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A Pillar of Iron
pub. yr:
1965
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A Novel of Ancient Rome
New York Times Bestseller: A magnificent novel of ancient Rome and the tragic life of Cicero, who tried in vain to save the republic he loved from tyranny.
In this riveting tale, the Roman Empire in its final glory is seen through the eyes of philosopher, orator, and political theorist Marcus Tullius Cicero.
From his birth in 106 BC in the hill town of Arpinum, Cicero, the educated son of a wealthy member of the equestrian order, is destined for greatness. At a young age, he discovers the legend of the Unknown God, the coming Messiah, and it propels him on a journey of spiritual conflict and self-discovery that takes the rising young lawyer from his tumultuous family life to his tenuous alliance with Julius Caesar to a fateful love affair with the Roman empress Livia and, finally, to the political role that will make him a target of powerful enemies—and secure his legacy as one the greatest influences on Western civilization.
Based on hundreds of speeches, voluminous private correspondence, and ancient texts and manuscripts, this bestselling epic brings into focus Cicero’s complicated relationships with his contemporaries, including Caesar, Mark Antony, and Crassus, and brilliantly captures the pageantry, turmoil, and intrigue of life in ancient Rome. According to legendary editor Maxwell Perkins, author “Taylor Caldwell is a storyteller first, last and foremost, and once you begin reading one of her books, you can’t help finishing it.”
“The best work of Taylor Caldwell.” —Saturday Review
“Marvelous reading.” —St. Louis Globe-Democrat
“One is impressed by the research. . . . The period is there and so is the history.” —Kirkus Reviews
Answer as a Man
pub. yr:
1979
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New York Times Bestseller: In early 1900s Pennsylvania, the ambitious son of Irish immigrants pursues the American Dream in the face of injustice and intolerance.
Fourteen-year-old Jason Aloysius Garrity is now of age to work full-time in a Pennsylvania coal factory, earning four dollars a week. His family left their hardscrabble life in Ireland to create a better one in America. But their shanty-like home on a street filled with outhouses, horse manure, and the ever-present odor of noxious gas is a hell all its own. Yet Jason possesses the passion and principles that will lift him out of the abject poverty surrounding his widowed mother, fanatically religious younger brother, and manipulative crippled sister.
With World War I looming on the horizon, Jason begins to make his way in Belleville’s burgeoning business world. He marries beautiful, wealthy Patricia Mulligan, unaware that their union is built on a deception that will have far-reaching consequences not only in his life but in the lives of his three children.
Filled with unforgettable characters, this masterful retelling of the Book of Job depicts one man’s will to succeed amidst the slings and arrows of fortune.
“First-class.” —The New York Times
“The always-solid-selling Caldwell should really climb the charts with this one.” —Kirkus Reviews
Bright Flows the River
pub. yr:
1977
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New York Times Bestseller: A man who gained the world but lost his soul faces a critical midlife crisis in this suspenseful and inspiring novel about love and forgiveness.
On a stormy, windswept night, Guy Jerald tried to kill himself. But he did not die. Now, the fifty-five-year-old Pennsylvania powerbroker and business titan—a living example of the American Dream—lies in a bed in a psychiatric hospital. He is on suicide watch, barely able to recognize his wife and two adult children. But a visitor from his distant past will open the floodgates.
During one of the most harrowing battles of World War II, Guy saved the life of fellow soldier James Meyer. Now, James is a celebrated British psychiatrist determined to repay the favor and bring his old friend back from the brink. As the source of Guy’s pain emerges, James must come to terms with his own unfulfilled goals and a mounting crisis that will test him in ways he never could have imagined.
Shifting between the past and the present, Bright Flows the River is a story of faith, friendship, and the road not taken, in which a powerful, successful man may finally get the chance to become the person he long ago dreamed he could be.
“A moving contemporary drama of one man’s struggle for power.” —San Diego Union
“Few will not be totally engrossed with this tale of a man in midlife crisis who has come close to destroying himself.” —Publishers Weekly
“Immensely fascinating.” —Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph
Captains and the Kings
pub. yr:
1971
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New York Times Bestseller: Sweeping from the 1850s through the early 1920s, this towering family saga examines the price of ambition and power.
Joseph Francis Xavier Armagh is twelve years old when he gets his first glimpse of the promised land of America through a dirty porthole in steerage on an Irish immigrant ship. His long voyage, dogged by tragedy, ends not in the great city of New York but in the bigoted, small town of Winfield, Pennsylvania, where his younger brother, Sean, and his infant sister, Regina, are sent to an orphanage. Joseph toils at whatever work will pay a living wage and plans for the day he can take his siblings away from St. Agnes’s Orphanage and make a home for them all.
Joseph’s journey will catapult him to the highest echelons of power and grant him entry into the most elite political circles. Even as misfortune continues to follow the Armagh family like an ancient curse, Joseph takes his revenge against the uncaring world that once took everything from him. He orchestrates his eldest son Rory’s political ascent from the offspring of an Irish immigrant to US senator. And Joseph will settle for nothing less than the pinnacle of glory: seeing his boy crowned the first Catholic president of the United States.
Spanning seventy years, Captains and the Kings, which was adapted into an eight-part television miniseries, is Taylor Caldwell’s masterpiece about nineteenth- and early twentieth-century America, and the grit, ambition, fortitude, and sheer hubris it takes for an immigrant to survive and thrive in a dynamic new land.
