Taj Books International: 40 books

Texas was built on stories of cactus, cattle, and cowboys that have stretched as big as the state itself to encompass the even more fabulous tales of railroads, oil, and the bravest of settlers. Railroads brought commerce, people, and vitality to early Texas creating such strong growth and welcoming...

The Flemish artist Pieter Bruegel—sometimes called Peasant Bruegel—was the first great artist to paint scenes of ordinary peasant life and show the common man and woman as they went about their daily tasks and amusements. He is credited with bringing a humanizing spirit to painting— something...

Sophia Loren, with a career spanning six decades, is without doubt one of the grandes dames of cinema, but she was not limited to that accomplishment. She has acted in numerous television roles, authored multiple cooking and beauty books, and recorded several chart-topping musical hits—but never...

If, like many people in today’s hectic world, you yearn for the more leisured pace of a gentler age, but find instead that an apparently infinite list of tasks has to be fitted into an ever-diminishing domestic day, then this is the books for you; a comprehensive collection of over a thousand invaluable...

The greatest artist of the 18th century, Francisco de Goya began his career as an apprentice to a local artist where one of his jobs was adding draperies and modesty items to nude figures in religious paintings; for this he was titled “Reviser of Indecent Paintings.” But by the age of 40, Goya...

Piet Mondrian pioneered the de Stijl movement—Dutch for “The Style”—that emerged in the early 20th century and which served as an important transition from a focus on Symbolism and Realism to a new and growing focus on abstraction. The evolution of Mondrian’s initial, traditional style,...

Rembrandt is indisputably the greatest artist of the seventeenth century, and many would say the greatest artist of all time. His mastery of composition, paint, and line—he was a superlative etcher—over a lifetime’s work has rarely been emulated, let alone surpassed. At a time when other artists...

Coco Chanel, without question probably the most famous fashion designer of all time, was named by Time  magazine one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century. Her life was filled with trauma, romance, intrigue, and scandal, but her business acumen and groundbreaking talent (along with...

Many art historians consider Edouard Manet to be the father of modern art. Although often cited alongside the Impressionists, he was not a member of their group and never exhibited in their Salon des Réfusées. Instead, he pioneered a path between realism and impressionism, choosing contemporary...

Michelangelo is considered by many art experts to be the greatest Renaissance artist, surpassing even Leonardo da Vinci. Not only was he an exceptional sculptor but also a formidable painter, architect, and poet. Michelangelo’s primary material was marble and the results of his talent and work speak...

Painter of languid, elegant, Edwardian beauties and sharply dressed gentlemen, John Singer Sargent was the ultimate society painter. He knew everyone who was anyone and was on personal terms with many of them, including Edward VII and the U.S. presidents Roosevelt and Wilson. This social standing...

Marilyn Monroe, born Norma Jeane Mortenson on June 1, 1926, is one of the best-loved movie stars and sex goddesses of all time, although she died much too young at the age of thirty-six. Marilyn overcame multiple foster homes and an early, war-time marriage to become the wife of two of America’s...

Gauguin’s paintings are redolent of the South Sea islands, full of exotic women, vibrant flora, and brilliant color. In addition, his scenes range from normal life in France’s Brittany, to Provence where he painted and lived briefly with Vincent van Gogh, to French Polynesia. Eugène Henri Paul...

Edvard Munch’s career is effectively divided into two periods: those before and after his mental breakdown in 1908. Prior to his psychiatric treatment and recuperation, the underlying themes of his work bounced between dark sorrow and an overt, aggressive sexuality. But after his breakdown, when...