Elizabeth Taylor, A Passion for Life: The Wit and Wisdom of a Legend - Tapa dura

From the time she appeared in National Velvet, the film that skyrocketed her to international fame at age twelve in 1944, until her death in 2011, Elizabeth Taylor's beauty, allure, and personal strength captivated the world. In a career that spanned more than sixty years, she brought her raw talent and magnetism to bear in now-classic films such as "Father of the Bride", "Suddenly", "Last Summer", "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof", "Giant", "Cleopatra", and "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?". Off screen, she lived just as passionately. That intensity brought her enormous joy and pain-and notoriety, whether it was from her vast collections of extraordinary fine jewelry and art to her battles with addiction and ill heath, from her internationally recognized humanitarian efforts on behalf of AIDS to her scandalous love affairs and seven highly scrutinized marriages. This anthology - illustrated with more than 30 gorgeous images of the star throughout her career and personal life - reveals the candor and honesty with which the actress led her extraordinary life. Whether witty or poignant, these words are always demonstrative of her generous, unapologetic, and fiercely determined nature, reflecting the essence of a great star and legendary modern woman.

Joseph Papa is a publicist and writer living in New York City. A native of Richmond, Virginia, he is a former society page columnist for the Richmond Times-Dispatch. This is his first book.