Riders of the Purple Sage

Book Overview

Riders of the Purple Sage is a western written by Zane Grey, first published in 1912. Considered by many critics to have played a significant role in shaping the formula of the popular Western genre,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: B002J7S702
• Release Date: January 1940
• Publisher: Black's Readers Service
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.

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 decided to finally 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.

The Best There Is In The "Western"

"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. 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. And besides, these Walter J. Black editions will last through a life-time of repeated readings.