Riders of the Purple Sage

Written by noted French author, Alexandre Dumas, "Nisida" is an essay belonging to his collected title "Celebrated Crimes" which features famous criminals and crimes from European history.

The first great Western, a story of courage and adventure in Utah canyon country. When Jane Withersteen's father dies, he leaves her in sole possession of the family's cattle ranch, situated on one of the most valuable pieces of land in Utah. The river that runs through the property gives Jane control of the local water supply - and the great power that comes with it. Coveting the property, a local Mormon leader named Tull tries to force Jane into a polygamous marriage - a fate that she resists. As Jane's defiance grows stronger, so does the ire of the townsfolk, and the marriage seems all but inevitable until the infamous gunslinger Lassiter rides into town, bringing a quick trigger and frontier-hardened bravery that just may be Jane's last great hope. Renowned for its rich depiction of the West, Riders of the Purple Sage is an unforgettable adventure story of love, honor, and courage, and perhaps the most popular Western of all time.

The premier chronicler of the American West, legendary storyteller Zane Grey has captivated millions of readers with his timeless adventures of life, death, gunfire, and justice. This is the Old West in all its glory and grandeur. Forged in blood. Enflamed by passion. Emblazoned with bullets... Riders Of The Purple Sage Cottonwoods, Utah. 1871. A woman stands accused. A man, sentenced to whipping. Into this travesty of small-town justice rides the one man the town elders fear. His name is Lassiter, a notorious gunman who's come to avenge his sister's death. It doesn't take Lassiter long to see that this once-peaceful Mormon community is controlled by the corrupt Deacon Tull--a powerful elder who's trying to take the woman's land by forcing her to marry him, branding her foreman as a dangerous "outsider." Lassiter vows to help them. But when the ranch is attacked by horse thieves, cattle rustlers, and a mysterious Masked Rider, he realizes they're up against something bigger, and more brutal, than the land itself... In this battle, no man rides alone.

"Riders of the Purple Sage" presents the conflict between a Mormon community and non-Mormon people, Gentiles. Jane Withersteen is a born-and-raised Mormon. She however sympathizes both Mormons and Gentiles which gets her often into trouble. The gunfighter Jim Lassiter arrives in the town just in time. There is a lurking danger in Jane's life. Elder Tull, a local leader of the Mormon community and a polygamist, wants to have Jane as a third wife. Will Lassiter succeed to save Jane from the unwanted marriage or the Mormon polygamy will prevail? "Riders of the Purple Sage" is Zane Grey's most popular Western novel which is considered to have played a significant role in the shaping of the genre Western. The novel was first published in 1912.

In 1871 Utah, young Jane Withersteen is courted by Elder Tull, the leader of her polygamous Mormon church. When Jane refuses, the local Mormons persecute her. Meanwhile, Jane's friend, Bern Venters, is captured by Tull's posse and faces a harsh sentence. Jane defends him, causing even more friction with the Mormon populace. Enter Lassiter, a friend to Venters and an infamous gunslinger. His appearance causes Tull and his men to release Venters and flee - sparking a conflict that leaves Jane questioning her loyalties, Venters finding love, and Lassiter seeking revenge.

In Zane Grey's The Rainbow Trail, John Shefford rode into Utah's valley in search of a new life and when he met Fay Larkin, he knew he had found it. Even when she was charged with murder, he did not care. She was worth life itself. Breaking her out of jail was the easy part. After that, he has possess to worry about, violent bands of Indians to out run, a murderous trek across a trackless waste, and a brutal passage through white water hell. Busting her out of jail had been a cinch. After that, it got really tough.

A disillusioned minister searches the Utah desert for a girl who went missing years ago in this sequel to western classic Riders of the Purple Sage. With Riders of the Purple Sage, Zane Grey invented the western literary form. His timeless novel tells the tale of a mysterious gunman named Lassiter and a Mormon woman named Jane Withersteen, who risk everything to escape the tyranny of a polygamist Mormon minister. Together with a little girl named Fay Larkin, they trap themselves behind a boulder in the lush but secluded Surprise Valley. Ten years later, a disillusioned minister named John Shefford comes looking for Surprise Valley-and Fay. Though his faith in God is shaken, he refuses to lose hope that she can be saved. But as the trail leads Shefford to a secret Mormon village, he begins to wonder-even if he does find her-who she has become.

The story of a young clergyman who becomes a wanderer in the great western uplands-until at last love and faith awake. Sequel to" Riders of the Purple Sage".

Zane Grey (January 31, 1872 - October 23, 1939) was an American author best known for his popular adventure novels and stories that presented an idealized image of the American frontier, including the novel Riders of the Purple Sage, his bestselling book. This is one of his stories.

Ten years after the events of Riders of the Purple Sage, John Shefford, a disillusioned preacher from Illinois travels to Arizona and takes refuge in a village controlled by polygamist Mormons hiding from the federal government. It's there Shefford learns the story of Fay Larkin: years ago, the infant Fay, along with Jane Withersteen and a gunslinger known as Lassiter, were trapped in Surprise Valley. Intrigued, Shefford decides to track Fay down.

The Western novel "Riders of the Purple Sage" continues in its sequel from 1915 "The Rainbow Trail". The novel depicts the difference between older Mormon community and new generation of Mormons who stand against the polygamy. John Shefford, a disillusioned preacher, hears the story of Jim Lassiter, Jane Withersteen and their foster daughter Fay Larkin, who have been stuck in the Surprise Valley for many years. Without even seeing Fay, John fells in love with her, and he decides to head out West and rescue her from the life of imprisonment. Will his mission be successful? What type of evil practice will he witness? Who will prevail in this battle between the generations?