Letters of Long Ago [Paperback]

Agnes Just Reid (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1997

Letters of Long Ago, by Agnes Just Reid, is back after being out of print for more than three decades. This classic story chronicles 20 years of 19th Century pioneer life in Idaho. The fourth edition of this poignant book includes photographs, a family tree and additional background material never before seen.

Editorial Reviews

Review

One of her most embarrassing times was the day she set out to drown the children. The dust cloud kicked up byshe was certainNez Perce warriors, turned out to be the signature of her husband's horse's hooves. When he found his family on the banks of the Blackfoot River, preparing for an eternal swim, Nels was understandably upset.

Most women of her era would have kept this episode of paranoia to themselves. They most certainly would have kept it from their children. Because Emma candidly shared her stories with her daughter, we now have a better understanding of what life was like in Idaho Territory, not just on the windswept plains, but in the heart of a woman.

Divorced from a scoundrel who she, never-the-less, still loved and with an infant boy to raise, Emma's situation seemed hopeless. Then along came a young Dane named Nels. He did not offer much: living in a hole in a river bank with a buffalo robe for a door. Still, it seemed a chance worth taking.

And so their story began with a marriage of convenience, if not desperation. Emma followed her new husband to a secluded valley along the Blackfoot River in 1870 where she would raise sons and bury daughters. Nels would go on to be a leading figure in Idaho, a canal builder, a banker and a farmer. Emma would be a mother to four boys and, at last, one girl. She would be the star witness in a sensational trial about a religious war that echoes eerily today in incidents like Waco and Jonestown. Mostly she was a proud, brave woman who survived lonely, heartbreaking years before civilization crept into the West.

Emma told her story to daughter Agnes, who set it down as a series of letters, each of which Emma approved as it came out of the typewriter. The resulting book was first published in 1923. It was on the press the day Emma died.

Letters of Long ago is a haunting, often heart-breaking book you will not soon forget. -- Book Description

About the Author

Agnes Just Reid was a well-known regional writer in the Rocky Mountain States. She published numerous articles and poetry in magazines and newspapers from about 1920 into the 1970s. She wrote a newspaper column for the Blackfoot, Idaho daily newspaper for over 50 years. Mrs. Reid published several books of poetry, all of which are now out of print.

Product Details

• Paperback: 114 pages
• Publisher: Cedar Creek Press (ID); 4 edition (August 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 096535394X
• ISBN-13: 978-0965353946
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #468,995 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating and honest perspective of frontier life, December 28, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Letters of Long Ago (Paperback)

Letters of long ago gives a sometimes harshly honest look at frontier life from a woman's perspective. It chronicles the tragedies and triumphs of Emma Thompson Just in the desolate and isolated west. First hand accounts of a woman's life in the frontier are uncommon and this is a book that gives an entertaining and very real look at the simple yet difficult life of a pioneer wife.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating and factual, February 16, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Letters of Long Ago (Paperback)

Written by the daughter of Emma Just, who is the central figure of this book first published in the early 20's. The book gives a factual account of the very interesting and often difficult life of a pioneer woman in the late 1800's. For anybody who is interested in history, especially from a woman's point of view, this is a fascinating look into what life was really like for those who chose to brave a new and untamed frontier. It chronicles the not so average existence of an incredibly courageous woman across the span of two decades. The "plot" is interesting and well written, giving the reader an honest look at pioneer life from Emma's correspondence to father... through her own letters of long ago.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful story about a pioneer woman, December 29, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Letters of Long Ago (Paperback)

A very sweet book. The heroine would be thought of as quite a modern women even today, but she lived in the late 1800s. Heartbreaking at times. You'll never forget the decision she made when the Nez Perce were coming-At least, she thought they were!