Karal Ann Marling, a professor of art history and American studies at the University of Minnesota, examines Elvis Presley, the cultural phenomenon, through the places he lived. From his place of birth, the two-room "shot-gun house" in Tupelo, to the fabled hilltop mansion, Graceland, Marling shows that despite international acclaim he never lost his Mississippi roots. Elvis often shared Graceland with "the guys"--an entourage of relatives, assistants and school pals--"like a teenager whose parents weren"t home" and was not above putting a bullet through the television when he saw something he didn"t like. Marling argues that through conspicuous consumption, compulsive refurnishing of rooms and garish decor, Presley knew he was thumbing his nose at good taste and consciously cultivating his own legend.