Letters to Alice: Birth of the Kleberg-king Ranch Dynasty (Gulf Coast Books): 22

“If you are a lover of Texas history, this book is a must read. Of all the stories and ranching lore, this book provides the true story of how the great ranch came to be and how it survived through good times and the bad. The story could have been told by the standard means; however, by linking the actual letters to Alice King from Robert Kleberg, the story comes alive and surpasses the usual historical fare. No self-respecting Texan should be without this revealing picture of life and love in South Texas on the gigantic King ranching empire.”–Carolyn Gilbert, Times Record News

–Carolyn Gilbert “Times Record News” (5/15/2012 12:00:00 AM)

“It is a fascinating story and really fills in so many gaps in the history of South Texas.”–Mary Beth Rogers, author of Barbara Jordan, An American Hero

–Mary Beth Rogers “email conversation” (5/29/2012 12:00:00 AM)

“Published for the first time in this book, the love letters written by Kleberg to Alice Gertrudis King provide a glimpse of the lives to two of the most influential people in Texas history.”–Bob Edmonds, McCormick Messenger

–Bob Edmonds (6/4/2012 12:00:00 AM)

“…Letters to Alice tells the story of a courtship and marriage that ensured and expanded the success of th elegendary King Ranch in South Texas.” –Glen Dromgoole, The Eagle–Glen Dromgoole “The Eagle” (1/22/2013 12:00:00 AM)

“Letters to Alice is a good read…the love letters are a warmly human (howbeit, ever so muchy) background to one of the great stories in Texas/U.S. history…Fran Vick and Jane Monday made a valuable contribution to our understanding of a romantic time and the evolution of a historical place.”–F. E. Abernethy, Stephen F. Austin State University–F. E. Abernethy “East Texas Historical Journal” (1/25/2013 12:00:00 AM)

“Editors Jane Clements Monday and Frances Brannen Vick have done an excellent job with notations in between the letters so that the reader can understand the lapse of time and family events. Letters to Alice will appeal to the Texas historian, male and female. The story of the King Ranch is not just a story of an old riverboat captain turned cowman, but of a dynasty built on tender sweet love and romance.”–Pat Parsons, Wild West History Association Journal
–Pat Parsons “Wild West History Association Journal” (1/28/2013 12:00:00 AM)

“Monday’s prologue provides an admirable review of the history of the Kings and Klebergs, and Vick’s careful transcriptions of the letters offer a fascinating glimpse into the early history of South Texas.”–Carolina C. Crimm, Southwestern Historical Quarterly–Carolina C. Crimm “Southwestern Historical Quarterly” (7/10/2013 12:00:00 AM)

“The letters provide a glimpse of the lives of two of the most influential people in Texas history. Letters to Alice: Birth of the Kleberg-King Ranch Dynasty represents the only existing collection of published letters between any of the great Texas cattle barons and their wives. You simply cannot miss the story of the discovery of the letters and the journey that has made them part of Texas history. These accomplished women have provided generous documentation and annotation of these important primary documents.”–Carolyn Gilbert, Times Record News–Carolyn Gilbert “Time Record News” (10/29/2012 12:00:00 AM)

“This short, charming book… [has] love letters [that] are delightful… [and] the editors have brought together a lot of good secondary research on the Kings, the Klebergs, and their connections with other prominent families in the region. The prologue and epilogue give vivid pictures of life on the King Ranch in its heyday that will please general readers.” –Jacqueline M. Moore– “The Journal of Southern History, Vol. LXXIX, No. 4” (11/1/2013 12:00:00 AM)

Jane Clements Monday and Frances Brannen Vick are the coauthors of the award-winning Petra’s Legacy: The South Texas Ranching Empire of Petra Vela and Mifflin Kenedy, published by Texas A&M University Press in 2007. Monday has served as chair of the Texas State University System Board of Regents and mayor of Huntsville, Texas, and is a distinguished alumna of the University of Texas at Austin. Vick, cofounder of the University of North Texas Press, has served as president of the Texas Institute of Letters and the Texas State Historical Association. She is also a Fellow of the Texas Folklore Society and president of the Philosophical Society of Texas.