Librarian’s Corner: Author Zane Grey

Zane Grey, 1872-1939

submitted by Amelia Herron

Even though writing was not his first occupation, Zane Grey wrote more than 90 novels, starting in 1903.

His first occupation was as a dentist, following in his father’s footsteps. He had an interesting life before he became a writer. He had been working in the dental field since he was a child, helping in his father’s practice, first in Zanesville, and then in Columbus, Ohio. He went to college on a baseball scholarship, and then became a licensed dentist once he graduated.

He then married a woman named Dolly, who inherited money from her family, enough for Grey to quit his dental practice and fully pursue his creative writing.

Despite his later success, there were those who thought that he was too fanciful and didn’t accurately depict the West. He persisted, however, and from 1917 to 1926, Grey was in the top ten best-sellers list nine times. This feat required sales of over 100,000 copies each time, making him one of the first millionaire authors.

In addition to Westerns, Grey wrote books on his other passions as well, including two hunting books, three baseball books, and eight fishing books. He also wrote six children’s books. His “fanciful” and “violent” Western novels were integral to shaping modern Western myths.

He died in 1939, but he had written and submitted so many manuscripts that his publishing companies continued to publish books even after his death, up until 1963.

His best-selling novel was Riders of Purple Sage, published in 1912.

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by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.