“An absorbing story . . . Thought-provoking. Those who were enthralled by the power described in The Godfather will be even more so when they read this book.” —Cleveland Press
“A spellbinding tale . . . Her sense of timing and her ability to keep even the most alert reader guessing is something readers don’t find very often.” —Hartford Courant
“Her best novel.” —Minneapolis Star-Tribune
“This bestselling author can tell an engrossing story. She proves it once again in this gigantic novel.” —Publishers Weekly
“There is intrigue, violence, abrupt shift of fortune, enigmatic characters, full details of scene and history, and the unflagging pace of varied action.” —Buffalo Evening News
“Captains and the Kings is a thought-provoking, utterly spellbinding novel in the great tradition of Taylor Caldwell’s earlier works, Testimony of Two Men and Great Lion of God.” —The Literary Guild Magazine
Ceremony of the Innocent
pub. yr:
1975
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New York Times Bestseller: The quest for the American Dream soars to new heights in this coming-of-age story of a young woman and her country.
Living with her aunt in poor, rural Preston, Pennsylvania, thirteen-year-old Ellen Watson loves books and music and is completely oblivious to her own beauty. But her extraordinary looks arouse envy and malice in the female townspeople—and lust in the males. Hired as a housemaid in the palatial home of the village mayor, Ellen soon catches the attention of his son, Jeremy Porter, who captures her heart in turn. He offers to send her to school, and four years later he proposes marriage.
As the years pass, Ellen’s life parallels the hopes, dreams, and fears of a no-longer innocent nation. As America’s enemies gather, Ellen must face her own demons. The wife of the scion of a powerful political family, she has everything she could ever desire: security, children, and a successful, adoring husband. But when tragedy rips her life apart, Ellen will be forced to confront some terrible truths about her marriage, her family, and herself.
Played out against the backdrop of early twentieth-century America, Ceremony of the Innocent intertwines Ellen’s personal journey with America’s emergence from the devastation of World War I. It raises vital questions, such as: Are we as good as we believe we are? And is faith enough to keep us moving forward even in the face of unimaginable loss?
Dear and Glorious Physician
pub. yr:
1957
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Caldwell shows us St. Luke before he wrote the third Gospel of the New Testament. Lucanus was a Greek, grew up in the household of his stepfather, the Roman govenor of Antioch. He was a man of science, a great physician and healer, a man who loved, who knew bereavement, and traveled throughout the Mediterranean region healing the sick. Caldwell brings him to life in her stirring novel.
Dear and Glorious Physician is a fully developed portrait of a complex and brilliant man. It is also a colorful re-creation of ancient Roman life as it contrasted in its decadence with the new world that Christianity was bringing into being. Caldwell's years of research and travels in the Holy Land make this a story that inspires, warms, and calls forth a renewal of faith and love.
“A portrait so moving and so eloquent I doubt it is paralleled elsewhere in literature. It is Caldwell’s greatest novel!” — Boston Herald
“Alive with the bustle of ancient times . . . Movingly reconstructs St. Luke’s search for God.” — The New York Times
Dialogues with the Devil
pub. yr:
1966
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From a #1 New York Times–bestselling author: Lucifer and the Archangel Michael debate the fate of humanity in the final nights before the apocalypse.
Upon the end of days, Lucifer, the Fallen One, that Infernal of Infernals and Murderer of Hope, wonders if his Father will bother to raise another race after Armageddon. After all, he’ll only have to tempt them—again—to certain death. Their choice, not his. On God’s behalf, Archangel Michael responds. So begins a series of letters between two brothers, at once cordial and combative, about their purpose, their fears, their familial estrangement, and their Father’s great folly: the human race.
Equally defensive, unrepentant, objective, and, for a time, amused, they challenge each other on science and spirituality, physical love and emotional love, the crucifixion and the crimes committed by man. They deliberate the virtues of empathy and vengeance, redemption and punishment, and the laws of the Bible versus its lies. Their civil discourse soon becomes a heated trial of wills.
Based on a close reading of the Old and New Testaments, Dialogues with the Devil was conceived by author Taylor Caldwell “to give Lucifer his day in court.” A dramatic and insightful examination of family, morality, and faith, it is a singular work of fiction from “a wonderful storyteller” and one of twentieth-century America’s most popular and prolific authors (A. Scott Berg, National Book Award–winning author of Maxwell Perkins: Editor of Genius).
This ebook features an illustrated biography of Taylor Caldwell including rare images from the author’s estate.
Dynasty of Death
pub. yr:
1937
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New York Times–bestselling author Taylor Caldwell’s debut novel sweeps from 1837 to the eve of World War I, following two families who grow a small munitions factory into a global empire.
In 1837, Joseph Barbour, an upper servant in an English village, immigrates with his family to America so he can make his fortune in the nascent artillery business. A man of vision, Joseph foresees a time when wars will not be won with courage and brave hearts but rather by the nations with superior firearms.
Joseph and his family settle in a rural Pennsylvania village, but his wife, Hilda, is unhappy and longs to return to England. Their shy and sensitive younger son, Martin, is also homesick, but what troubles him most is the cruelty and violence he sees in his older brother, Ernest. Martin’s fears come to fruition when Joseph forms a gunpowder firm with Armand Bouchard, who lives with his wife and three sons down the road from the Barbours.
As the years pass, Ernest proves himself invaluable to Barbour & Bouchard. Ruthless and ambitious, he takes what he wants. But beautiful Amy Drumhill continues to elude him and becomes the catalyst in a war that will estrange the two brothers and leave Ernest haunted by the blood that will be forever on his hands.
Dynasty of Death is a moving saga of two families, the epic struggle between two brothers, and the legacy their guns will leave the world as mighty enemy nations gear up for battle.
