while Lennon is served a writ connected with the break up of The Beatles.
�A lot of it is Lennon at his wackiest,� said Owen. �Impersonations, micky-taking and comments that aren�t really relevant to anything.