In the summer of 1881, Robert Justus Kleberg rode across the hot, dusty South Texas brush country to the palatial home of Capt. Richard King to consult with the cattle baron about attending to his legal affairs. On that same journey, the young lawyer also first laid eyes on Alice King, “Princess of the Wild Horse Desert.” Neither of their lives would ever be the same. Published for the first time in this book, the love letters written by Kleberg to Alice Gertrudis King provide a glimpse of the lives of two of the most influential people in Texas history. Editors Jane Clements Monday and Frances Brannen Vick have also provided generous documentation and annotation of these important primary documents from the Special Collections at Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi, affording historians and interested readers an insider’s view of one of the world’s greatest ranching empires as it transitioned from its founders to the next generation. Letters to Alice: Birth of the Kleberg-King-Ranch Dynasty  represents the only existing collection of letters between any of the great Texas cattle barons and their wives. Although a great deal is already known about the ranch and its development, Monday and Vick present for the first time Robert Justus Kleberg’s personal perspective on his first meeting with Alice King, their early courtship, the difficulties obtaining her parents’ permission to marry, and the poignant time surrounding Captain King’s death. "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 Published On: 2012-05-15 "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 Published On: 2012-05-29 "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 Published On: 2012-06-04 “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 Dynast y 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 Published On: 2012-10-29 “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 Published On: 2013-01-28 "... 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 Published On: 2013-01-22 " 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 Published On: 2013-01-25 “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 Published On: 2013-07-10 "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