“A magnificent story . . . Powerful and moving.” —Kirkus Reviews
Glory and the Lightning
pub. yr:
1973
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New York Times Bestseller: A breathtaking saga of ancient Greece and one of history’s most influential political couples, Aspasia and Pericles.
Born in the Greek city of Miletus, Aspasia was destined for a life of tragedy. Her wealthy father vowed to abandon any female child, so Aspasia was secreted away, educated independently of her family, and raised as a courtesan. She discovered at an early age how to use her powers of intellect as ingeniously as those of the flesh.
Ensconced in the Persian harems of Al Taliph, she meets the man who will change her fate: Pericles, the formidable political leader, statesman, ruler of Athens, and Aspasia’s most cherished lover. She becomes his trusted confidante, his equal through scandal, war, and revolt.
From the eruption of the Peloponnesian War to violent political and family rivalries to a devastating plague, author Taylor Caldwell plunges the reader into the heart of ancient Athens. In bringing to life the tumultuous love affairs and gripping power struggles of one of history’s most complicated and fascinating women, Glory and the Lightning is thrilling proof that “Caldwell never falters when it comes to storytelling” (Publishers Weekly).
“Puts you right into the classic picture.” —The New York Times Book Review
“Seeing an ancient world through a woman’s eyes is handled with intelligence and style by Miss Caldwell.” —Associated Press
“Fascinating . . . A masterpiece fashioned by an artist who deserves the attention of thoughtful and sensitive people of both sexes.” —The Jackson Sun
“[Glory and the Lightning] doubtless will delight [Caldwell’s] thousands of loyal readers.” —United Press International
Great Lion of God
pub. yr:
1970
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A Novel About Saint Paul
New York Times Bestseller: A “beautifully written” and “truly outstanding” novel based on the life of Paul the Apostle (The Cincinnati Enquirer).
Born a veritable great lion of God to a devout Jewish family, Saul of Tarsus is raised by his parents to embrace their love of humanity. Dogged by what he perceives as a lack of true faith, he embarks on a journey to save his people from sacrilege. But on the road to Damascus a vision of the resurrected Jesus changes the course of his life. Converting to Christianity, the newly christened Paul transforms from persecutor of blasphemers into apostle to the gentiles, becoming one of the supreme influences on the Catholic Church and the Western world.
Great Lion of God paints a unique and very human portrait of Saint Paul, one of the most passionate, dauntless, and complex figures of early Christianity—Pharisee, lawyer, theologian, and above all, a “man like ourselves with our own despairs, doubts, anxieties and angers and intolerances, and ‘lusts of the flesh.’”
The central novel in author Taylor Caldwell’s biblical trilogy, which also includes Dear and Glorious Physician and I, Judas, Great Lion of God is both “sheer entertainment” and a moving tribute to the majesty and power of the Christian faith (Fort Worth Star-Telegram).
“Beautifully written . . . Truly outstanding.” —The Cincinnati Enquirer
“Excellent story sense . . . It all works.” —The New York Times Book Review
“A rich and rewarding reading experience.” —The Columbus Citizen
“Taylor Caldwell has added another great novel to her list of excellent, gripping books. . . . Momentous, unforgettable.” —South Bend Tribune
“Totally engrossing. Totally real.” —Illinois Journal-Register
Praise for Taylor Caldwell
“Taylor Caldwell spins a yarn with force. . . . Her sense of timing and her ability to keep even the most alert reader guessing is something readers don’t find very often.” —Hartford Courant
“Caldwell never falters when it comes to storytelling.” —Publishers Weekly
“A wonderful storyteller.” —A. Scott Berg, National Book Award–winning author of Maxwell Perkins: Editor of Genius
I, Judas
pub. yr:
1976
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One of the great dramas of the biblical era is brought to thrilling new life in this epic novel told from the unique perspective of Judas Iscariot himself. This is the story of Judas the myth, condemned by Dante to the most terrifying circle of Hell; Judas the man, the son of wealth and power who fought to suppress the lusts of the flesh and the sin of pride to become one of the twelve original disciples of Jesus Christ; and Judas the apostle, victim of a diabolical lie, history’s arch traitor, who sold his Lord for thirty pieces of silver, and sealed his fate with a kiss.
From Judas’s years as the young rebel of an affluent family undone by his own idealism to his victimization by Pontius Pilate to the crucifixion and Christ’s resurrection, I, Judas “read[s] like a modern novel of intrigue and thrills” (Chattanooga Times). The final entry, following Dear and Glorious Physician and Great Lion of God, in a trilogy celebrating key historical figures of the Bible, it is one of the most powerful and revelatory works of religious fiction ever published.
La columna de hierro (Pillar of Iron)
pub. yr:
1965
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Una novela histórica sobre Cicerón y la República Romana. Constituye una alegoría universal acerca del poder.
Esta novela legendaria, fruto de nueve años de trabajo e investigación, es una fascinante recreación de la vida de Marco Tulio Cicerón en la Roma imperial. Gracias a este trabajo, Taylor consigue describir el mundo de la antigua Roma con gran exactitud y captar el alcance de una figura tan excepcional y controvertida como la de Cicerón. Agudo analista del mundo que le rodeaba, Cicerón fue también una persona adelantada a su tiempo cuya clarividencia le hizo ganarse tantos amigos como enemigos. Pero más allá de la reconstrucción histórica fidedigna, La columna de hierro también es una apasionante novela donde se cruzan las intrigas palaciegas, las pasiones y los crímenes, donde salen a relucir las cuestiones que más preocupaban a Cicerón: la religión, la política y la guerra.
