Story Time: Richard Burton Remembers His First Glimpse of Elizabeth Taylor in Meeting Mrs. Jenkings

Meeting Mrs. Jenkins, by Richard Burton from Kendahl Cruver on Vimeo.

I wanted to share a treasure I bought in the early days of the pandemic from Larry Edmunds Bookshop. 

Meeting Mrs. Jenkins, by Richard Burton, is a story in three parts: in the first the actor meets his wife-to-be poolside at a Sunday morning party in Bel Air, in the second he sees her in a restaurant, happily married to producer Mike Todd, in the third he and Taylor are in Paris, happily married themselves, and on their way to dinner when he tangles with a paparazzo. 

Before its release as a book in 1964, the account was published in Vogue under the title Burton Writes of Taylor. It’s a sweet story, full of Burton’s typically grandiose, but observant views. 

Though I got a deal on my copy, this book can go for as much as $250 online, so I thought it would be fun to give everyone access to this charming tale with a little story time. 

The gorgeous photos are from the book and are by photographer and filmmaker William Klein (Who Are You Polly Magoo? [1966]). 

Larry Edmunds Bookshop has many other treasures and is open for business! You can call (323-463-3273) or email (larryedmunds1@gmail.com) your orders and requests. You can browse titles at their Instagram page @the_larebrary. The shop also has an active GoFundMe, as being closed to foot traffic has been a brutal blow to the business. So please make an order or a donation and help keep this legendary bookstore in business!