Elizabeth Taylor: the grit & glamour of an icon

Prologue

Elizabeth the first

The most beautiful creature: the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. A star is born ; Young love ; Bessie Mae ; "He will kill her" ; Love and marriage

Passion and pain: the 1950s and 1960s. Rock, Jimmy, and Monty ; Mike Todd: "he was my king" ; Eddie Fisher: "he kept Mike Todd alive" ; Trailblazer

Lavish love: the 1960s and 1970s. Le scandale ; Crazy, stupid love, 1964-1973 ; The loot: Elizabeth's extraordinary jewels ; The end and a new beginning, 1973-1976

Survivor: the 1970s and 1980s. Political wife ; Addict ; Building an empire

True grit: the 1980s and 1990s. "Bitch, do something!" ; Ms. Taylor goes to Washington

A legacy of love: the 1990s to 2011. Searching for Neverland ; Forgiveness ; Dame Elizabeth ; The auction: "the memory always brings back a stab of joy, of love"

Afterword: Lust for life.