Riders of the Purple Sage, perhaps more than any other novel, contributed to the concept of the American West. If Owen Wister invented the Western story in The Virginian, Grey moved it farther west in the popular imagination and supplied authentic...
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Riders of the Purple Sage, perhaps more than any other novel, contributed to the concept of the American West. If Owen Wister invented the Western story in The Virginian, Grey moved it farther west in the popular imagination and supplied authentic atmosphere. Riders of the Purple Sage is "pure Americana", to quote one critic. It has the classic elements of the genre: revenge, fast horses, abduction, pistol duels, cattle stampedes, daring pursuits and escapes, dark secrets, hidden gold, pastoral refuge, splendid sunsets - and Grey's emphasis on the passion of man and woman. This Authorized Edition carries a foreword by Loren Grey, the son of Zane Grey and a well-known psychologist. The introduction is by James C. Work, a professor of English at Coloradao State University.
