Books by Zane Grey at Eternal Reader

Full list of books by Zane Grey, with summaries and links, wherever available.

Betty Zane (1903): Betty Zane is the story of the events culminating in the last battle of the American Revolution, when two hundred Redcoats from British-controlled Detroit along with four hundred Shawnee Indian attacked the small, wood-palisaded Ford Henry on the western frontier. The heroine of the battle--a young, spunky, and beautiful frontier girl--was Betty Zane.

Spirit of the Border (1906): West of Fort Henry, in the wild and lawless country, the tribes are massing for a unified attack that will smash and destroy the isolated white settlements. The settlers are doomed unless a few grizzled veterans of the Indian Wars can save them.

The Last of the Plainsmen (1908): This is the record of a trip which the author took with Buffalo Jones, known as the preserver of the American bison, across the Arizona desert and of a hunt in "that wonderful country of deep canons and giant pines."

The Last Trail (1909): A woman is kidnapped from Fort Henry by a band of renegades and hostile Ohio Valley Indians. Now, Lewis Wetzel and Jonathan Zane take pursuit. With no hope of survival, they follow the trail into the unknown wilderness, vowing it to be their last venture. At trail's end, they will face their bloodiest battle.

The ShortStop (1909): In the eighty-year-old classic based on the author's career in the minor leagues, Chase Alloway quits his factory job to play professional baseball and becomes caught in the middle of a small-town baseball rivalry.

The Heritage of the Desert (1910): A lovely girl, who has been reared among Mormons, learns to love a young New Englander. The Mormon religion, however, demands that the girl shall become the second wife of one of the Mormons--Well, that's the problem of this great story.

The Young Forester (1910): Kenneth Ward, a young eastern lad just out of prep school, goes west on his summer break to join his friend Dick Leslie, a forest ranger in Arizona. Ken is honest and loyal but hot-headed, and runs into plenty of trouble when he discovers a big lumber steal going on. The Young Forester is packed with all the thrill, color and action that have made Zane Grey famous.

The Young Pitcher (1911): High school senior Ken Ward is on top of the world--he's popular, a somebody. But as a freshman at Wayne University, Ken quickly discovers he's a nobody who's treated like dirt by upperclassmen. When Ken can't stand the harassment anymore, he bursts out of his gloom by slugging a sophomore bully--who turns out to be captain of the varsity baseball team. It looks as if Ken's dream of making that team has gone down the drain... until in a moment of wild excitement he proves himself with, of all things, a potato! And Ken keeps on proving himself until the last out of a heart-pounding league championship game.

The Young Lion Hunter (1911)

Riders of the Purple Sage (1912): Heroine Jane Withersteen is the owner of a successful ranch and a member of the Mormon church. When she refuses her father's wish that she marry into the polygamist family of a church elder, her struggles are reflected in Grey's epic descriptions of the American West.

Ken Ward in the Jungle (1912): Ken Ward and his brotehr, Hal, are headed south of the border, into the steaming jungles of Mexico. Hal's job is together specimens for a museum; Ken's is to keep Hal out of trouble--and prove himself as a jungle explorer. Then an unexpected challenge beckons--the boys have the chance to be the first to run the rapids of the Santa Rosa, an unexplored river complete with army ants, giant snakes, wild pigs, and man-eating crocodiles! If they make it through, Ken will win a trip to Africa. If they don't...

Desert Gold (1913): Rather than lose the favors of the beautiful Mercedes to the gringo Texas Ranger, the bandit Rojas vows to kill her. With the help of the Ranger's friend, Mercedes escapes into the desert--but Rojas and his band of cutthroats are close behind.

The Light of Western Stars (1914): New York debutante Majesty Hammond followed her brother to New Mexico's border country, where she bought herself a ranch and became a cattle woman. But she thought she was still too grand of a lady to love a cowhand--until cowboy Gene Stewart risked his life to defend her honor. And now, if she can't stop it, he is going to be hanged.

The Rustlers of Pecos County, 1914: Although they were outnumbered a thousand to one, the Rangers fought a holding action against the complete breakdown of law and order, often paying for peace with their lives. But one county held out against attack after attack, a place so mean a saint would have turned bad. Into this valley of death rode Ranger Vaughn Steele, hungering for revenge and determined to wipe out... The Rustlers of Pecos County.

The Lone Star Ranger (1915): In 1870's Texas, Buck Duane becomes an outlaw, after killing a man in self-defense. Buck Duane was accused of every unsolved crime in the territory. He was just too busy ducking lead to clear his name. But he sees his chance when he rides out alone to bring in the vicious Cheseldine gang.

