The Full Cupboard of Life (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Book 5)
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • a pleasant journey with those who have now become old friends
  • Another lovely story
  • Getting a bit slow, but still fun..
  • gentle and Clever, a book of mysteries, but not as you would expect
  • delightful read for a summer day
The Full Cupboard of Life (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Book 5)
Alexander McCall Smith
Manufacturer: Pantheon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

GeneralGeneral | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
Women SleuthsWomen Sleuths | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
Look Inside Mystery & Thriller BooksLook Inside Mystery & Thriller Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:
  1. In the Company of Cheerful Ladies (No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency) In the Company of Cheerful Ladies (No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency)
  2. The Kalahari Typing School for Men (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Book 4) The Kalahari Typing School for Men (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Book 4)
  3. Morality for Beautiful Girls (No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, Book 3) Morality for Beautiful Girls (No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, Book 3)
  4. Blue Shoes and Happiness (No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, Book 7) Blue Shoes and Happiness (No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, Book 7)
  5. Tears of the Giraffe (No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, Book 2) Tears of the Giraffe (No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, Book 2)

ASIN: 0375422188
Release Date: 2004-04-20

Book Description

Here is the fifth novel in the internationally bestselling No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency hit series. Once again we are transported to Gaborone, capital city of Botswana, and into the world of Mma Ramotswe and her friends.

THE NO. 1 LADIES’ DETECTIVE AGENCY.
FOR ALL CONFIDENTIAL MATTERS AND ENQUIRIES. SATISFACTION GUARANTEED FOR ALL PARTIES.
UNDER PERSONAL MANAGEMENT.


Mma Ramotswe and Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni are still engaged, but with no immediate plans to get married. Mma Ramotswe wonders when a wedding date will be named, but she is anxious to avoid putting pressure on her fiancé. For indeed he has other things on his mind -- particularly a frightening request (involving a parachute jump) made by Mma Potokwani, the persuasive matron of the orphan farm.

Mma Ramotswe herself has weighty matters on her mind. She has been approached by a wealthy lady to check up on several suitors. Are these men interested in her or just her money? This may be difficult to find out, but it’s just the kind of case Mma Ramotswe likes and she is, as we know, a very intuitive lady.

Meanwhile, Mma Makutsi -- plucky assistant detective and deputy manager of the Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors garage -- is moving. Her entrepreneurial venture, the Kalahari Typing School for Men, is thriving and with this new income she has rented two rooms in a house. Her spare time is occupied with planning the move, the décor and her new life in a house with running water all to herself.

In the background of all this is Botswana, a country of empty spaces and echoing skies, a country so beautiful and entrancing that it breaks your heart. Mma Ramotswe has prepared the bush tea and is waiting for us to join her.

Download Description

Here is the fifth novel in the internationally bestselling No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency hit series. Once again we are transported to Gaborone, capital city of Botswana, and into the world of Mma Ramotswe and her friends.

THE NO. 1 LADIES’ DETECTIVE AGENCY.
FOR ALL CONFIDENTIAL MATTERS AND ENQUIRIES.
SATISFACTION GUARANTEED FOR ALL PARTIES.
UNDER PERSONAL MANAGEMENT.

Mma Ramotswe and Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni are still engaged, but with no immediate plans to get married. Mma Ramotswe wonders when a wedding date will be named, but she is anxious to avoid putting pressure on her fiancé. For indeed he has other things on his mind—particularly a frightening request (involving a parachute jump) made by Mma Potokwani, the persuasive matron of the orphan farm.

Mma Ramotswe herself has weighty matters on her mind. She has been approached by a wealthy lady to check up on several suitors. Are these men interested in her or just her money? This may be difficult to find out, but it’s just the kind of case Mma Ramotswe likes and she is, as we know, a very intuitive lady.

Meanwhile, Mma Makutsi—plucky assistant detective and deputy manager of the Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors garage—is moving. Her entrepreneurial venture, the Kalahari Typing School for Men, is thriving and with this new income she has rented two rooms in a house. Her spare time is occupied with planning the move, the décor and her new life in a house with running water all to herself.

In the background of all this is Botswana, a country of empty spaces and echoing skies, a country so beautiful and entrancing that it breaks your heart. Mma Ramotswe has prepared the bush tea and is waiting for us to join her.

