List $20.00

Written by Zane Grey - Audio book narrated by John Bolen - Unabridged Fiction - 1 MP3 COMPACT DISC

Publisher, Tantor Media (December 2002)

ALERT! YOUR CD PLAYER MUST BE MP3 COMPATIBLE! MP3 audiobooks on compact disc can be played on newer CD players that support MP3 technology and accept a 4.75" diameter disc, and on any personal computer that has Microsoft's Media Player or similar software.

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A gentile sage-rider is about to be whipped by the Mormans to coerce the rich and beautiful Jane Withersteen to marry against her will. In desperation Jane whispers the prayer, "whence cometh my help!" Just then an unlikely hero, the infamous gunfighter, Lassiter routs the persecutors and is drawn into this conflict on the Utah-Arizona border.

The mysterious loner hires on to Jane's ranch. Through battles with gun slinging cattle-rustlers, cut-throats and the calculating Mormans, Lassiter unveils his tale of an endless search for a woman abducted long ago. Grey unfolds his story of seduction, secrecy, captivity and escape on the dust swept purple plains.

Judged by critics to be Zane Grey's best novel, Riders of the Purple Sage changed the western genre when it was first published in 1912. This novel shows the gritty as well the gallant in a more candid portrayal of the west than had come before.

About the Author: The prolific American writer, Zane Grey was the pioneer of the new, Western literary genre. Grey produced well over one hundred books. In his works, he presented the West as a moral battleground, where his characters were either destroyed or redeemed. His semi-outlaw heroes were his most enduring creation. He sold some 17 million books during his lifetime. An estimated 100 Hollywood Western films have been based on his stories.

Born with the name Pearl Grey in Zanesville, Ohio in 1872, he was the son of a farmer and part time preacher. His mother was a second generation Danish Quaker. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in dentistry in 1896, and practiced in New York City until 1904. That year Grey wrote and self published his first book, Betty Zane, after it was turned down by several publishers. The colorful frontier story was based on his mother's journal and eventually became a critical success. He married Lina Elise Roth who encouraged him to become a full time professional writer.

In 1908 Grey made a journey to the West with Colonel C.J. 'Buffalo' Jones, who told him tales of adventure on the plains. The trip was a turning point in Grey's career. In 1912, Harpers published Riders of the Purple Sage. It sold two million copies and was filmed three times. Grey used his formula where a mysterious outlaw fights to protect the innocent and the good, in many novels. In 1918 he moved to Altadena California, and lived there for the rest of his life. Zane Grey died on October 23, 1939.

About the Performer: John brings his extensive theatre, film and TV experience to audiobooks. Recent TV appearances include CIA: Masters of Deception on the Discovery Channel and Courage on the Fox Family Channel. Other recent film work includes The Land, The Inn Outside The World, Dream Parlor, and the American Film Institute’s Women Directors Workshop short, This Is Bill. He has performed at many theatres in the LA area. In Beyond Reasonable Doubt he portrayed Sir David Metcalfe and Jim in Later Life. He was featured as Dr. Montague in The Haunting of Hill House, Grandpa Joe in Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, Mr. Meeker in Inherit the Wind, Henri and the Shore Patrolman in South Pacific, and Lord Montague in Romeo and Juliet. He starred as Palmer Forrester in Murder Among Friends and Dr. Gerald Lyman in Bus Stop. Other plays include The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, Tribunal, A Dickens of a Christmas, Once Upon A Mattress, Fiddler on the Roof, and Finian's Rainbow. John performs in an ongoing school touring production, Billy’s Closet. He is also a playwright and member of New Voices Playwrights Theatre. John and his wife, Lynne, live in Irvine, CA with their four children.