The Last of the Plainsman

by Zane Grey

Buffalo Jones needs no introduction to American sportsmen, but to these of my readers who are unacquainted with him a few words may not be amiss. He was born sixty-two years ago on the Illinois prairie, and he has devoted practically all of his life to the pursuit of wild animals. It has been a pursuit which owed its unflagging energy and indomitable purpose to a singular passion, almost an obsession, to capture alive, not to kill. He has caught and broken the will of every well-known wild beast native to western North America. Killing was repulsive to him. He even disliked the sight of a sporting rifle, though for years necessity compelled him to earn his livelihood by supplying the meat of buffalo to the caravans crossing the plains. At last, seeing that the extinction of the noble beasts was inevitable, he smashed his rifle over a wagon wheel and vowed to save the species. For ten years he labored, pursuing, capturing and taming buffalo, for which the West gave him fame, and the name Preserver of the American Bison.

Genres: Westerns, Fiction, Classics, Historical Fiction, Audiobook, Ebooks, Adventure

272 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1908

About the author

Pearl Zane Grey was an American author best known for his popular adventure novels and stories that presented an idealized image of the rugged Old West. As of June 2007, the Internet Movie Database credits Grey with 110 films, one TV episode, and a series, Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater based loosely on his novels and short stories.

Reviews

[Mandi Ellsworth]

I listened to this an an audio book and it started out great. I loved the descriptions of the landscape. I could almost see it. I loved the idea of traveling around with someone so influential in saving the disappearing buffalo from the great plains. Then they met the Native Americans and I had a very difficult time going through that. They were so derogatory and supremacist. They talked of them as "dogs" and treated them worse than. It was horrible. I know it was the attitude of that time, but how could they let their fellowmen starve when they themselves had abundance? How could they treat human beings with such distain? So, I skipped a lot of that part and basically went to the last chapter. I'm glad to be finished with it, and I would only recommend it for the historical value if you've got a thick skin.

[Jackson Stephens]

Will come back to it later maybe, wasn't the right book for me right now

[Mickey Konson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pure escapist adventure.

Some parts cruel and gruesome.

[Robert Ongley · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Last of the Plainsmen was a book that could have been non-fiction. It is written very much as it was intended, to give us an account of a man, Buffalo Jones, who was bigger than life in some ways and who at the same time seemed very real. The book read much like a memoir, with Zane Grey in the story as himself. Okay. I have to check this man out. Was he real? A man who was a buffalo hunter early in his life, then a buffalo preservationist? A man who captured musk-oxen from the Northwest Territories of Canada near the Arctic Ocean? A hunter who would lasso cougars in the Grand Canyon? Off to Google I go...and there he is...Charles "Buffalo" Jones. He was born in 1844 and died in 1919. Zane Grey knew him and hunted with him, heard his stories and told his stories. I guess it is non-fiction!

There were times when reading this book that I didn't want to put it down. I'm good at putting books down, keeping my reading time short each day. I was caught up in certain adventures and didn't want them to end. But Grey's style is a bit dry for me, I'm afraid. Not that it isn't excellent. He is a real wordsmith with a great command of the language. His descriptions are just a bit lengthy and overdone for me, one raised on television and all manner of instant gratification stimuli. I carried on with a sense of duty to get through some of the nature description and plot narratives. It's my shortcomings that make Grey a bit difficult to read at times. He deserves the accolades and popularity he enjoyed. I just can't get entirely excited about this book. It's an interesting read and I would recommend it. It is a wonderful tribute to an outstanding man whose kind has passed by the wayside. Just dig in and wring the fascinating knowledge out of it.

[Aaron L · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoying the almost, reader's digest, short story style of writing. The focus feels like it's trying to tell the story without getting bogged down in the minutia, while doing excellent work of sprinkling in beautiful poetics right where they're needed to emphasize the scale, the wonder, and the essence of the journey.

But in this brevity, I'm suffering the faults as well, in that the characters get so very little attention, it feels as though they were introduced through a brief exposition, and nothing more...

I feel that in time their full character might be revealed in a meaningful way that brings me to care for them, but between now and then, I bore a bit; Often wondering who is a simple throw-away, written only to be cast into crucible of the plot, as the band of travelers encounter back-to-back brushes with fate.

