A quintessential Western adventure story. This one is a classic in that format. It uses the rugged elements and stock characters in a plot that is simple and enjoyable, but with just enough foreshadowing and cultural exploration to place it above the typical dime-store novel. ( )

One can almost eat Zane Grey;s descriptions of his western lands. Fabulous! Moderns probably pooh-pooh these tales of men that are "pure of heart and noble of character," and women that are "Passionate and strong, yet always ladies." Zane's portraitures became known in America as "the code of the west," an instance of where fiction influenced life. That happens more often than not, methinks. ( )

Desert Gold, (1913), Western, Walter J. Black, Inc., Zane Grey Book Club Matched Set, hardcover, 1975?