Let Love Come Last
pub. yr:
1948
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Born into the humblest of circumstances, William Prescott is determined to amass a fortune large enough to ensure that his four children will never want for anything. He’ll do whatever it takes to achieve his goal, even if it means plundering Pennsylvania’s forests of every last tree and destroying anyone who stands in his way. As William’s business empire grows, so too does his insatiable need to be loved and admired.
William’s wife, Ursula, tries to fill their ostentatious home with warmth and common sense, but her efforts are destined to backfire. The children resent her for trying to discipline them, and William’s ambition blinds him to any point of view but his own. Only when two of his spoiled children plot against him does William realize that the ties that bind the Prescott family have become warped beyond recognition.
The “deeply engrossing” saga of a 19th-century lumber baron’s twisted love for his family—from the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Captains and the Kings (The New York Times).
A riveting drama with a powerful message, Let Love Come Last is a masterwork from an author who “never falters when it comes to storytelling” (Publishers Weekly).
Maggie—Her Marriage
pub. yr:
1952
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The daughter of an uneducated blacksmith, Maggie Hamilton wants nothing more than to rise above her impoverished background. Her ravishing beauty and earthy wit catch the eye of John Hobart, a wealthy landowner, but Maggie seems indifferent to his affections. Is it because her father disapproves of the match? Or is there another, more personal reason for her hesitation?
From a #1 New York Times–bestselling author: The unforgettable drama of a young woman torn between love and duty in nineteenth-century Virginia.
Melissa
pub. yr:
1947
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In the eyes of his daughter Melissa, Charles Upjohn can do no wrong. Where others see a minor novelist whose ego far outweighs his talent, Melissa sees a brilliant artist deserving of a wider audience. Where her sister and brother see a cold and inattentive parent who can’t provide for his family, Melissa sees a doting father whose intentions are beyond reproach. On his deathbed, Charles puts his eldest daughter in charge of her mother and siblings. Melissa will do anything she can to please him—even if it means marrying a man she hates.
As Charles Upjohn’s publisher, Geoffrey Dunham holds the keys to the writer’s legacy. Dunham also has the means to provide for Melissa and her family, and the desire to do so. Melissa knows her life with Dunham will be grim and passionless, but she’s willing to sacrifice her own happiness in order to fulfill her father’s wishes. Dunham, however, refuses accept a wife in name only. To win Melissa’s heart, he must destroy everything she believes about her father—and herself.
A darkly riveting portrait of the thin line between love and hate, Melissa confirms author Taylor Caldwell’s reputation as one of the twentieth century’s greatest storytellers.
The #1 New York Times–bestselling author’s “magnificent” tale of romantic intrigue in the gothic tradition of Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre (The New York Times).
Never Victorious, Never Defeated
pub. yr:
1953
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Founded in Portersville, Pennsylvania, in the latter days of Andrew Jackson’s presidency, the Interstate is a small regional railroad with vast potential. Also, it is the birthright of Aaron deWitt’s sons: ruthless yet charming Rufus and stubborn, idealistic Stephen. When Stephen wins control of the Interstate, his victory starts a series of events that will roil the deWitt family for generations.
Over decades, the Interstate grows into an enterprise capable of shaping the future of the nation. Yet, both its triumphs and defeats sow the seeds of the deWitt family’s downfall. Brothers plot against brothers, sons demean fathers, wives betray husbands—all in pursuit of monumental power. Not even Cornelia, Rufus’s beautiful and cunning daughter, can ensure that the deWitt family name won’t disappear.
Spanning nearly a century, Never Victorious, Never Defeated is a brilliant dramatization of the lives of America’s robber barons and further proof that Taylor Caldwell “never falters when it comes to storytelling” (Publishers Weekly).
New York Times Bestseller: A sprawling epic of an American railroad dynasty’s “sensational intrigues and stormy struggles for power” (The New York Times Book Review).
No One Hears but Him
pub. yr:
1965
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New York Times Bestseller: At a crossroads in their lives, twelve troubled souls seek guidance and comfort from a mysterious stranger.
Many years have passed since the Sanctuary was built as a refuge for the lost. It is just two marble rooms: one for those waiting to be heard and one for the Man Who Listens. Drawn to it are the grieving, the despairing, the cynical, the defeated, the dying, the betrayed, and the broken. They know that the Man Who Listens accepts every blasphemy, every pitiful excuse, and every intimate tale of degradation with silent understanding. Now, twelve new souls are about to seek help for their unimaginable anguish . . .
Among them, a mother forsaking her faith in the wake of her child’s leukemia; a suicidal working man who has lost his business and his family; a beleaguered African American who has reached his breaking point; an artist going blind and mad; a little boy who has never known happiness; and a disbelieving cop who furiously seeks out the Sanctuary for one purpose: to expose the Man Who Listens as a fraud. Their desperate struggles have brought them to the Sanctuary for resolution, absolution, and the answers to life’s great mysteries.
In this uplifting sequel to her bestselling novel The Listener, author Taylor Caldwell illuminates the spiritual crises of our time and brings into simple yet triumphant focus the transformative power of faith and forgiveness.
“Sermonettes in story form . . . A guided missal for [Caldwell’s] devotional readership.” —Kirkus Reviews
On Growing Up Tough
pub. yr:
1970
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Born in Manchester, England, in 1900, growing up wasn’t easy for Janet Taylor Caldwell. Her Scottish parents warned her that if she ever misbehaved at school, she’d be “thoroughly thrashed.” Weekends at home were filled with church and chores.