As of current, I've only felt suspense for the safety of the horses and the dogs...

[Dave Bakker · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like some of his other books, this one just didn't move well and was a chore to get through

[Kathryn · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is one of the worst books I've ever read. If you are an animal lover, this book is not for you. I purchased this book because the description said that the Plainsman was capturing the animals to save them from extinction. Big mistake. If you don't enjoy violence against animals, this isn't for you. The last hunt is a hunt for a mountain lion. If you don't enjoy three dogs and four men and their horses all ganged up on one mountain lion, this isn't for you. Dogs are beaten and choked and shot - and they supposedly like their own dogs!!. Mama buffalo are shot (and left to rot) when they try to defend their calves. If you are a Native American, this is no book for you. Native Americans are almost always referred to as "savages" or "cannabals" and are portrayed as thieving, dumb, and lazy. They are disrespectful toward Indian spiritual beliefs ("superstitions"). This book was really disgusting.

[Bill Hooten · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of the most difficult to read books that I have completed this year. There were several times that I thought about just quitting it, but I persevered through it. The book was extremely wordy, as Gray would never say 10 words, if he could say 50. Most of the descriptive words that he said were just repetitious, and did not enhance or liven the story at all. Obviously, if you are reading this review, you not that I am not a writer -- and Zane Gray is one of the most well-known writers of the last 100 years -- so, who am I to criticize. But, I am just describing how the book affected me. The book could have been much shorter, and the story would have been just as good. But, I'm sure, that there will be those of this group that will applaud the descriptive language about he landscape, the animals, and the action. That's why there are so many books, because we are all different and have different likes and desires.

[Redbird · Rating 1 out of 5]

Made it most of the way through but just couldn't finish it, even in audiobook format. Didn't sustain my interest.

[Joanne N. Dorsett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Action & Beauty In One!

This Story is full of action from page one through to the last page! The surroundings of this story are told in great detail!

[Jason Bergsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

First off, I would be remiss without mentioning this is a novel first released in 1908, and it certainly read as such. From the expected blatant racism towards indigenous people, to questionable choices for synonyms for 'shouted', there are a number of things the reader will have to look over. We will try our best to avoid those from impacting our review.

This book is a tale of Col. Charles Jesse 'Buffalo' Jones. Him and his hunting party are working to hunt, and hopefully capture (alive), a mountain lion.

I found this book to be mostly hit or miss throughout. That could be blamed on my timing, reading this during a week my schedule was flipped upside down and reading time was scarce, so I was not reading with the same vigor I normally do.

I found myself really enjoying a number of the chapters, but others I found myself disinterested.
The story does jump around a bit, so it can be tough to follow at times (but again this could likely be impacted by my shifted schedule, longer time between reading sessions for me)

I did really find myself enjoying a number of chapters, especially a number of them towards the end. My favorite chapters are III - The Last Herd, where Buffalo Jones works to take a herd of Buffalo Alice, and VI -The White Mustang, where Buffalo Jones captures an elusive wild stallion.

Zane Grey does a fantastic job writing about the thrill of the hunt, but I personally found myself having less of a fun time while reading the parts in between the bulk of the action.

[Lauren Hiebner · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is another adventure trip by Zane Grey. This time the story is about teaming up with supposedly the last plainsman. On this trip the cowboys track down one of the last buffalo calves to save the species. Mostly the story takes place in Grey’s favorite location the Grand Canyon. Here the cowboys are tracking and attempting to catch cougars. With the help of their dogs they are able to capture several. Grey does a great job of describing the scenery, life camping in the canyon, the training of dogs for the hunt, and how to track and capture mountain lions. By today’s standards, the treatment of the animals would be seen as somewhat cruel. An interesting read.

[Craig Schlossin · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have liked a few of Zane Grey's novels but I can not recommend this experience with Buffalo Jones. I'm sure he had an interesting life but the treatment and attitude toward Native Americans and the poor understanding of most animals is sad. Zane also loves a tall tale, the taller the better.

