Taylor Caldwell Books

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Taylor Caldwell was an American author that wrote novels under pen names like Marcus Holland and J. Miriam Reback. Born in 1900 in Manchester England to a family with Scottish roots, Taylor’s parents took her and her brother to the US in 1907.

Life in their new home was difficult, primarily because her father died soon after they emigrated. The author had a short military career that began in 1918 when she joined the US Navy Reserve. She left in 1919.

This was the same year that her marriage to William F. Combs began. The relationship did not last, eventually ending in 1931. By this point in time, she had worked for the New York State Department of Labor (Buffalo) as a court reporter and graduated from the University of Buffalo. She had also spent some time on the Board of Special Inquiry. This was also in Buffalo.

This was on top of giving birth to her daughter Peggy (also called Mary). Her marriage to Marcus Reback, her second husband, lasted the longest. He died in 1971 and they were technically married for 40 years.

However, their relationship was fraught with complications, though it also gave the author Judith, her second child. Taylor and Marcus collaborated on ‘Dynasty of Death’, Taylor’s first novel. They started working on it in 1934 and it eventually hit the bookshelves in 1938, attaining bestseller status and turning the author into a star.

People initially presumed that Taylor was a man. The revelation of her gender increased the interest in her work. Her husband gained notoriety when it was revealed that he had destroyed over a hundred manuscripts of her novels that were yet to be published.

Taylor used terms like ‘Heartless Malice’ to describe her husband’s actions. Though, such incidents did little to curtail her career. She became a highly prolific writer whose books went on to sell 30 million copies, turning her into a wealthy woman.

The outspoken conservative started writing stories at the tender age of eight. At 12, she wrote ‘Romance of Atlantis’. She wanted to get the novel published by her grandfather’s company. However, her efforts were crushed when he refused to believe that the little girl had written such an advanced novel.

‘Romance of Atlantis’ eventually got its moment to shine in 1975 when Taylor revised and then published it. The author’s eventual success was merely the result of the talent she had manifested as a young child.

Her personal life wasn’t quite as smooth as her publishing career. Following the death of Reback, she married William Everett Stancell. Their relationship soured and ended in 1973. Her last husband was William Robert Prestie.

Prestie was a problem because he was nearly two decades younger than Taylor, an age difference that created complications with Taylor’s children. Additionally, Judith, the author’s daughter, was certain that Prestie had abused her mother.

Judith committed suicide a year after Taylor’s marriage to Prestie. It was within this same year that Taylor suffered a stroke. She died in 1985. Her passing was blamed on heart failure.

Taylor Caldwell Awards

Taylor’s accolades include The Grand Prix Chatvain, National League of American Pen Women Gold Medal, and the Buffalo Evening News Award.

Taylor Caldwell Books into Movies

‘Captains and the Kings’ became an 8-part NBC miniseries.

Best Taylor Caldwell Books

Taylor was commended for using intricately plotted stories to talk about family tensions and society in an industrial world, with some of her best novels including:

Captains and the Kings: Joseph was a penniless immigrant when he came to the United States. With his brothers and sisters in tow, Joseph had to find a place for himself in a country that was seemingly determined to oppose him. This book shows the price Joseph paid and the lengths to which he had to go to achieve the American dream.

Dear and Glorious Physician: This book attempts to explore Saint Luke. Most people know him as little more than an apostle of Christ and the man that contributed a book to the New Testament. Taylor Caldwell peels back the layers to reveal the man he truly was, a Greek fellow by the name of Lucanus that spent his days traveling and talking to people about his lord.

When Does The Next Taylor Caldwell book come out?

Taylor Caldwell doesn't seem to have an upcoming book. Their newest book is Unto All Men and was released on January, 1st 2012. It is the newest book in the Taylor Caldwell Short Stories/Novellas.

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