When her family immigrated to America in 1907, life only got tougher. Her father died soon after their arrival in upstate New York, and the family struggled financially. But her mother, Anna, was a firm believer in Women’s Liberation and insisted that Janet could do a man’s job. With a first-class education, fierce self-reliance, and strong work ethic, Janet embarked on her writing career at the age of eight. Eventually, she was discovered by legendary editor Maxwell Perkins and began publishing under the name Taylor Caldwell. Her books sold millions of copies around the world and touched the lives of countless readers.
The #1 New York Times–bestselling author shares her rough journey to adulthood in a book that “should be read by every American” (Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette).
Here is a witty and sharply observed account of the early struggles that gave Taylor Caldwell her strong convictions and made her one of the most distinctive voices in American literature. “You’re not likely to put this one down until the last line is devoured and digested” (Charleston Sunday News & Courier).
Sound of Thunder
pub. yr:
1956
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From the New York Times–bestselling author of Captains and the Kings: A self-made man sacrifices everything for his family in turn-of-the-century New York.
The son of a socialist German shopkeeper, Edward Enger has one dream: to turn his father’s modest delicatessen into an empire. With an astute head for business and talent for making money, he achieves success beyond his wildest imagination. Yet something is keeping him from enjoying his extraordinary good fortune.
Fourteen-year-old Edward believed he would love ten-year-old Margaret Proster all the days of his life . . . until she moved away. Now, she has returned and is planning to marry another man, someone very close to Edward. His need to succeed at all costs drives him to take on this latest challenge, along with more mortgages, more debt, and speculative investments on Manhattan’s burgeoning Wall Street. A man does not become powerful without making enemies, and as his family life begins to unravel, a day of reckoning is nearing. Soon Edward will have to confront a painful event from his boyhood—a secret buried deep inside that he has never told another living soul.
A man in the right place at the right time, Edward’s meteoric ascent coincides with the rise of America’s middle class as the nation transforms from an agricultural and industrial force to a financial world leader. But his success comes at a great cost in this towering novel of love and sacrifice by one of our most gifted storytellers.
“Rich in emotion and incident, dreams and portents.” —New York Herald Tribune
Tender Victory
pub. yr:
1955
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Rev. Johnny Fletcher serves wounded soldiers from the battlefield as a military chaplain during World War II. His forté is spiritual solace in the darkest of times, but his life changes when he performs a public heroic act: facing down an angry mob intent on attacking five young Holocaust survivors. Upon learning they have no homes or families to return to, Fletcher decides to bring them to America.
To his dismay, his coal-mining community of Barryfield, Pennsylvania, greets this makeshift family with prejudice and distrust. Beneath the town’s placid surface run buried religious divisions. Fletcher’s commitment to raising the children according to their individual faiths—two Protestant, two Catholic, and one Jewish—meets with horrific levels of intolerance. Dealing with such prejudice turns more sinister still when a local newspaper publisher cynically uses the story for his own purposes.
Together with Lorry Summerfield, the beautiful, disillusioned daughter of Barryfield’s most powerful figure, Fletcher must try to awaken the townspeople to the better angels of their nature before it’s too late.
New York Times Bestseller: The “touching and effective” story of an American minister who returns home from WWII with five orphaned Holocaust survivors (The New York Times).
Testimony of Two Men
pub. yr:
1967
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Hambledon, Pennsylvania, is still reeling from the sensational murder trial that shattered the peace of the bucolic hamlet less than a year ago. Dr. Jonathan Ferrier was accused of killing his beautiful young wife after she died following a botched abortion. The scion of a powerful old eastern family, Jonathan hired the best attorneys money could buy. When he was acquitted, many believed he had bought his freedom. Now, he has returned home to sell his practice and move on. But haunted by his wife’s death, Jonathan still strives to heal the judgmental people of his divided town.
Robert Morgan, a young, idealistic doctor, is determined to make up his own mind about the accused’s innocence or guilt. Of one thing he is certain: Jonathan is a good doctor, perhaps even a great one. He is also a man who feels abandoned by God, his church, his family, and his friends. As Jonathan continues to be pilloried by the town, a new series of accusations are leveled at him. Is he a cold-blooded killer who murdered his wife and their unborn child? Or a man unjustly accused and wrongly maligned?
Testimony of Two Men explores the evolution of modern medicine and the tireless physicians who are its unsung heroes. Author Taylor Caldwell’s bestselling novel touches on faith, religion, and the then-new field of mental health as it tells a mesmerizing tale of desire, betrayal, and love that can destroy or redeem.
The Arm and the Darkness
pub. yr:
1974
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In seventeenth-century France, Catholics and Huguenots are locked in a battle for the soul of the nation. Against this tumultuous backdrop, bestselling author Taylor Caldwell spins a stirring tale of romance, suspense, and adventure in the grand tradition of Alexandre Dumas.
At the heart of the novel are the two de Richepin brothers: Arsène, a swashbuckling nobleman who must abandon his devil-may-care attitude when he falls in love with a Catholic peasant girl, and Louis, a priest whose devotion to the word of God puts him at odds with the needs of man. As Arsène and Louis are drawn into a world of double-crosses and palace intrigues, they encounter a remarkable cast of real-life historical figures, including the sly Cardinal Richelieu and the suspected traitor Queen Anne.
“A lively cloak and sword tale” set in the France of Louis XIII and Cardinal Richelieu—from the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of A Pillar of Iron (Kirkus Reviews).
Full of secret plots, passionate embraces, and angry mobs, The Arm and the Darkness is an “admirable and convincing” portrait of one of the most fascinating epochs in the history of Europe (The New York Times).