[Tschrep · Rating 4 out of 5]

The poetic descriptions of the beautiful, wild, scenic canyons and rivers are what I love most about Zane Grey.

[Paul Bradley]

Its a little suspect that this contains a chapter so similar to the beginning of Jack London's 'White Fang', however, veracity aside this is still a very enjoyable adventure story.

[Perry Whitford · Rating 4 out of 5]

The writer Zane Grey did as much as anyone to create a mythology around the Old West, with his cowboy stories featuring leathery, laconic men of impeachable courage and honor, the very image of a thousand such Hollywood cowpunchers and sharp-shooters.

Out on the trail he also hungout out some of the bona fide articles, including the most celebrated of all the plainsmen, Buffalo Jones, the great hunter-turned conservationist. This book is a novelized account of that meeting.

Buffalo Jones fraternized with a veritable roll-call of legendary figures himself, from Pat Garrett to Geronimo, from Wild Bill Hickock to Wyatt Earp. He was also a friend of President Roosevelt, who appointed him the first warden of Yellowstone Park.

His own fame was every bit as renowned as any of those, with all manor of crazy tales credited to his name, of how he hunted and tamed every type of wild animal from the cougar to the musk-ox, with nothing but a lasso and a big, bushy beard.

Grey joined him on a hunt near the end of his career, chasing cougars across the crags and slopes of the Grand Canyon and its surrounding wilderness. The writer was a relatively inexperienced hunter, the initial journey across Arizona reading as a harsh yet bewitching lesson for a townsman into the mystery and harshness of the desert.

From the clarity and beauty of the vistas and the seducing cruelty of the mirage to a cracked and thirsty tongue, then onto the treacherous currents of the churning Colorado river - which had to be crossed via a rickety, rope-pulled raft - it's pretty exhilarating stuff, with the writer's own wonder clearly evident.

Grey dramatised the story of Jones's most successful spree, when he caught eight young calves in a single day from what he referred to as the very 'last herd' of free roaming buffalo, leaving an item of his own clothing tied to each calf left along the trail to keep the scavengers off of them.

Similarly dramatized is Jones's attempt to capture musk-ox calves far into the frozen polar north, struggling against the climate and threats of the local Indians who worshipped the animal as a god ("Naza! Naza! Naza!"), also against a pack of rabid wolves, who attacked him and his companion nightly.

Jones has a stirring stab at taming the illusive and smart White Mustang, a Moby Dick of the plains, who 'had roamed the long reaches between the Grand Canyon and Buckskin toward its southern slope for years ... been known to fight and kill other stallions ... and ranged the brakes of the Siwash as far as he could range'.

Similarly spurred on by the infamy attested to him by local lore, Jones then set his sights on getting hold of 'Old Tom', a ten foot cougar that had decimated the surrounding livestock for years. In another thrilling scene, Tom is chased to a cave in the canyon, where the author himself gets a chance shot at glory.

As well as enthusing his chase scenes with real excitement, Grey also captured the contours and vastnesses of the awesome and unforgiving landscape exceptionally well. Where he didn't do quite so well though, was in bringing much of an insight into his implacable subject. Perhaps carried away with his own adventure, he never really took a good focus on Jones.

Then again, in common with his readers, maybe he preferred the myth.

Cruel to his dogs and dismissive of Indians, it's admirable that Jones largely discarded the shotgun for the lasso, but he still did plenty of slaughtering in his time. His philosophy is probably best summarised by the scripture reference Grey has him shouting over the plains in the opening chapter of the book:

"Dominion—over all the beasts of the field!"

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zane Grey narrates an experience he had with Charles Jesse Jones, known as Buffalo Jones, who is considered as one of the preservers of the American bison (as cited by the National Archives). Much of Grey's true narrative occurs in the early 1900's while Jones, Grey, and several other men pursue illusive mountain lions in and near the Grand Canyon. It was interesting to hear about their ordeals as they clamber around the rocks and cliffs of the Grand Canyon pursuing these animals. To say the least, Grey's descriptions of his experience are some of the best I have read. As an example, he describes an episode as he views the sunrise near what he called the Singing Cliffs in the Grand Canyon as follows:

