Entertainment Books Happy Birthday Elizabeth Taylor: Read These Books to Celebrate On the silver screen icon's would-be 92nd birthday, here are five books as gorgeous as she was By Lizz Schumer Lizz Schumer Lizz Schumer is the senior books editor at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2024. Her work has previously appeared in Good Housekeeping, Woman's Day, Prevention, The New York Times, and others. People Editorial Guidelines Published on February 27, 2024 07:42PM EST Close Elizabeth Taylor. Photo: Silver Screen Collection/Getty Silver screen legend Elizabeth Taylor was many things: An actress, a philanthropist, a Hollywood legend and arguably one of the most beautiful women in the world. "Elizabeth is bigger than life," her friend, songwriter Carol Bayer Sager, once told PEOPLE. "She's the closest thing we have in America to royalty." Taylor all but grew up onscreen. She appeared in her first movie, There's One Born Every Minute in 1942, when she was only 9. Throughout her decades-long career, she earned Academy Award nominations in the best actress category five times and won the honor twice — in 1961 for her performance in the drama BUtterfield 8 and in 1967 for her work in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Her personal life was just as memorable as her career. Taylor married eight times throughout her life to seven different men, and struggled with addiction. Today, we're celebrating the great Elizabeth Taylor — who died of congestive heart failure at age 79 on March 23, 2011 — by reading up on her life, her home, her fashion and her amazing legacy. 01 of 05 'Elizabeth Taylor: The Grit & Glamour of an Icon' by Kate Andersen Brower 'Elizabeth Taylor: The Grit and Glamour of an Icon' by Kate Andersen Brower. The first-ever authorized biography of Elizabeth Taylor is the definitive guide to the silver screen siren. The author draws from Taylor's unpublished letters, diary entries off-the-record interview transcripts, as well as interviews with 250 of her friends and family to tell a story that's about as complete as it gets. Buy Now Elizabeth Taylor's First Authorized Biography: 'She Said Her Entire Life Was a Fight' 02 of 05 'Furious Love: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and the Marriage of the Century' by Sam Kashner and Nancy Schoenberger 'Furious Love: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and the Marriage of the Century' by Sam Kashner and Nancy Schoenberger. Of all her romantic dalliances, Elizabeth Taylor's relationship with Richard Burton might be the most famous. Their volatile, tabloid-fodder relationship is best summed up by the last letter Burton ever wrote to Taylor, which she kept by her bedside until her death: "We are such doomed fools. Unfortunately, we know it. So I have decided that, for a second or two, the precious potential of you in the next room is the only thing in the world worth living for. After your death there shall only be one other and that will be mine. Or I possibly think, vice versa. Ravaged love...Rich." Buy Now 03 of 05 'How to Be a Movie Star: Elizabeth Taylor in Hollywood' by William J. Mann 'How to be a Movie Star: Elizabeth Taylor in Hollywood' by William J. Mann. If anyone knew how to do it, Elizabeth Taylor did. This biography charts her rise to stardom, her clashes with studios and the conservative values that embodied American society through much of her career and so much more. A must-read for true Taylor fans. Buy Now 04 of 05 'Elizabeth Taylor: My Love Affair With Jewelry' by Ruth A. Peltason 'Elizabeth Taylor: My Love Affair with Jewelry'. She was known as much for her style as any else, so this book that guides readers through Taylor's jewels and gems is a must-read for fashionistas who like a little sparkle. As the star says in the book,"Here, in my own words and as I remember them, are my cherished stories about a lifetime of fun and love and laughter...I've never thought of my jewelry as trophies. I'm here to take care of it and to love it, for we are only temporary custodians of beauty." Buy Now 05 of 05 '700 Nimes Road' by Catherine Opie, Hilton Als, Ingrid Sischy and Tim Mendelson '700 Nimes Road' by Catherine Opie, Hilton Als, Ingrid Sischy and Tim Mendelson. Step into the world of Elizabeth Taylor through the lens of renowned photographer Catherine Opie, in this "indirect portrait" of Taylor through her home and possessions. The images are not universally glamorous — culled from photos Opie took over the course of six months, both on the grounds of and inside Taylor’s home — they include shelves of chotchkes alongside priceless art. Buy Now Secrets of Elizabeth Taylor's Amazing Home: Diamonds, Photos of Michael Jackson and a Lipstick Message from Colin Farrell