Riders Of The Purple Sage
Zane Grey

Riders of the Purple Sage is a Western novel by Zane Grey, considered by literary scholars to have played a major role in structuring the formula of the Western genre. The story involves cattle-rustling, horse-theft, kidnapping and gunfights. Set in 1871, the novel follows the story of Jane Withersteen, a Mormon woman being persecuted by church leaders for refusing to become the third wife of Elder Tull.
Lassiter, a hard-edged gunman, arrives on the scene and becomes drawn in to Jane’s troubles helping to defend her ranch as well as her independence. Riders of the Purple Sage has been described as “the most popular western novel of all time.”
“Today I began the novel that I determined to be great.”
— Zane Grey