"The awfulness of sudden death and the glory of heaven stunned me! The thing that had been mystery at twilight, lay clear, pure, open in the rosy hue of dawn. Out of the gates of the morning poured a light which glorified the palaces and pyramids, purged and purified the afternoon's inscrutable clefts, swept away the shadows of the mesas, and bathed that broad, deep world of mighty mountains, stately spars of rock, sculptured cathedrals and alabaster terraces in an artist's dream of color. A pearl from heaven had burst, flinging its heart of fire into this chasm. A stream of opal flowed out of the sun, to touch each peak, mesa, dome, parapet, temple and tower, cliff and cleft into the new-born life of another day.

I sat there for a long time and knew that every second the scene changed, yet I could not tell how. I knew I sat high over a hole of broken, splintered, barren mountains; I knew I could see a hundred miles of the length of it, and eighteen miles of the width of it, and a mile of the depth of it, and the shafts and rays of rose light on a million glancing, many-hued surfaces at once; but that knowledge was no help to me. I repeated a lot of meaningless superlatives to myself, and I found words inadequate and superfluous. The spectacle was too elusive and too great. It was life and death, heaven and hell."

Notwithstanding Grey's descriptions of the Grand Canyon area in this pre-national park experience when one was free to explore this collage of color at will and in isolation, the most absorbing parts of this book were two experiences Jones recounted as Grey and others of the group sat in the light of the night time campfires. First, he tells of one experience when he captured seven buffalo calves on one ride that is simply astonishing, and secondly, he describes an account of a trek to the north to capture musk ox calves that made me want to share the story with others; it was that incredible.

I must warn that this book is probably not for today's environmentalist, but it was a different day with different attitudes, and after finishing it, I am convinced that if it weren't for men such as Buffalo Jones, we probably wouldn't be enjoying the American Bison today. They would most likely have gone the way of other extinct species that this earth has now lost. I recommend this book, but even if the reader doesn't want to read the whole thing, I highly suggest reading the campfire narratives. They will be some of the most exciting reading you will have experienced in many a day.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

So wannabe author Zane Grey, a middle class eastern dentist of around age 35, went west to find out about it and to pursue his passion of writing. He manages to lasso an old plainsman, “Colonel” Buffalo Jones who remembers the days of the great buffalo slaughters. Jones has, apparently, strange sensibilities-- for his own time, certainly, but maybe for any time.
He’s had enough of killing and he likes to take animals out of the wild and raise them as pets. He has a ranch in Arizona, relatively close to the Grand Canyon, it seems, where he’s taken to cross breeding buffalo and cattle, called “cattalo.” This is legitimate, as far as I can tell from the two Zane Grey biographies I’ve read.
So most of this book’s 17 chapters deal with Grey’s and Jones adventures trying to catch wild mustangs and trying to (and I’m not kidding here) rope wild cougars and pacify them. The book ends with “Kitty,” a full grown female, hog tied, muzzled and draped over the back of a horse.
So much of this book, one of the first of Zane Grey's to be published, is sort of a travel book. But there are chapters, also purporting to be true, that are recollections of Jones’ adventures and misadventures on the trail, and some of those are wild. Even in these stories, Jones is trying to capture wild animals like Musk Oxen and the implications are that the lunatic tried to capture baby musk oxen and bring them back from the north country on dog sleds.
In Jones’ version of what happened in the old days, he hooked up with another frontier superman and went hunting musk oxen. They meet a tribe of very impoverished natives. But here’s where it gets good. They get an Indian guide who agrees to take them north, but he deserts them when he realizes what they plan. The two intrepid explorers and their dog teams go north and end up getting attacked by white wolves. Not only white wolves, but rabid ones. The men shoot most of the wolves, but many of the dogs are bitten. Well, the one guy is about to give it up, but not old Buffalo. He simple muzzles the bitten dogs, hooks them to the team, and has them pull them back to civilization.
I don’t remember if they have any baby musk oxen in the back.
The time Grey spent with Jones seems to have given him a sense of how westerners thought and talked, and many of the places he and Jones went end up in various Grey novels. The accounts of mustang hunting in the Grand Canyon are quite breath-taking. I had the chance to go on a canyon river ride in Glen Canyon a couple years ago, at the north end of the Grand Canyon I believe, and got to see some emaciated looking wild mustangs negotiating the terrain. It was amazing.
I really did enjoy this work and highly recommend it.