Customer Reviews:

3 out of 5 stars a pleasant journey with those who have now become old friends.......2007-08-26

When I read the previous book in the series (The Kalahari Typing School for Men), it was clearly the least mysterious of the books in this series to that point: it had the fewest detective cases, instead moving forward the personal lives of the major characters (especially Mma Kutsi). With this, the fifth installment, Smith lowers the mystery quotient even further. The book contains only one detective case (albeit a fun one: find out which of a rich woman's suitors will make the best husband!) and spends relatively little time even on it.

This time, the focus returns to Mma Ramotswe's and Mr JLB Matekoni's personal lives. Despite the lack of mystery, the book is a pleasant escape into one of Africa's best-governed and wealthiest countries, with characters you can enjoy and respect. And the book has a fine ending!

I made the mistake of reading this installment just a couple of months after the last one: it's better to leave a more time between books in this series, else Mma Ramotswe's musing on the marvels of Botswana (especially the OLD Botswana) can start to feel tired. But given a little rest, this is a relaxing ride back to Jaborone. I'll read the next book, just not right away.

If you're new to the series, don't start here: go back to The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. This isn't Agatha Christie: the detective's history actually matters here. And I always listen to the audiobook version (published by Recorded Books), narrated by Lisette Lecat. She is a pleasure to listen to.

4 out of 5 stars Another lovely story.......2007-08-10

I think the thing I like most about this series (other than the consistently good writing) is that there is no straining to put the detectives in dangerous situations, no effort to up the body count or indeed to have a body count in each book. This detective does the things that most detectives do--evaluates character, looks for lost things and most importantly lives her life. It's the views into her life that keep me coming back. I had wondered how long the engagement would go on before Precious Ramotswe would ask when she would cease to be an engaged lady and become a wife. That's one of the focuses of this book and I'm not going to tell you what happens. I'm looking forward to reading the sixth book.

4 out of 5 stars Getting a bit slow, but still fun.........2007-03-20

This is the fifth No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency novel, and by now author Smith has gotten the formula down pat. He has a series of things which never seem to change from book to book: the main character, Precious Ramotswe, and her sidekick Mma Makutsi. Mma and Rra are apparently Mrs. and Mr. in Botswana. The author adopts the conceit that there's no need for him to explain things like this to you; you should already know. This is similar to the late Patrick O'Brian, who never explained any of the terms, nautical or just obsolete, that he used in his Aubrey/Maturin novels. Usually, in each of these books, there's a problem, perhaps two or three, and the author follows the characters around as they deal with them.

In the current story, as much as there's a detective story here it's that Mma Ramotswe has been hired to investigate a series of suitors for the hand of a local, wealthy businesswoman. In a separate story-thread, there's the question of whether Mma Ramotswe's fiance, Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni (he's always referred to that way) should jump out of an airplane with parachute attached for the purpose of raising money for the local orphanage, where he does chores for the woman who runs the place, fixing machinery and so forth. And lastly there's the question of the impending marriage between Mma Ramotswe and Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni, and when that will occur (if ever).

Smith is rather practiced at this now, and this is a worthwhile entry in the series. It's not the most exciting book in the series, and the series isn't the most exciting one in the book world by any stretch of the imagination, but the books are fun, including this one.

4 out of 5 stars gentle and Clever, a book of mysteries, but not as you would expect.......2007-03-02

Precious Ramotswe and her number one Ladies Detective Agency are back in this wonderful observation on life. As one would expect of a Ladies Detective Agency, much of the mystery to be discovered is gentle, who is the apprentice in J L B Matekoni's Tlokweng Rd Speedy Motors seeing? A Rich married lady it seems, but what is happening at Mr J L B Matekoni's old house, and why is her car going there? Who has broken into Mma Ramotswe's home, and where did the large pumpkin come from. Just what happened to Mma Ramotswe's wonderful van, and why is there someone from her life come back again, and what does he want.

