Riders of the Purple Sage: by Zane Grey

By Zane Grey

In a small Mormon community in southern Utah, Jane Withersteen, a young, unmarried Mormon woman faces growing pressure to marry a local elder of her church. Elder Tull, a polygamist, already has two wives and seeks to marry Jane not just for her beauty, but to take control of the ranch her late father passed on to her.Jane's resistance to marriage only serves to increase the mounting resentment against "Gentiles" (non-Mormons) in the area. Bern Venters, one of Jane Withersteen's ranch hands and potential suitor, becomes the focus of this resentment and is nearly killed by Elder Tull and his men before a mysterious rider interrupts the procedure. The rider, a man named Lassiter, is a gunslinger known for his exploits in other Mormon settlements further north.Lassiter's intercession on Venters' behalf sets off a chain reaction of threats, violence, theft, and murder as Jane Withersteen fights to maintain both her ranch and her independence.First published in 1912, Riders of the Purple Sage is considered to have played a prominent role in shaping the Western genre. It was Zane Grey's best-selling book and has remained popular ever since.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0GXY8CML9
• ISBN13: 9791043142956
• Release Date: March 2026
• Publisher: Culturea
• Length: 374 Pages
• Weight: 0.98 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.8" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Overly descriptive.

I grew up with Zane Grey movies and books all around. As a kid, the home library included a complete set of Zane Grey. So, I finally decided to read “Riders of the Purple Sage.” The story runs quite slowly, especially in the beginning. The pace picks up towards the end with horse chases and misplaced rocks in the canyon country of southern Utah, 1871. Nothing is hidden from the reader, so a good guesser knows all the secrets before they are explicitly revealed and exhaustively explained. Every rock and bush is described and described again every time it is passed. I am not sure if it is positive or negative. I guess it is up to the individual reader. I will say this: Zane Grey (1872-1939) can weave several plots together seamlessly and not leave any frayed ends.