[Charles H Berlemann Jr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Zane Grey is an interesting character since he grew up out east and actually is a grad of U of Pennsylvania. However, he was a prolific writer of stories of the west. Between his novels and John Ford with movies. The myth of the American West was established. This novel is a roughly sandpaper version of an adventure that Grey took with one Charles "Buffalo" Jones (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles...) in the desert region of Arizona and trying to help Jones capture some Buffalo/Bison that were still living there so they could be saved for future generations. Buffalo Jones was an individual that liked to take game alive. The whole book seems like the retelling of hunting camp adventures. From the attempts to capture a white Mustang Stallion that roams the region, to the hunt of Buffalo, the attempts to capture a few cougars that roam the region (which is near the Grand Canyon and tributaries of the Colorado River) and on over to a horrid night in a cave full of spiders and lizards and other creepy crawlers. The larger narrative is there about this summer in the desert and a few other stories from the time out there. Also, included is a famous trip that Jones took up north to the Arctic Circle to capture some Musk Oxen in Canada. Each of these chapters could stand on their own, and did when they were serialized in some outdoors magazines in the 1900s. Yet, even when read together this book reminds me again of being in hunting camps with my dad, uncles and cousins. At work telling stories with friends about our own adventures in life. The flow of this is good and the vivid descriptions of the scenery, the animals and the feelings is better than most other folks that I have read could describe. Grey doesn't do purple prose in his descriptions, but in some of his writing it is almost as if I could feel the sand in my mouth as the last of the water dripped out of a canteen or that biting cold as a sudden snow squall passed through the area. This is well worth your time, even if you aren't a big western story fan because honestly isn't a western as most know the trope. Rather this is a rollicking good adventure story of hunting and live trapping of animals and the humor of folks having that adventure.

[Jerimy Stoll · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book written from Zane Grey's perspective of a long ride he partook in with Buffalo Jones. The pages entail in detail the great length the men of this hunting expedition endured to pave the road of preserving some of the last great heard of the American Bison. There is some bloodshed spilt of animals that would defend themselves or their young, but only in the necessary preservation of those who would preserve an animal brought to the brink of extinction.

This book was written in a different time when there were tribes of Native Americans freely roaming who may be friendly, or might be hostile. It also accurately portrays the hazards of freely travelling from state to state enduring weather, unforgiving terrain, and wild beasts of many varieties. This is a snapshot of American History, depicting what was at the time. There is no apology for it, nor should any be offered, it is simply what was.

The journey narrated in this book has many ups and downs, plenty of cowboy humour, generous portions of humour, splashed with the camaraderie that is rarely seen with today's population save for those who serve together during extreme bouts of danger. I would recommend this read for people interested in the reality that it takes sacrifice to achieve one's goals. I also believe that people who like westerns, history, memoirs, and adventure would find this to be a fascinating read.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zane Grey, despite his considerable financial success, has never been considered a great writer. My own experience with his work has thus far been limited to Riders of the Purple Sage, a good read (see what I did there) but surely not great literature. Grey's strengths are his sense of adventure and romance, his ability to weave together an exciting potboiler.

Yet in this, one of his earliest novels, he surprised me. Unlike most of his work, The Last of the Plainsmen is a not a work of fiction but rather a personal account of the author's own trip to the Grand Canyon. In his simple, unadorned style, Grey paints a vivid picture of Buffalo Jones, the famous hunter and naturalist who the author accompanies on his final journey. Much of the book is taken up with Jones retelling of his earlier exploits, which are absolutely riveting but I found Grey's account of his own travels equally enjoyable. He is able to bring to life all of his rowdy companions and to convey his own perception of his experiences with a striking frankness.

I have no doubt that Grey's later work bears the indelible mark that this trip made on his, both in his rough hewn characters and his obvious love of the land and, though he may of never been able to replicate the authenticity he achieves here, I am nonetheless eager to give his books another try.