This is lovely observation of life, and on lives well-lived. Some of the mysteries in this book are suble, and the outcomes equally so. It is never tacitly explained who broke into Mma Ramotswe's home, but it is fairly clear by the end if you read between the lines. There is also a very philosophical bent to these novels which is touched on at the beginning when Mma Ramotswe sees a burglary in progress. Sometimes things aren't as they seem, and while the thief gets away, she herself stands accused - this situation happens later in the novel, and Precious is able to transfer that feeling to the accused and assist him. Good deeds bring good things, generally.

The thing I love most about these books is the gentle way things are resolved. Sometimes through doing almost nothing things become clear. There are no gun fights, no car chases (as such anyway) and generally no horrible suspense, yet there are mysteries to be sloved, and issues to be resolve, and they are done in the traditaionl African way.

Lovely gentle humour - a really fun and satisfaying read. I would highly recommned this series!

5 out of 5 stars delightful read for a summer day.......2007-02-24

I don't read much fiction -- and mysteries, not at all-- so I had ignored earlier volumes in this series about Lady Detective Mme Ramotswe. Then I found "The Full Cupboard of Life" on a half-price sale & decided, since it was set in Africa, to give the author a try.

I'm so glad I did! What a delightful read for a hot summer day under a tree in the back yard. It also brought back happy memories of my travels in Africa. Since the focus is more on character & setting than on plot or mystery, it was especially enjoyable to me.

Now that I have made the acquaintance of Mme Ramotswe so late in the game, I am determined to get her life story straight by getting all the other books in the series and reading them in the correct order.
So much one hears of Africa is doom and gloom, hopelessness, poverty & war; it is a nice change to read about its people having what we westerners would consider a normal life.
History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Calculations are only as good as your numbers
  • Pants on fire?
  • Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed.
  • Very Interesting
  • History as Science Fiction
History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Anatoly Fomenko
Manufacturer: Mithec
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

ChineseChinese | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
IrishIrish | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
JapaneseJapanese | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
WomenWomen | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Augustine, SaintAugustine, Saint | ( A ) | People, A-Z | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Doctors & MedicineDoctors & Medicine | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Lawyers & CriminalsLawyers & Criminals | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Love, Sex & MarriageLove, Sex & Marriage | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Assyria, Babylonia & SumerAssyria, Babylonia & Sumer | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books
Early CivilizationEarly Civilization | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books
HistoriographyHistoriography | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | World | History | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Asian American | United States | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Asian AmericanAsian American | Poetry | United States | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
FrenchFrench | Erotica | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
VictorianVictorian | Erotica | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
EpicEpic | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
GermanGerman | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
RussianRussian | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
SpanishSpanish | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ChineseChinese | Classics | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Conspiracy TheoriesConspiracy Theories | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
War on DrugsWar on Drugs | Crime & Criminals | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
English (All)English (All) | Dictionaries & Thesauruses | Reference | Subjects | Books
ArabicArabic | Foreign Language | Dictionaries & Thesauruses | Reference | Subjects | Books
ArmenianArmenian | Foreign Language | Dictionaries & Thesauruses | Reference | Subjects | Books
CzechCzech | Foreign Language | Dictionaries & Thesauruses | Reference | Subjects | Books
GreekGreek | Foreign Language | Dictionaries & Thesauruses | Reference | Subjects | Books
HungarianHungarian | Foreign Language | Dictionaries & Thesauruses | Reference | Subjects | Books
JapaneseJapanese | Foreign Language | Dictionaries & Thesauruses | Reference | Subjects | Books
KoreanKorean | Foreign Language | Dictionaries & Thesauruses | Reference | Subjects | Books
NorwegianNorwegian | Foreign Language | Dictionaries & Thesauruses | Reference | Subjects | Books
Persian & FarsiPersian & Farsi | Foreign Language | Dictionaries & Thesauruses | Reference | Subjects | Books
PolishPolish | Foreign Language | Dictionaries & Thesauruses | Reference | Subjects | Books
PortuguesePortuguese | Foreign Language | Dictionaries & Thesauruses | Reference | Subjects | Books
RomanianRomanian | Foreign Language | Dictionaries & Thesauruses | Reference | Subjects | Books
RussianRussian | Foreign Language | Dictionaries & Thesauruses | Reference | Subjects | Books
SwedishSwedish | Foreign Language | Dictionaries & Thesauruses | Reference | Subjects | Books
TurkishTurkish | Foreign Language | Dictionaries & Thesauruses | Reference | Subjects | Books
ScienceScience | Dictionaries & Thesauruses | Reference | Subjects | Books
Online ResearchOnline Research | Genealogy | Reference | Subjects | Books
Native AmericanNative American | Earth-Based Religions | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Science | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | History & Philosophy | Science | Subjects | Books
History of ScienceHistory of Science | History & Philosophy | Science | Subjects | Books
Magic & WizardsMagic & Wizards | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Sailor MoonSailor Moon | Popular Characters | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
PilatesPilates | Exercise & Fitness | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
HistoryHistory | Fashion | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Look Inside Children's BooksLook Inside Children's Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Look Inside Entertainment BooksLook Inside Entertainment Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Look Inside Health BooksLook Inside Health Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Look Inside History BooksLook Inside History Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Look Inside Fiction BooksLook Inside Fiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Look Inside Nonfiction BooksLook Inside Nonfiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Look Inside Reference BooksLook Inside Reference Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Look Inside Religion & Spirituality BooksLook Inside Religion & Spirituality Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Look Inside Romance BooksLook Inside Romance Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Look Inside Science BooksLook Inside Science Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Look Inside Science Fiction & Fantasy BooksLook Inside Science Fiction & Fantasy Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
All TitlesAll Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:
  1. History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2 (Chronology) History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2 (Chronology)
  2. History: Fiction or Science? Astronomical methods as applied to chronology. Ptolemy's Almagest. Chronology III History: Fiction or Science? Astronomical methods as applied to chronology. Ptolemy's Almagest. Chronology III
  3. Discovering the Mysteries of Ancient America: Lost History And Legends, Unearthed And Explored Discovering the Mysteries of Ancient America: Lost History And Legends, Unearthed And Explored
  4. Before the Pharaohs: Egypt's Mysterious Prehistory Before the Pharaohs: Egypt's Mysterious Prehistory
  5. They Cast No Shadows: A Collection of Essays on the Illuminati, Revisionist History, and Suppressed Technologies They Cast No Shadows: A Collection of Essays on the Illuminati, Revisionist History, and Suppressed Technologies

