Zane Grey - The Last of the Plainsmen: "White pine burned in a beautiful, clear blue flame, with no smoke."

Zane Grey's journey from a passionate young writer and aspiring baseball player to a successful author is marked by his early struggles with family expectations and his eventual choice of dentistry over his true calling. His breakthrough came with the publication of "The Heritage of the Desert" in 1910, followed by the iconic "Riders of the Purple Sage" in 1912, which solidified his fame. Grey's themes of Manifest Destiny and the Old West resonated deeply, leading to numerous film adaptations of his works. He continued to thrive in writing despite economic challenges until his death in 1939.