The Balance Wheel
pub. yr:
1950
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Pennsylvania, 1913. The four Wittmann brothers manufacture steel precision tools. Jochen (Joe) is a ruthless businessman who seeks to improve the bottom line at any cost. Friedrich (Fred) dabbles in Socialism but would never sacrifice his dividends. Wilhelm (Willie) prefers to collect art rather than visit the factory floor. Only Karl (Charles), a widower, has the vision to keep the family business in the black.
Now, as the winds of war sweep across Europe, anti-German sentiment turns the family’s allies against them, and war profiteers threaten to remake the entire steel industry into a merchant of death. But Charles’s greatest worry is that his son will be shipped overseas to die.
As Charles struggles against powerful forces inside and outside the Wittmann family, he finds an ally in Willie’s neglected wife, Phyllis. Who can predict if their unlikely romance is cause for hope or a sign of impending disaster?
A stirring family saga and a brilliant exposé of the military-industrial complex, The Balance Wheel ranks alongside Dynasty of Death and Captains and the Kings as one of Taylor Caldwell’s finest accomplishments.
New York Times Bestseller: On the eve of WWI, a wealthy German immigrant fights for his family’s future in this “stirring . . . exciting” tale (Chicago Sunday Tribune).
The Devil's Advocate
pub. yr:
1951
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A revolution is waged against a totalitarian government in this novel of a dystopian near-future America from a #1 New York Times–bestselling author.
In the heart of Philadelphia, insurgent Andrew Durant has been nursing a festering rage. And he’s not alone. Through underground networks, he’s found himself among a secret thousands, building an army called the Minute Men. They’re readying themselves for war to reclaim what was once America.
In the nation now known as the Democracy, independent thought is a thing of the past. The Constitution is waste paper. A conscienceless president has been appointed by the military—for life. The government has co-opted farmland crops. Citizens are divided between two classes: wealthy corporations and the destitute. Areas of the country devastated by war or natural disaster remain unchecked. On behalf of national security, neighbors are instructed to spy on one another. Exposing those who are undemocratic is law. And all dissenters are eliminated.
Durant, the chosen agent for the poverty-stricken rural Democracy, finds himself increasingly isolated and afraid. Mobilizing revolutionaries has become a dangerous tactic; the Minute Men have their own traitors, infiltrators assigned to undo everything Durant and his men are fighting to conquer. Now, the rebels have only their beliefs left to trust.
A stunning dystopian vision in the tradition of George Orwell’s 1984 and Ayn Rand’s Anthem, The Devil’s Advocate is author Taylor Caldwell’s “tour de force” (Kirkus Reviews).
More than a half-century after its original publication, this “courageous book” is timelier than ever (Chicago Sunday Tribune).
“Engrossing . . . A novel to be thoughtfully read by Americans of all shades of political conviction.” —New York Herald Tribune
“Exemplary.” —Catholic World
“To be read avidly.” —Saturday Review
The Eagles Gather
pub. yr:
1939
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In the decade after World War I, Jules Bouchard prepares to leave controlling interest in his global munitions enterprise to his son Armand. But the inheritance comes with a warning: Armand’s ruthless brothers, Emile and Christopher, will be gunning for him.
It’s not long before Christopher commits financial treachery in an effort to unseat his brother. Worse, he hatches a plot involving his sister, Celeste, whose innocence he had vowed to always protect. While Christopher’s machinations and Armand’s countermoves threaten to tear the family apart, hope emerges from a distant relative who seems to possess the noble character of
New York Times Bestseller: In the “undeniably powerful” sequel to Dynasty of Death, a new generation of Bouchards battles over the family empire (The New York Times Book Review).
The Earth is the Lord's
pub. yr:
1939
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This sweeping saga captures life in the Far East during the Middle Ages and dramatizes the events that transformed a Mongol tribesman named Temujin into the man who would conquer Asia and be known to the world for centuries to come as Genghis Khan.
Raised by an indomitable woman and educated by his outcast uncle, Temujin becomes a fearsome warrior who inspires loyalty in his friends and hatred in his enemies. But he is also blessed with a keen intelligence and the charisma of a natural born leader. In an era marked by treachery and savage violence, these gifts lead Temujin to a relentless pursuit of power.
From the Gobi Desert to Samarkand, Taylor Caldwell transports readers to a distant world and shines a brilliant light on one of history’s most enigmatic figures. On her “huge historical canvas . . . blood spurts from the knife; beads of sweat stand out on straining flesh; lusts are consummated and revenges achieved” (New York Herald Tribune).
From a #1 New York Times–bestselling author: A “magnificent” epic based on the early life of Genghis Khan (New York Herald Tribune).
The Final Hour
pub. yr:
1943
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Peter Bouchard journeyed from afar to intervene in the power struggle between Armand and Christopher Bouchard. At stake was control of the family’s vast conglomerate spanning the armament, airplane, and automobile industries. Now Peter and his wife, Celeste, have returned from Europe, where the winds of war are blowing once again. Peter warns that the coming conflict will be one of the darkest chapters in human history—but the Bouchards have always profited in dark times.
Henri Bouchard has grown into a ruthless tycoon, but when he sees the threat to America, he throws himself into the war effort with single-minded determination. As he battles bureaucracy and rival powers within his own family, he finds himself drawn to Celeste, the woman he once loved. This, one of Taylor Caldwell’s most subtle romances, awakens Henri’s compassion even as it threatens his grip on the Bouchard dynasty.
A “sprawling . . . lush” novel that captures the clamor and uncertainty of the years before the Second World War, The Final Hour is a fitting conclusion to the trilogy that stands as one of Caldwell’s finest achievements (Kirkus Reviews).