ASIN: 2913621058

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

3 out of 5 stars Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

5 out of 5 stars Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

5 out of 5 stars Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

5 out of 5 stars Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

4 out of 5 stars History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.
No Life for a Lady (Women of the West)
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • The Wild West
  • Unmatched for its subject
  • Home, Sweet Home
  • A classic in women's history
  • The REAL "old west"
No Life for a Lady (Women of the West)
Agnes Morley Cleaveland
Manufacturer: Bison Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

GeneralGeneral | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
WomenWomen | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Popular CulturePopular Culture | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Sociology | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Women's Studies | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | 19th Century | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
New MexicoNew Mexico | State & Local | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
Look Inside Entertainment BooksLook Inside Entertainment Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Look Inside History BooksLook Inside History Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:
  1. Tomboy Bride: A Woman's Personal Account of Life in Mining Camps of the West Tomboy Bride: A Woman's Personal Account of Life in Mining Camps of the West
  2. A Bride Goes West (Women of the West) A Bride Goes West (Women of the West)
  3. Doc Susie Doc Susie
  4. A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains (The Western Frontier Library, 14) A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains (The Western Frontier Library, 14)
  5. The Magnificent Mountain Women (Second Edition): Adventures in the Colorado Rockies The Magnificent Mountain Women (Second Edition): Adventures in the Colorado Rockies

ASIN: 0803258682

Book Description

When Agnes Morley Cleaveland was born on a New Mexico cattle ranch in 1874, the term "Wild West" was a reality, not a cliché. In those days cowboys didn't know they were picturesque, horse rustlers were to be handled as seemed best on the occasion, and young ladies thought nothing of punching cows and hunting grizzlies in between school terms.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars The Wild West.......2006-11-10

I live seven miles from Datil, NM whereof Ms. Morley writes. Not only does she write about her life but also about how the family, her mother, brother and sister, came move out here. She writes about the early cowboys and Native Americans. She writes about the Penitentes.