The Rainbow Trail (Sequel to Riders of the Purple Sage) (1915): John Shefford studied for the ministry in Beaumont, Illinois, but traveled west to the Utah-Arizona border where Shefford's fiance, Fay Larkin, was imprisoned in a canyon with two others who had fled harassment from the Mormons. Shefford's attempt to rescue Fay is no easy accomplishment for someone who knew his efforts might end in a savage massacre.

The Border Legion (1916): Jack Kells was a remorseless killer, head of a gang that ravaged the southern border. He didn't think twice before he kidnapped pretty Joan Randle on a lonesome Idaho trail. His cold eyes filled her with fear, but her goodness made something happen deep within him. Bad as he was, he knew he had to keep Joan safe from desperados far worse than he. Kells had a price on his head and on his heels. Now loving this woman could cost him his life...or it could make him a hero in this wild, dangerous land.

Wildfire (1917): Horse hunter Lin Sloan never wanted anything more than the wild stallion he called Wildfire. Lucy Bostil found the horse and the unconscious man who had roped him. She saved both their lives and took Sloan's heart in the process. Now another man wants Lucy and the horse--and will stop at nothing short of killing to get them.

The UP Trail (1918): Grey's epic story tells of a young man determined to lay the Union Pacific Railroad across the Wyoming Mountains, while enemies--and unexpected love--put his dream to the test

The Desert of Wheat (1919)
The story of one man's fight to purge himself of a hated secret, and his war against the I.W.W.'s who ruin his harvest. An "anti-Bolshevist" tale.

Tales of Fishes (1919): "Tales of Fishes" is a wonderful collection of stories that range over the most sought after species of salt water fishing-tarpon, bonefish, sailfish, marlin, swordfish, and tuna. It's a perfect sampler to whet the appetite of every armchair angler. Zane Grey was one of America's most prolific and beloved writers. While best known for his Western novels, he actually spent as many as 300 days a year fishing.

The Man of the Forest (1920)
Accidentally overhearing a plot to kidnap the niece of a prominent rancher as she arrives from the East, Milt Dale springs into action. He comes out of his splendid isolation to protect Helen and her kid sister, Bo. Leading them away from manmade danger, exposing them to unaccustomed rigor on mountain trails, Dale imparts his rugged philosophy. Beyond the forest, Beasley and Snake Anson are still waiting to carry out their evil plot.

The Redhead Outfield and other Stories (1920): There was Delaney's red-haired trio - Red Gilbat, left fielder; Reddy Clammer, right fielder, and Reddie Ray, center fielder, composing the most remarkable outfield ever developed in minor league baseball. It was Delaney's pride, as it was also his trouble. Red Gilbat was nutty - and his batting average was .371.

The Mysterious Rider (1921)
He came to the Belilounds ranch, no one knew from where; a man of middle age, gentle, kindly, but so terrible a gunfighter that they called him "Hell Bent" Wade. He played the part of fate in all their lives, and only when the inevitable tragedy came and teh Mysterious Rider made the great sacrifice did they know - and out of that tragedy came the light of love.

To the Last Man (1921): The bloody, horrible feud between the Jorth and Isbel families puts generations six feet underground. Their viciousness went beyond understanding, their vengeance was unrelenting, and their violence was unforgivable. Save for the hearts of two impossible lovers, it looked like the hateful killing would rage on to consume every single, last living soul...

The Day of the Beast (1922)
The ship glided slowly up the Narrows; and from its deck Daren Lane saw the noble black outline of the Statue of Liberty limned against the clear gold of sunset. A familiar old pang in his breast seemed to swell into a profound overwhelming emotion.

Tales of Lonely Trails (1922)

Wanderer of the Wasteland (1923)

Tappan's Burro (1923)

Call of the Canyon (1924): Glenn Kilbourne returns from France, shell-shocked and gassed, and otherwise incapacitated for service in the army-a wreck of his former self. In search of himself in the Arizona wilds, Glenn realizes that he can never return to his former superficial life.

Roping Lions in the Grand Canyon (1924) - Limited preview from Google

Tales of Southern Rivers (1924)

The Thundering Herd (1925)

The Vanishing American (1925)

Tales of Fishing Virgin Seas (1925)

Under the Tonto Rim (1926)

Tales of the Angler's Eldorado, New Zealand (1926)

Forlorn River (1927)

Tales of Swordfish and Tuna (1927)

Nevada (1928)

Wild Horse Mesa (1928)

Don, the Story of a Dog (1928)