It'd be safe to say there are more women in this country who have worn Liz Claiborne than there are women who have not.

Liz Claiborne Ortenberg was a pioneer in so many areas – she was one of the first female designers with her name on the company, she was one of the first female top executives in the apparel industry, she listed her company on the stock market, she introduced great looking work wear and casual sportswear that ladies of all income levels could afford. The list goes on and on. She was a remarkable woman and an inspiration.

"Liz Claiborne: The Legend, The Woman" is a love letter to Claiborne, from her devoted husband and business partner Art Ortenberg (Taylor Trade, $24.95, April 2010). But instead of focusing on the early days, when they'd met and married or when they started out in the fashion business together, Ortenberg chose to focus this book on her last years. Or more specifically, from the time they retired from the company in 1989 to her death in June 2007.

These "golden years' were meant to be spent traveling, spending time with friends and family and doing philanthropic work. Instead, Claiborne spent the bulk of this time fighting a rare and vicious form of cancer, peritoneal carcinoma. It is the story of her remarkable will to fight the disease and live as best as she could with wonderful, touching photos.

It's also a story of the devotion from Ortenberg to his partner of 50 years, bordering on the side of being a bit too personal a story. It is challenging to buy into his talk of retaining of Liz's dignity while the mentions of her getting sick are too numerous to count. He does, however, portray a uber-realistic account of suffering through numerous cancer treatments.

We still love Liz, but we wish we knew more about her earlier days.

For a slightly less serious summer read, check out what this Real Housewife has to say about fashion and family.