It was impossible not to import our present-day conflicts over societal wealth disparities into a reading of the new Sallie Bingham biography of Doris Duke.  

Duke inherited her fortune from her father Buck, a tobacco and energy baron, but tried to staunch an aching quest for legitimacy beyond her day job as the 'richest girl in the world' throughout her life. First she--and now her foundation-- was one of the most generous and consistent supporters of the arts, especially dance, one of her passions, but her tabloid-ridden life was troubled from the start. For me, her most extraordinary legacy is Shangri La,the Islamic palace she painstakingly re-created for herself at Diamond Head in Hawaii. Every inch was lovingly sourced and handcrafted and to go there is to enter, for a brief moment, a parallel world of history and grace. Then, my admiration for her knew no bounds.Please see more in my story for Air Mail, and of course, the book, just published by FSG.

Photo via Air Mail courtesy Bettman/Getty Images