Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly grease two large baking sheets with butter or vegetable shortening.
In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar, Stir in the molasses. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Sift the flour with the baking soda, ginger, cloves, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the batter, 1/3 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. Beat until the batter is smooth.
Drop rounded teaspoonfuls of batter onto the baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the cookies have browned around the edges. Remove from the oven.
After the cookies have cooled for 2 to 3 minutes, but are still warm to the touch, use a spatula to transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
Makes about 36 cookies
Oct 2001 [from "365 Great Cookies You Can Bake" by Lois Hill, pages 71-72]
Lynn tried these out. The cookies spread far too thinly, and burned up. She recommends the Ginger Snaps from "The Joy of Cooking."