If you are in search of an author with a substantial backlist, whose novels are poetic, funny and full of class politics and deeply felt emotions, it is time to pick-up the ‘other’ Elizabeth Taylor.

Elizabeth Taylor (1912-1975) is increasingly recognised as one of the best British writers of the twentieth century. She wrote her first book, At Mrs Lippincote’s, during the war while her husband was in the Royal Air Force, and this was followed by eleven further novels and a children’s book, Mossy Trotter. 

Don’t be fooled by the prim titles, Taylor’s novels are funny, savage and full of loneliness. Her character’s use their propriety like armour, in much the same way the author herself did throughout her life. Taylor’s novels use seemingly arbitrary events—casual deaths, unexpected coincidences—to highlight the confusion and disorder underneath the surface of everyday life. Her novels subvert domestic routine with sly humour and careful observations about everyday life. Scroll down to discover the fourteen Elizabeth Taylor books Virago publish, in order of their original publication.

This bundle contains five of Taylor's much loved novels, including: 

AT MRS LIPPINCOTE'S

At Mrs Lippincote's was Elizabeth Taylor's debut novel, first published in 1945 it was republished on the Virago Modern Classics list in 1988 and the edition in this bundle is the most recently reissue from 2018.

Mrs Lippincote's house, with its mahogany furniture and yellowing photographs, stands as a reminder of all the certainties that have vanished with the advent of war. Temporarily, this is home for Julia, who has joined her husband Roddy at the behest of the RAF. Although she can accept the pomposities of service life, Julia's honesty and sense of humour prevent her from taking her role as seriously as her husband, that leader of men, might wish; for Roddy, merely love cannot suffice - he needs homage as well as admiration. And Julia, while she may be a most unsatisfactory officer's wife, is certainly no hypocrite.

A VIEW OF THE HARBOUR

First published in 1947, A View of the Harbour was brought to the Virago Modern Classics list in 1987. In 2018, this remarkable novel was included in the Virago Modern Classics 40th Anniversary collection. 

In the faded coastal village of Newby, everyone looks out for - and in on - each other, and beneath the deceptively sleepy exterior, passions run high.

Beautiful divorcee Tory is secretly involved with her neighbour, Robert, while his wife Beth, Tory's best friend, is consumed by the worlds she creates in her novels, oblivious to the relationship developing next door. Their daughter Prudence is aware, however, and is appalled by the treachery she observes. Mrs Bracey, an invalid whose grasp on life is slipping, forever peers from her window, constantly prodding her daughters for news of the outside world. And Lily Wilson, a lonely young widow, is frightened of her own home. Into their lives steps Bertram, a retired naval officer with the unfortunate capacity to inflict lasting damage while trying to do good.

'Her stories remain with one, indelibly, as though they had been some turning-point in one's own experience' Elizabeth Bowen

'Always intelligent, often subversive and never dull, Elizabeth Taylor is the thinking person's dangerous housewife. Her sophisticated prose combines elegance, icy wit and freshness in a stimulating cocktail' Valerie Martin

INTRODUCED BY SARAH WATERS

THE SLEEPING BEAUTY

First published in 1953, The Sleeping Beauty was first published on the Virago Modern Classics list in 1982. This novel is a subtle, beautifully written love story.

INTRODUCED BY DAVID BADDIEL