Who Is Zane Grey?

Zane Grey was the world's most prolific writer during the first three decades of the 20th century.  His Western romance novels painted word pictures of the Old West. Grey's novel, Riders of the Purple Sage, has been designated by the Library of Congress as "One of the Books That Shaped America." His outdoor adventures, especially the author's fishing exploits, spanned the globe. 

He was born in Zanesville, Ohio to an Ohio River Valley pioneering family.  Grey was a fabulous athlete who played semi-professional baseball.  He was a trained dentist who left the industry in which he was educated to become an author.  He married Dolly Roth who edited his works with a critical eye.  She also negotiated Grey's contracts and managed his finances.  During the early years of Grey's career, the couple lived in Lackawaxen, Pennsylvania. They later moved to California where they had homes in Altadena and on Catalina Island.  The Grey's had three children (Romer, Betty and Loren).  Zane passed in 1939 at the couple's Altadena home. 

Photo Credit: Brigham Young University, L. Tom Perry Collections, MSS8710_B96.41_I1905, "Zane Grey in Newfoundland"