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Zane Grey

For his first novel, Zane Grey looked back at the extraordinary life of his ancestor Betty Zane—a heroine of the American Revolutionary War. 

Betty Zane lived her life on the frontier. Her family founded the settlement of Wheeler in West Virginia, which came under attack from British and Native American forces in 1782. With gunpowder running low, all hope looked lost. What happened next would secure Betty’s place in the history books. 

An easy and pacy read, "Betty Zane" is a great portrait of the early pioneer days. And Betty makes for a spirited main character. If the "Outlander" books have peaked your interest in the American Revolution, give this novel a shot. 

Zane Grey (1872–1939) helped shaped the mythos of the Old West. Born in Zanesville, Ohio (a town founded by his grandfather), Grey’s first career was as a dentist. But he gave it up to pursue writing, going on to produce nearly 100 books. These wildly popular adventures defined many of the Western’s most enduring tropes and characters, from noble lawmen to mysterious gunslingers, and made Grey a household name. 

His stories include "Riders of the Purple Sage", "The Rainbow Trail" and "The Lone Star Ranger". Hollywood produced dozens of Zane Grey adaptations, mostly during the 1930s and 40s, starring Western icons like Gary Cooper and Randolph Scott.

SAGA Egmont

The Ohio River Trilogy

Betty Zane

The legendary western author’s debut novel based on the real-life adventures of his own ancestor, an American frontier heroine of the Revolutionary War.

In the late eighteenth century, Wheeling, West Virginia, was the western frontier of colonial America. And when the young nation fought for its independence, Wheeling was the site of the American Revolution’s last battle: the Siege of Fort Henry. A vivid work of historical fiction, Betty Zane brings to life the events that culminated in that vicious attack.

On September 11, 1782, an army of two hundred British troops, together with four hundred members of the Shawnee Tribe, descended on the small fort. As enemy forces approached, Col. David Shephard charged the Zane family with mounting a defense. And while many fought bravely to save the fort, the heroine of the battle was Silas Zane’s young and spirited daughter, Betty.
Betty Zane is the first novel in a trilogy of historical westerns set along the Ohio River. It is followed by The Spirit of the Border and The Last Trail.

Open Road Media

The Ohio Frontier of the late 1700s. It’s where two worlds met; native Americans to the west, white settlers to the east. 

Into this unpredictable region come brothers Jim and Joe Downs. One of them aims to spread the word of God, the other has his heart set on violence. "The Spirit of the Border" traces their two journeys, which take in missionaries, kidnappers and militias. The story builds to one of the period’s most shameful events.

Based on the experiences of his own ancestors, Zane Grey’s novel is a propulsive and stark portrait of the Western Expansion. It’s the second part of his "Ohio River Trilogy", which begins with "Betty Zane" and ends with "The Last Trail". 

Zane Grey (1872–1939) helped shaped the mythos of the Old West. Born in Zanesville, Ohio (a town founded by his grandfather), Grey’s first career was as a dentist. But he gave it up to pursue writing, going on to produce nearly 100 books. These wildly popular adventures defined many of the Western’s most enduring tropes and characters, from noble lawmen to mysterious gunslingers, and made Grey a household name. 

His stories include "Riders of the Purple Sage", "The Rainbow Trail" and "The Lone Star Ranger". Hollywood produced dozens of Zane Grey adaptations, mostly during the 1930s and 40s, starring Western icons like Gary Cooper and Randolph Scott.

The Spirit of the Border

A classic historical western of the eighteenth-century American frontier by the celebrated author of Riders of the Purple Sage.

First published in 1906, The Spirit of the Border is a vivid and brutal tale based on true events as chronicled in the journals of Zane Grey’s ancestor Col. Ebenezer Zane. It tells the story of Moravian Church missionaries and their efforts to bring peace to the Ohio Valley—efforts that met a tragic end in the destruction of a Christian Indian settlement known as Gnaddenhutten, or Village of Peace. Set in the midst of the American Revolution, the novel also recounts the brutal exploits of Lewis Wetzel, the infamous hunter known as Deathwind who viewed all Native Americans as his mortal enemies.
The Spirit of the Border is the second book in a trilogy based on Zane Grey’s family history, preceded by Betty Zane and followed by The Last Trail.

The US frontier was a lawless place. Self-appointed ‘border-men’ helped keep the peace. Battle-scarred and solitary, they tended to shoot first and ask questions later. 

One such man is Lewis Wetzel. He’s resigned himself to his grim lifestyle until the beautiful Helen catches his eye. For the first time, Lewis imagines himself settling down. But then Helen is kidnapped by a band of Native American warriors. So Lewis saddles up and heads out on a rescue mission, knowing the chances he’ll make it back alive are slim at best. 

The final book in "Ohio River Trilogy", "The Last Trail" is set in the final years of the 18th century. An exciting Western adventure with dashes of romance, it never shies away from the harsh realities of pioneer life. 

Zane Grey (1872–1939) helped shaped the mythos of the Old West. Born in Zanesville, Ohio (a town founded by his grandfather), Grey’s first career was as a dentist. But he gave it up to pursue writing, going on to produce nearly 100 books. These wildly popular adventures defined many of the Western’s most enduring tropes and characters, from noble lawmen to mysterious gunslingers, and made Grey a household name. 

His stories include "Riders of the Purple Sage", "The Rainbow Trail" and "The Lone Star Ranger". Hollywood produced dozens of Zane Grey adaptations, mostly during the 1930s and 40s, starring Western icons like Gary Cooper and Randolph Scott.

The Last Trail

Two frontiersmen venture into the unknown wilderness to save a kidnapped woman in this historical novel by “the greatest Western writer of all time” (Jackson Cain, author of Hellbreak Country).

In the late eighteenth century, Wheeling, West Virginia, was an untamed land where brave settlers relied on the protection of a lonely outpost known as Fort Henry. But when a band of renegades and Ohio Valley Indians kidnap a woman from the fort, justice rests on the shoulders of two men: Jonathan Zane and Lewis Wetzel. As these lone outlaw hunters pursue the trail into wild and lawless territory, they vow it will be their last venture—knowing the end of the trail may also be the end of their lives.
 Zane Grey’s The Last Trail completes a trilogy of western adventure novels based on the real lives of his ancestors. Set in the Ohio River Valley and drawn in part from recovered family journals, the series—which also includes Betty Zane and The Spirit of the Border—depicts the gritty reality of the late eighteenth-century American frontier

The Ohio River Trilogy - The book series

The Ohio River Trilogy - The book series

The Ohio River Trilogy books in order

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