5 out of 5 stars Unmatched for its subject.......2005-08-01

Agnes Morley was the daughter of a Civil War vet who went home to Iowa and got an engineering degree that led to his becoming a premier engineer for the Santa Fe R.R. He was there when the race took place to be first over Raton Pass and also through the Royal Gorge (where Bat Masterson organized a posse that unsuccessfully held off the Denver and Rio Grande RR as I recall with members of the Dodge City fraternity that included Doc Holliday, Ben Thompson and other notable gunfighers and even Eddie Foy, later a great comedian, who went along for the excitement)all typical of the early days of railroading in the West. Morley was also an associate of the New Mexico participants in the Colfax County War in New Mexico, a parallel to the Lincoln County War that made Billy the Kid famous. Equally famous was Clay Allison, a wild man of the West who was a principal character of the War, which was centered in the vicinity of Cimarron, New Mexico. Agnes's father died in Mexico while pushing the railroad from Benson, Arizona to Guamas, Mexico. He was either accidentally shot in taking a rifle from his buggie, or as his grandon thought, was murdered as part of a plot relating to railroad competition. After his death his strong wife took over the rearing of their children. She managed the Cimarron newspaper that irritated Clay Allison, and he burned it out one night. In the aftermath he learned that a widdy woman ran it, helped set it back up, stating that he didn't make war on women. She later settled on the large range that her husband had aquired north of the present small town of Datil. The adventures there of her family are classics of Western experience that are not exactly things of the past. Read about her and her brother (who went to college and is in the football hall of fame) as they walk down the top rail of their corral with a pet bear cub, a rooster, a goat and sundry other animals following along on the ground. Read how, when she was away to school her brother wrote of the mountain lion that raided the place, killed their bitch hound who defended her pup and generally wrought havoc. Her brother wrote her the information and told her, "You should have been here, there was a hellacious fuss." which she read to her horrified teachers and class, not realizing it was anything out of the ordinary. She knew outlaws and lawmen, such as Elfego Baca, who Disney immortalized in a movie. When he defended her neighbor in a self-defense killing, she recommended to Elfego that he forget the fancy arguments and just tell the truth. He said, "The truth! The truth! This is a murder case. We lie. They lie. Everybody lies." As I recall the killer was convicted on his first trial. He told Agnes, "Elfego took my cattle on the first trial and when he got me off on appeal, he took my ranch." Elfego lived until 1946 as a fixture in Albuquerque. His type are by no means gone. You can go to Datil and vicinity today and see the old west exactly as it was then, with the bark off. The last big cattle drive took place just to the east on the San Augustin Plains. Moderns drive rapidly by and console themselves that the violent old west is dead. If so, the body is keeping damn well. The sheriff of Catron County which encompasses the old Morley ranch requires all heads of households to own and keep handy a gun. Good idea, too. I used to roam that country with my five dogs, camping out in my specially designed pickup which everyone called "the teahouse of the August Moon," due to its resemblance to that edifice. Agnes also tells of such characters as Montague Stevens, an Englishman who lost one arm in a hunting accident, who was a famous bear hunter. I'm writing this substantially from memory but it's close enough. Go see for yourself. And if you only read one book about New Mexico this would do. Another dandy is "Land of Enchantment."

5 out of 5 stars Home, Sweet Home.......2000-12-16

I work for a school that just purchased 600 acres of the ranch described in this book. The area IS as beautiful as she describes, is as rugged and the people are just as hard-working and caring.

I found the book to be a great story. She says she is just a story-teller, but what a good one! It makes the past come alive. My husband and I read parts of it out loud, while camping in the very ranch she describes.

WARNING! Once you start, it is hard to put down.

5 out of 5 stars A classic in women's history.......2000-01-22

The title is misleading, as she truly must have been a great lady. This is a classic memoir by a woman who grew up in 19th-century New Mexico, and worked and rode side-by-side with the men, taking the full responsibilities and knocks of a hard life and keeping a great sense of humor through it all. The only concession to her gender is that she apparently rode sidesaddle, remarkably enough!