In the final chapter of the saga that began with Dynasty of Death and The Eagles Gather, a global munitions empire must take sides in World War II.
The Romance of Atlantis
pub. yr:
1974
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by Taylor Caldwell with Jess Stearn
A young queen is torn between her heart’s desire and the fate of her kingdom in this “first-rate” fantasy from a New York Times–bestselling author (Library Journal).
On his deathbed, the four-hundred-year-old emperor of Atlantis has reason to worry. Signar, the savage ruler of a powerful outlying state, is scheming to seize control of the empire, and not even its advanced technology can save it. But something else can . . .
It can be assumed that the work was revisited and then published in 1975 with the assistance of her collaborator Jess Stern
Concerning the books origin, this is a quote from a reader that needs to be fact-checked:
This book was written when the author was 12 years old. Because of mature themes, adults assumed the work was plagerized and refused publication. The book recounts the final days of Atlantis being full of intrigue, solar power and advanced technology, royal intrigue, moral decay, and warring nations.
The Strong City
pub. yr:
1941
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The son of German immigrants, Franz Stoessel comes of age at the end of the nineteenth century with the conviction that nothing matters in America except wealth and power. As a foreman at the local steel mill in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, he is brutal to his fellow workers, believing that a man’s sins can be buried beneath his fortune.
When a charismatic Englishman attempts to form a union at Schmidt Steel Company, Franz meets the threat with violent force. Nothing will stand in his way—not the health and safety of his colleagues, nor his tender feelings for a beautiful cousin who disapproves of his materialism. Time and time again, Franz makes the cold-hearted decision to put himself above all others—and reaps the rewards that elude his friends and family. But are his choices driven by strength or fear? And when the reckoning comes, who will stand by his side?
A compelling portrait of American capitalism, The Strong City contains the “real vitality” that made Taylor Caldwell one of the twentieth century’s most beloved novelists (The New York Times).
The saga of a ruthless businessman, the steel empire he forged, and the woman he could never tame: “A virile story, vivid with life and force” (Chicago Daily News).
The Turnbulls
pub. yr:
1942
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The son of a wealthy English merchant, John Turnbull’s destiny appears to be a life of gentlemanly leisure. His path: graduate from his fashionable school and marry his beautiful cousin, Eugenia, whom he loves. Yet, one wild night, a jealous classmate tricks him into making a fateful mistake.
Forced to give up his former life, Turnbull sails for America. He soon falls in with the unscrupulous businessman Mr. Wilkins. Together, they steal patents, smuggle contraband through the Southern blockade during the Civil War, run guns to Japan, and finance the opium trade. But as Turnbull amasses a fortune large enough to vanquish his most powerful enemies, he doesn’t realize his gravest threat comes from within his own family.
Packed with fascinating period details, The Turnbulls is a mesmerizing family drama from the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Captains and the Kings and Dynasty of Death.
The “darkly exuberant and passionate” saga of a man who flees Victorian England in disgrace—only to build an empire of corruption in America (The New York Times).
The Wide House
pub. yr:
1944
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The Wide House is the story of two cousins from Ireland: Stuart Coleman, a shopkeeper who dreams of building a big white house and raising a family, and Janie Cauder, a young widow with four children, only one of whom she truly adores. When Janie arrives in Grandeville, New York, the two begin a surprising romance—but happiness is not to be their fate.
Driven by ambition and haunted by self-doubt, Stuart spurns Janie for the beautiful daughter of a business rival. Janie, meanwhile, takes her disappointment out on her children and pursues new romantic opportunities—to diminishing returns. As the national mood turns increasingly antagonistic to outsiders, Stuart and Janie’s inability to love will leave a bitter mark on their lives, and on generations to come.
An “intimately limned” saga of passion and greed in the decade before the Civil War—from the New York Times–bestselling author of Captains and the Kings (Kirkus Reviews).
A richly detailed portrait of a fascinating time in American history, The Wide House is a masterwork from an author whose “sheer power” has captivated millions of readers all over the world (The New York Times).
There Was a Time
pub. yr:
1946
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As the twentieth century begins, Frank Clair comes of age near the Canadian border of upstate New York, haunted by early memories of England. Unloved by his parents and bullied by local children, Frank finds happiness only in stolen moments with his friend Jessica. But when fate tears these young friends apart, he fears he will never be truly close to another person again.
Striking out for the mountains of Kentucky, Frank attempts to make his fortune in oil. But his artist’s sensibility is ill suited to the cutthroat business world, and a violent showdown sends him back to New York, where he finds work as a magazine writer.
Only when he channels his rage and despair into a novel about a family of war profiteers does Frank strike upon a formula for the wealth and success he’s been so desperate to achieve. But when he sets out to find Jessica and win back her heart, Frank discovers that his unlikely rise to the top may have come at a price too high to bear.
A novel of one man’s ambitious life and tragic love from the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Captains and the Kings.
This Side of Innocence
pub. yr:
1945
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Jerome Lindsey and his foster brother, Alfred, couldn’t be more different. The son of a wealthy banker in upstate New York, Jerome leaves home for a life of extravagance and adventure, seducing countless women along the way. Meanwhile, Alfred becomes an executive at the family bank and his adoptive father’s heir apparent. After his wife dies, Alfred shows little interest in remarrying—until he meets Amalie Maxwell, the ravishing and headstrong daughter of a tenant farmer.
Fearing that his inheritance is at stake, Jerome returns home to expose Amalie as a shameless gold digger. But the more he schemes against her, the closer he’s drawn to her. Now, Jerome and Amalie will discover the thin line between love and hate—and that a moment of passion can have a lifetime’s worth of consequences.
