Zane Grey’s Wild West: A Study of 31 Novels

This is a literary discussion of one-half of Zane Grey’s Westerns, with a chapter for each selected book. The choices stem from wishing to best show the broad scope of this one-time best-selling author’s interests in the West. It explains how these novels
work , while pointing out Grey’s ecological concern for our natural world - its vastness, colour and beauty. Wild nature provides a powerful setting but is a determinant of action and of character too.

The range of subjects encompasses not only cowboys but also prospectors, foresters and other frontiersmen - from the end of the Revolutionary War to the flapper era of the 1920s. World War I veterans, including an American Indian, are portrayed in several books, and women are colourful main protagonists in others, all uniquely characterised. Grey’s sure ear for dialogue is key to his vivid presentation of the ideals of the Old West.