4 out of 5 stars The REAL "old west".......1999-10-09

I am from the part of New Mexico that Agnes Morley writes about. My parents live in a canyon approximately 30 miles from the Morley homestead. This book tells it like it was and anyone living in Magdalena, Datil, or Pietown today can tell you so. Morley conveys a deep affection for the land and an independence of spirit that still holds true in the area today. It made me proud of my community to read her book. It was also fun reading some of the local history from a first-hand account. I particularly enjoyed Morley's portrayal of the lawyer Elfego Baca, who is a legendary figure in Socorro County. His reputation suffers quite a bit at her hands! The only aspect of local history that I found conspicuously absent from her book was any discussion of the local mining industry. Mining played as great a role in the area as ranching did at the time. I suppose it indicates that the miners and ranchers didn't mix much. Still, it seems odd that she doesn't even mention it.
The Highland Lady in Ireland: Journals 1840-50 (Canongate Classics, No. 41)
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Amazing Mirror into the Social Issues of the Time:
  • This was a PRIVATE diary
The Highland Lady in Ireland: Journals 1840-50 (Canongate Classics, No. 41)
Elizabeth Grant , Patricia Pelly , and Andrew Tod
Manufacturer: Canongate Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

AuthorsAuthors | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
IrishIrish | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Historical | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
WomenWomen | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | England | Europe | History | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Ireland | Europe | History | Subjects | Books
ScottishScottish | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:
  1. Memoirs of a Highland Lady (Canongate Classic) Memoirs of a Highland Lady (Canongate Classic)

ASIN: 0862413613

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Amazing Mirror into the Social Issues of the Time:.......2006-02-01

This book is an amazing piece of literature. It rings true, for the social and political issues of that particular time in Ireland/England/Scotland. It's rare that we get such a peek into the personal life of a person and the lives around her. She was a compassionate person, one who chose to stay and try to relieve the lives of her tenants. It is easy to shake our fingers at some of her pronouncements, especially about the Irish peasantry and culture around her, and the class bias is broad. However, she stayed (mostly) and is correct in her observations of the idle rich (the Milltowns, etc) and the opposite ends with the peasantry. Stupidity abounds in both reaches.

I found her candor refreshing and some of what we would now consider 'politically incorrect', to ring true. There is stupidity in all classes, and the two extremes that she writes about sounds truthful even today.

This is a very good book to read, not especially for what was happening politically or historically in that part of Ireland, but in the social behaviors of this class and culture. It is a special insight into a world that has so many of the same issues and challenges that we have today. Our response to issues might go in and out of fashion, but humanity doesn't really change.

I would have loved to read her writings here before family members got ahold and fed to the fire.

4 out of 5 stars This was a PRIVATE diary.......2004-06-03

I don't think Elizabeth Grant ever intended this diary for other people to read - unlike her Memoirs, specifically written for her grandchildren. I think it was used to let off her frustration and anger during what must have been a stressful time. She was born into a wealthy and influential family, which through its own financial mismanagement lost all its own money and more. She, her asthmatic husband and her teenage family had to live off a run-down estate (her husband's brother had nearly ruined it) and an army invalid pension during the Famine, and they decided to stay and try to alleviate the ills of the Famine for their own tenants and the rest of their district too. It's hardly surprising that irritation and exasperation show up in spades - this diary must have been her only safe outlet. Anyone with huge, necessary investments to make and no money to do it with will understand her troubles. It's hardly surprising that any sort of mismanagement irritated her.

If anyone wants to know about her father and brother, they should find out what they'd done by reading the footnotes, the Memoirs, and also : Rothiemurchus : nature and people on a Highland estate 1500-2000 / T.C. Smout & R.A. Lambert. Dalkeith : Scottish Cultural Press, 1999.

Meanwhile she lists what the family was reading; what she was writing - earnings from her writing, not the estate's income, kept two local schools open and her daughters clothed - and the book ends with a real mother's angle on the first wedding among her children, including a complete list of the trousseau and wedding presents.

