Riders of the Purple Sage

The Zane Grey's West Society has done the master story teller of the West, Zane Grey, a magnificent service with its presentation of "Riders of the Purple Sage" to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the publishing of this classic novel. The book has been re-created to look just like it did when it was first printed, from the texture of the material of the covers, the illustrations, the Harper's logo, and a dust jacket that includes the advertisement of other books available for sale on the back side. This is indeed an exceptional presentation of this extraordinary book. For those who know little of the author Zane Grey, included is a short biography; there is an article on the five film adaptations of this novel; an essay on the actual locations out west where this book was set; and an article on the importance of this novel 100 years later. As to the story itself: What can one say about "Riders of the Purple Sage" that hasn't already been said? For as long as man has dreamed of the west, he has written about it or sought it out for himself. James Fennimore Cooper wrote about the "west" he knew. There were the Dime Novels and the "Penny Dreadfuls" of the mid to late 1800's written by such as Ned Buntline. Then an Easterner named Owen Wister created a character called "The Virginian". And Zane Grey had already written several books including "The Heritage of the Desert", but "Riders of the Purple Sage" would immortalize both the author and the genre of "westerns". From then on every "western" would be compared to this one. The ironic part is: Zane Grey never considered them to be "westerns"; they were romances, romantic adventures, romantic novels that presented what many critics believe to be an idealized version of the west. But this was the true west Zane Grey learned from the people who lived there through his many trips to Arizona and Utah. And to be totally accurate, the word "western" did not pertain to books when "Riders" was written; it did not come into use until 1922 at the earliest when the cover of Zane Grey's "The Day of the Beast" stated in bold print, "NOT A WESTERN". So to disparage Zane Grey as only a "writer of westerns" is suspect, at best. But "Riders of the Purple Sage" has everything a person has come to know and to understand that belongs in a story of the west--the taciturn gunfighter; the woman in distress fighting a losing battle; great scenery; fast horses; and evil men. Yet "Riders" is more than that. It has sub-plots upon sub-plots that keep the reader wondering what is going to happen next; and this book is one to "ride the river with"—it won't let you down or disappoint. And, what most people don't know or realize today, Zane Grey wrote quite often from a woman's viewpoint, and does so in this book. At the time of Zane Grey's greatest popularity more than half of his readership was women, and he was published in such magazines as, Cosmopolitan, Colliers, McCall's and Ladies' Home Journal. So, if you have never read a "western" I whole-heartedly urge you to try this one as presented by the Zane Grey's West Society. You will enjoy the ride.
"Riders of the Purple Sage" has everything a person has come to know and understand that belongs in a story of the west—the taciturn gunfighter, Lassiter, who has been on the vengeance trail for almost twenty years; the woman in distress fighting a losing battle, Jane Withersteen, who at first doesn't realize it is her own church leadership causing the trouble; great scenery, the canyon country of Utah; fast horses, Black Star and Night, and Wrangle—a horse you will never forget because of the race he run; and evil men, Elder Tull and Jerry Card—horseman extraordinary.
Yet "Riders of the Purple Sage" is more than that. It has sub-plots upon sub-plots that keep the reader wondering what is going to happen next, and this book "fills the bill" for me. And, what most people don't know or realize today, Zane Grey wrote quite often from a woman's viewpoint, and does so in this book.
At the time of Zane Grey's greatest popularity more than half of his reader-ship were women, and he was published in such magazines as, Cosmopolitan, Colliers, and the Ladies' Home Journal.
The only "knock" I can assign to this book, and for me keeps it from being my number one Zane Grey book is the fact it does not come to a full conclusion. It leaves the reader wondering what happened to Lassiter and Jane. That is left for Zane Grey to tell in "The Rainbow Trail". I have finally concluded that perhaps the novel ended this way, is because Lassiter and Jane are really not the "Riders of the Purple Sage"; they are Bess and Venters who out ride Elder Tull's evil posse to escape.

What can one say about "Riders of the Purple Sage"? For as long as man has dreamed of the west, he has written about it or sought it out for himself. Yes, James Fenimore Cooper wrote about the "west". There were the Dime Novels and the Penny Dreadfuls of the 1800's written by such as Ned Buntline. Then an Eastener named Owen Wister created a character called "The Virginian" and Zane Grey had already written "Heritage of the Desert" but "Riders of the Purple Sage" would immortalize both the author and the genre of "westerns". From then on every "western" would be compared to this one. The ironic part is: Zane Grey never considered them to be "westerns"; they were romances, romantic adventures, romantic novels. And to be totally accurate, the word, "western" did not exist at the time this book was written; it did not come into use until 1927 at the earliest, so to insist Zane Grey was a "western" writer is suspect, at best. But "Riders of the Purple Sage" has everything a person has come to know and understand that belongs in a story of the west--the taciturn gunfighter; the woman in distress fighting a losing battle; great scenery; fast horses; and evil men. Yet "Riders" is more than that. It has sub-plots upon sub-plots that keep the reader wondering what is going to happen next, and this book "fills the bill". And, what most people don't know or realize today, Zane Grey wrote quite often from a woman's viewpoint, and does so in this book. At the time of Zane Grey's greatest popularity more than half of his readership were women, and he was published in such magazines as, Cosmopolitan, Colliers, and Ladies Home Journal. If you have never read a "western" I whole-heartedly urge you to try this one.

I have always liked stories about the old west, especially Zane Grey's and this is, in my opinion, one of his best.