Riders of the Purple Sage is a classic of the Western genre. It is the story of Lassiter, a gunslinging avenger in black, who shows up in a remote Utah town just in time to save the young and beautiful rancher Jane Withersteen from having to marry a Mormon elder against her will.

First published in 1912, "Riders of the Purple Sage" is Zane Grey's genre defining novel which has been referred to as "the most popular western novel of all time." Set in the canyon country of southern Utah in 1871, it is the story of Jane Withersteen, a Mormon who has refused the wishes of her father to marry Elder Tull because she does not love him. Jane, whose father has passed away and has inherited his valuable ranch, is persecuted by the Mormon community for her refusal to marry Elder Tull, and for her befriending of cowboy Bern Venters, a non-Mormon. The conflict between Jane and the rest of the community intensifies when a mysterious stranger named Lassiter, who is seeking to avenge the murder of his sister Milly Erne, comes to town. Rich with western detail, set against the backdrop of the Mormon influx into Utah, with a mysterious "Masked Rider," and a gang of rustlers, "Riders of the Purple Sage" played an important role in shaping the formula of popular Western fiction and remains to this day one of its most popular examples. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper and includes illustrations by W. Herbert Dunton.

Riders of the Purple Sage is a Western novel by Zane Grey, first published by Harper & Brothers in 1912. Considered by scholars to have played a significant role in shaping the formula of the popular Western genre, the novel has been called "the most popular western novel of all time.

A nice edition with 12 illustrations from the first edition of this Western classic. Riders of the Purple Sage is a Western novel by Zane Grey, first published in 1912. Considered by scholars to have played a significant role in shaping the formula of the popular Western genre, the novel has been called "the most popular western novel of all time." It is a story about three main characters, Bern Venters, Jane Withersteen, and Jim Lassiter, who in various ways struggle with persecution from the local Mormon community, led by Bishop Dyer and Elder Tull, in the fictional town of Cottonwoods, Utah. The story involves cattle-rustling, horse-theft, kidnapping and gunfights.

Riders of the Purple Sage is a Western novel by Zane Grey, first published by Harper & Brothers in 1912. Considered by scholars[1] to have played a significant role in shaping the formula of the popular Western genre, the novel has been called "the most popular western novel of all time

Riders of the Purple Sage is a Western novel by Zane Grey, first published by Harper & Brothers in 1912. Considered by scholars[1] to have played a significant role in shaping the formula of the popular Western genre, the novel has been called "the most popular western novel of all time

Why buy our paperbacks? Made in USA High Quality Paper Expedited shipping Standard Font size of 10 for all books 30 Days Money Back Guarantee BEWARE of Low-quality sellers Don't buy cheap paperbacks just to save a few dollars. Most of them use low-quality papers & binding. Their pages fall off easily. Some of them even use very small font size of 6 or less to increase their profit margin. It makes their books completely unreadable. How is this book unique? Unabridged (100% Original content) Font adjustments & biography included Illustrated Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey Riders of the Purple Sage is a Western novel by Zane Grey, first published by Harper & Brothers in 1912. Considered by many critics[who?] to have played a significant role in shaping the formula of the popular Western genre, the novel has been called "the most popular western novel of all time." Riders of the Purple Sage tells the story of Jane Withersteen and her battle to overcome persecution by members of her polygamous Mormon fundamentalist church. A leader of the church, Elder Tull, wants to marry her. Withersteen gets help from a number of friends, including Bern Venters and Lassiter, a famous gunman and killer of Mormons. Throughout most of the novel she struggles with her "blindness" to the evil nature of her church and its leaders, and tries to keep Venters and Lassiter from killing the adversaries who are slowly ruining her. When she adopts a child, Fay, she abandons her beliefs and discovers her true love. A second plot strand tells of Venters and his escape to the wilderness with a girl named Bess, "the rustler's girl," whom he has accidentally shot. Venters falls in love with the girl while caring for her. Together they escape to the East, while Lassiter, Fay, and Jane, pursued by both Mormons and rustlers, escape into a paradise-like valley and topple a giant rock to forever close off the only way in or out.