Readers cannot help but learn something about the period from what she describes. Anyone who was critical of members of the Irish establishment and the activities of the British government during the Famine can hardly be faulted.
No Life for a Lady
Average customer rating: Not rated
    No Life for a Lady

    Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin Co
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Hardcover
    ASIN: B000FLH6TW
    7 Books Set: The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Tears of the Giraffe, Morality for Beautiful Girls, The Kalahari Type School for Men, The Full Cupboard of Life, In the Company of Cheerfull Ladies, Blue Shoes and Happiness (The No. 1 Ladies's Detective Agency)
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      7 Books Set: The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Tears of the Giraffe, Morality for Beautiful Girls, The Kalahari Type School for Men, The Full Cupboard of Life, In the Company of Cheerfull Ladies, Blue Shoes and Happiness (The No. 1 Ladies's Detective Agency)
      Alexander McCall Smith
      Manufacturer: Anchor Books
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Paperback
      ASIN: B000WM56Z0

      Product Description

      Includes 7 books from the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Series: The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Tears of the Giraffe, Morality for Beautiful Girls, The Kalahari Type School for Men, The Full Cupboard of Life, In the Company of Cheerfull Ladies, Blue Shoes and Happiness
      The Full Cupboard of Life (No 1 Ladies Detective Agency 5)
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        The Full Cupboard of Life (No 1 Ladies Detective Agency 5)
        Alexander McCall Smith
        Manufacturer: Time Warner AudioBooks
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Audio Cassette

        GeneralGeneral | Literature & Fiction | Books on Cassette | Audiobooks | Formats | Books
        GeneralGeneral | Books on Cassette | Audiobooks | Formats | Books
        ContemporaryContemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
        Similar Items:
        1. Morality for Beautiful Girls (No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, Book 3) Morality for Beautiful Girls (No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, Book 3)

        ASIN: 1405500107
        International Modern Plays:Lady Julie; Hannele; The Life of the Insects; The Infernal Machine; The Mask and The Face; Everyman's Library No. 989
        Average customer rating: Not rated
          International Modern Plays:Lady Julie; Hannele; The Life of the Insects; The Infernal Machine; The Mask and The Face; Everyman's Library No. 989
          August Strindberg
          Manufacturer: J M Dent & Sons Ltd
          ProductGroup: Book
          Binding: Hardcover
          ASIN: B000J1JBJQ
          Life Magazine 1972, August 25. Vol 73, No. 8: Pat Nixon (First Lady) and Street Gangs (Reapers) (Life, 73)
          Average customer rating: Not rated
            Life Magazine 1972, August 25. Vol 73, No. 8: Pat Nixon (First Lady) and Street Gangs (Reapers) (Life, 73)
            Life Magazine , and Ralph Graves
            Manufacturer: Life Magazine
            ProductGroup: Book
            Binding: Paperback
            ASIN: B000MT7HAA
            No Life for a Lady
            Average customer rating: Not rated
              No Life for a Lady
              Agnes Morley Cleaveland
              Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
              ProductGroup: Book
              Binding: Hardcover
              ASIN: B000NVFN8A

              Books:

              1. The Jesus of Suburbia: Have We Tamed the Son of God to Fit Our Lifestyle?
              2. The Kid: What Happened After My Boyfriend and I Decided to Go Get Pregnant
              3. The Little Book That Beats the Market
              4. The Luck of the Draw: The Memoir of a World War II Submariner: From Savo Island to the Silent Service
              5. The Motel in America (The Road and American Culture)
              6. The Mysterious Benedict Society
              7. The Natural Soap Book: Making Herbal and Vegetable-Based Soaps
              8. The New American Story
              9. The Rise of the Creative Class: And How It's Transforming Work, Leisure, Community and Everyday Life
              10. The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One: The Greatest Science Fiction Stories of All Time Chosen by the Members of the Science Fiction Writers of America (SF Hall of Fame)

              Books Index

              Books Home

              Recommended Books

              1. Courage: The Backbone of Leadership
              2. The Orchid: From the Archives of the Royal Horticultural Society
              3. The 100 Best Films to Rent You've Never Heard Of: Hidden Treasures, Neglected Classics, and Hits Fro
              4. Pacific Mexico Handbook/from the Coast to the Mountains
              5. The Big Book of Wordoku Puzzles: Sudoku for Word Lovers
              6. Trader Vic on Commodities: What's Unknown, Misunderstood, and Too Good to Be True
              7. The Perfect Ride
              8. Yahoo! to the Max: An Extreme Searcher Guide
              9. Practical Data Analysis Volume 1
              10. Concepts in Federal Taxation 2006, Professional Version