Zane Grey 
Riders of the Purple Sage & The Rainbow Trail 
Western Classics

‘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 notorious gunman and killer of Mormons. 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.
‘The Rainbow Trail’ takes place ten years after events of Riders of the Purple Sage. The wall to Surprise Valley has broken, and Jane Withersteen is forced to choose between Lassiter’s life and Fay Larkin’s marriage to a Mormon. The Rainbow Trail contrasts the older Mormons with the rising generation of Mormon women who will not tolerate polygamy and Mormon men who do not seek it.

About the author

Zane Grey (1872-1939) was an American author best known for his popular adventure novels and stories that were a basis for the Western genre in literature and the arts. With his veracity and emotional intensity, he connected with millions of readers worldwide, during peacetime and war, and inspired many Western writers who followed him. Grey was a major force in shaping the myths of the Old West; his books and stories were adapted into other media, such as film and TV productions. He was the author of more than 90 books, some published posthumously and/or based on serials originally published in magazines.