A mesmerizing tale of forbidden desire and a brilliant portrait of small-town America during the Reconstruction Era, This Side of Innocence is “a masterful piece of storytelling” from one of the twentieth century’s most beloved authors (The Philadelphia Inquirer).
#1 New York Times Bestseller: A saga of power, greed, and illicit love set in the Gilded Age of upstate New York.
Time No Longer
pub. yr:
1940
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On the eve of World War II, twin brothers are divided by the murder of a German Jew, in this epic tale from New York Times–bestselling author Taylor Caldwell.
Karl Erlich loves his country. But these are dangerous times for Germany, whose poor and downtrodden have been seduced by an Austrian sign painter named Adolf Hitler. Karl’s twin brother, Kurt, a distinguished scientist, has already pledged his allegiance to the Third Reich, a regime that Karl finds cruel and oppressive. But he soon has even more reason to fear: There is talk of the Nazis singling out the Jews for extermination. Karl and Kurt’s younger sister, Gerda, is engaged to Eric Rheinhardt, a German Jew. Before Gerda and Eric can escape to America, Eric is arrested by the Gestapo.
Then the unthinkable happens, and in the wake of searing tragedy, Karl cuts all ties with his brother. A onetime candidate for the Nobel Prize for Literature, he is no longer able to write, eat, or sleep. His wife, Therese, fears for his sanity. She knows she must get her husband away from the madness that is now Germany. But can she rescue her husband, who is rapidly becoming like their beleaguered Rhineland—inconsolable, frightened, and thirsting for revenge? As she seeks answers, unknowingly thrusting herself into harm’s way, Therese will discover the powerful ties that bind German to Jew, and come to realize that the only one way to save Karl is to save Germany.
Set in the years of the Nazis’ ascent to power, Time No Longer is at once a universal and intensely personal novel about the struggle against hate and fear that can elevate an ordinary man to extraordinary heights and the unassailable bond between two brothers.
“Tense and exciting . . . A color and quality all its own . . . Casts a feverish spell upon the reader.” —The New York Times
“It flashes like a bolt of lightning . . . Devastating.” —San Francisco Chronicle
“Superb, magnificent, written at white heat.” —Philadelphia Inquirer
“Forceful and moving . . . Graphic horror and lyric beauty.” —Louisville Times
To Look and Pass
pub. yr:
1972
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Raised in a two-room shack behind his father’s smithy shop, Dan Hendricks was marked as an outcast from earliest childhood. The people of South Kenton assumed the poor, gangly boy would become as shiftless and dissolute as his drunkard father.
Despite the withering judgment and abuse, Dan manages to remain honest and open-hearted into adulthood. He founders in his attempt to find the tenderness and support a man needs. He cannot be with the woman he truly loves, and the one he marries takes a perverse pleasure in seeing him suffer. At the limits of his endurance, when Dan finally breaks we are left to wonder whether this is a destiny foretold or a senseless tragedy.
Full of the force and passion of Taylor Caldwell’s best-known novels, To Look and Pass is a revealing portrait of the dark side of small-town America from an author who “never falters when it comes to storytelling” (Publishers Weekly).
From the bestselling author of Captains and the Kings: The story of a blacksmith’s son, a small town, and a secret dark enough to seal a man’s fate.
Unto All Men
pub. yr:
2011
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When the German Army is about to invade Czechoslovakia, eight men decide to stand and make a defense. It's a futile military effort for all concerned, but a self redeeming one that each must face alone.
Though first published in 2012 after being rediscovered by her descendents, Unto All Men was likely completed during the early years of WW II and belongs among her more democratically-leaning works alongside Time No Longer (1938)
Wicked Angel
pub. yr:
1964
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To his mother, Angelo is the most beautiful and brilliant child in the world. She caters to his every whim and dismisses his malicious outbursts as childish pranks. But as Angelo grows older, his behavior only becomes more disturbing.
A pet dog disappears. A playground run-in leaves one of his teachers with a broken arm. Still, his mother refuses to believe that anything is wrong with her precious angel. His father and his aunt, however, have begun to suspect that behind Angelo’s cherubic smile lurks a dark and twisted monster who preys on the innocent. But how do they reveal Angelo’s true nature before it’s too late?
A tale of family horror in the tradition of The Bad Seed and The Omen from the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Dialogues with the Devil.
A mesmerizing portrait of evil personified, Wicked Angel is a psychological tour-de-force from an author who “never falters when it comes to storytelling” (Publishers Weekly).
Your Sins and Mine
pub. yr:
1954
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The Terrifying Fable of a World Without Faith
Mankind falls under a sentence of death in this fable of a world without faith from a #1 New York Times–bestselling author.
First there were the changes in weather. Lack of rain was turning the plains of Iowa, Kansas, and Idaho into arid blocks of parched earth. In the North, it was already January, and no sign of snow. All over the world, the seas were shrinking, and creeks and rivers looked like dried scars. But for Pete, the terrified son of a midwestern farming family, the first great omen came one unseasonably warm winter night when the moon simply vanished from a cloudless sky, and the clocks stopped.
Soon, Pete’s family farm becomes a prison as a strange sulfurous fog rolls across the land. In its wake, poisonous and mindful weeds grow wild, choking to death anything—and anyone—within reach. The only sign of life on the streets is a relentless army of scorpions with a sting that kills. But when the government finally moves in, it’s not to protect; it’s for a reason far more deadly and absolute than anyone can imagine. Now, Earth’s survivors face something even more frightful than nature: the evil of men.