Agoura, CA -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/18/2013 -- While Elvis Presley enjoyed an intense career in the spotlight, little is known about his early career and his journey to global stardom. However, an entertaining and hugely-insightful new book offers an intimate glimpse into the life of the young star; sharing vignettes and information never before made public.

However, this isn’t a fan or researcher’s biography. ‘The Rebel and the King’ was composed from an original manuscript by the late actor Nick Adams. Adams, most famous for his role in western television series ‘The Rebel’, shared a brotherly bond with Presley during his formative years. Adams’ account of their friendship is finally being made public after his writing was discovered in a box by his daughter.

Synopsis:

This adoring, first person account of Elvis Presley is the last glimpse of innocence before the end of an era. Elvis had just exploded on the American scene and was filming his first movie, Love Me Tender, when he introduced himself to Nick Adams on the back-lot of 20th Century Fox. Nick was a struggling actor and part of the Rebel Without A Cause gang when he showed Elvis Hollywood, introducing him to Natalie Wood.

Now this posthumous publication details Nick's close friendship and whirlwind eight days in Memphis with Elvis, during the famous singer’s Tupelo Homecoming the summer of 56.

The original manuscript has been edited and published by Nick's daughter, Allyson Adams, after she discovered the typewritten pages in a box of her father’s memorabilia.

"I would rather live one day as a lion, than a thousand years as a lamb. And that was the first thing that came to my mind when I sat down to write this story about Elvis.” Nick Adams, 1956

As Adams’ daughter explains, the book is unlike anything ever written before.

“It’s as if Nick and Elvis are speaking from their graves. I found his manuscript in a box of his memorabilia and decided to edit his work and release it for him. When my father was a struggling actor, Elvis grew close to him through their shared admiration of James Dean. I’ve presented my father’s original manuscript along with an edited version, a foreword by myself and a series of previously unseen photographs.”

Tom Brown, VP of Turner Classic Movies, was delighted that Adams’ work has been discovered. He comments, “This is one of the most honest, touching and truthful books I’ve read about Elvis. I had no idea the extent of Nick’s connection to Elvis’ family and hometown. We never hear much about his mother and father. Nick brings to life. It’s fascinating stuff.”

With the book in high demand, interested readers are urged to purchase their copies as soon as possible.

‘The Rebel and the King’, published by WaterDancer Press, is available now on Amazon and at http://www.therebelandtheking.com for a signed copy by Allyson Adams.

About the Author: Nick Adams
Nick Adams was an Academy Award nominated film and television actor noted for his appearance in film classics Rebel Without a Cause, Mister Roberts, Picnic, Pillow Talk and No Time for Sergeants. He lived a short and fast-paced life in Hollywood only to die young, and somewhat mysteriously. His friendships with James Dean, Natalie Wood, Dennis Hopper and Elvis Presley are legendary. Nick starred in and co-created the iconic western television series, The Rebel, with the famous song by Johnny Cash in 1959-61. Then after his Twilight of Honor Academy Award nomination, he made Godzilla movies, Monster Zero, Frankenstein Meets the Outer Space Monster, and Boris Karloff’s last horror movie, Die Monster Die. Nick Adams died tragically of an overdose at 36.