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Like the King in his later years, the most immediately impressive thing about Elvis literature is its sheer bulk. Books in Print lists 65 Elvis-related titles, with new books appearing monthly. It seems as if everyone who entered the gates of Graceland has decided to share his or her story with the world- Elvis' nurse (I Called Him Babe), Elvis' maid, and Elvis' hairdresser- psychic have all published their essential observations. (The Boy Who Would Be King, by his cousin Earl Greenwood, will be available this fall from Dutton.) But there are moments of brilliance amidst this absurd banality. Elvis has inspired some of the most insightful, impassioned writing about pop music in existence. Some of the best is in shorter essays: Lester Bangs' half- crazed but emotional, moving screeds (several are included in his Psychotic Reactions and Carburetor Dung collection) and Jon Landau on a 1971 ''comeback'' show, which can be found in It's Too Late to Stop Now. Among the longer texts, here are the critical writings-required reading for Elvis Studies 101. *Mystery Train Greil Marcus (Dutton, 1975) The finest examination to date of American popular music takes its title from Elvis' greatest early recording. Its 50-page centerpiece, ''Elvis: Presliad,'' is the most illuminating analysis of Presley's work as both a product and guiding force of American culture. Concentrating on the legendary Sun Records recording sessions, ''Presliad'' is a heady and complex look at Elvis' myth and art. A

*Elvis Dave Marsh (Time/Warner Books, 1982) A coffee-table photographic history, including a critical biography by one of the most celebrated of rock critics. The pictures are copious though uneven, with distractingly haphazard layout and tinting. Marsh's analysis of The Sun Sessions owes a good deal to Marcus, but his generous reconsideration of Elvis' much-despised '60s recordings is fascinating. A

*Elvis Albert Goldman (McGraw-Hill, 1981) This much-publicized ''tell-all'' from the same poison pen that went after Lenny Bruce and John Lennon is still as mean and tawdry as it seemed when it first appeared. Goldman has nothing but disdain for the South and the poor. So intent on debunking the Presley myth is he that he shows no sympathy or respect for his subject as a human being or an artist. And even his lurid chronicle of Elvis' ''perversions'' contains little that's new or even truly shocking. D

*Elvis & Me Priscilla Beaulieu Presley with Sandra Harmon (G.P. Putnam, 1986) As his wife, Priscilla Presley may have been closer than anyone to Elvis, but her story is not nearly as insightful (or as juicy) as we might hope. This is a fond, forgiving portrait of the domestic Elvis. It fills in the details of their courtship-it's still amazing that Presley's pursuit of a 14-year-old girl didn't draw more attention-and includes some sweet anecdotes, but Priscilla is discreet, almost coy about their private life. C