[Stefaniab · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a nonfiction adventure tale from early in Zane Grey's career. Grey joins the title character, the hunter Buffalo Jones, on his "bring 'em back alive" escapades in Northern Arizona and the Grand Canyon area, round about 1910. Having read so many of his novels, it was mega fun to read a short book written in Grey's own voice. There is great action here, not as much florid description as you find in his early novels to come. I believe this book may have began life as a series of magazine articles, so the chunks were episodic. My favorite section involves Buffalo Jones journey to the Great Slave Lake to catch alive and bring back baby Musk Oxen. The more convoluted the adventure became, the more I suspected it was a tall tale told around a campfire.

As ever with Zane Grey, there are unc0mfortable passages disparaging Grey's favorite targets: Mexicans, Mormons, and in this one, members of certain--not all--Indian tribes. You have to read Grey with the realization that he lived over 100 years ago, when society was quite different. For example, I was really bothered by the hunting of mountain lions that makes up most of the action in the book. Nevertheless this is a fun look at the dying world of hunters in the spectacular landscape of the Grand Canyon,

[Starry]

I picked this up at the library to read while hiking the Grand Canyon, but the book (hardcover) was too heavy to bring in my pack. However, I read the first few chapters and a short biography of the author, and now have misgivings about ever finishing (restarting) the book.

First, the writing style is distracting -- it sounds "spaghetti western"-ish, replete with Native Americans talking cartoon Indian talk (you know it: "How, Pale Face. Me huntum big buffalo."). Maybe this is because Zane Grey's style has been imitated to the point of cliche? Regardless, it was distracting.

Secondly, in reading his biography to determine which of his books would be best to bring on my trip, I also learned what a womanizing jerk of a husband he was. (Oh yes, I'm one of THOSE kinds of readers...) Seriously, knowing what he was like discolored his writing for me -- I found myself reading cynically instead of giving the book a chance. I kept thinking, "if he even TRIES to write something romantic..."

[Allan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my first Zane Grey book and I found it enjoyable. I had read a short story of his in Outdoor Life magazine, I think, when I was a youngster and I've searched for it fruitlessly over the last 40-odd years.

I was anticipating a Zane Grey Western novel when I pulled this out of my wife's bookshelf last week. Instead I found a travel book describing a magnificient trip and hunt into and around the Grand Canyou, mostly on the Utah side, in which he accompanies one Colonel "Buffalo" Jones:
http://books.google.com/books?id=_lHi...

The results of the epic journey and hunt are exciting and believeable. I found Grey flowery and a bit too purple at times in his descriptions, but a fine teller of a rip-snorter of a tale. It's a delight and I'll have to look for more, perhaps a novel, finally.

[Simon Davenport · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had to temper my rating for the reader who picks this off the shelf not knowing anything about Zane Grey or the kinds of novels he wrote (all Western themed, and all written at the turn of the 20th Century, so you can guess the subject matter and perspective).
This book, however, deals in real events, or at least events that the author has claimed to have lived through. There is a depth of feeling and honesty in Grey's own recollections of his trips through the Grand Canyon that do not fit into the "strong quiet cowboy" archetype that dominated this genre. It is a personal and instructive study of a real cowboy who preferred to trap rather than kill (Buffalo Jones), and what was probably one of his last great adventures.
I highly recommend this book if you are looking for a departure from the contemporary novel, and can stomach some moderately brusque literary treatment of American Indian tribes.

[Nate · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Last of the Plainsmen is a traditional Zane Grey adventure/romance novel. He is able to seamlessly weave thrilling adventure with just enough romance to make it interresting on another level. This story takes place in the canyons of Arizona and centers on a long lived feud between two men that have been batteling since early childhood. Their feud now culminates in a debate over sheep and cattle raisig in the Grass Valley area of Arizona. Gaston Isbel has called his youngest son Jean back from Oregon to help defend the family from the Jorths. Jean of course meets Elen Jorth, the daughter of Gaston's rival, and falls in love with her. It is a traditional plot method of Grey's, but it works well.

The adventure scenes are spectacular, making you eagerly devour each page and yearn to get to the next page to see what happens.

[Aaron Mishler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Zane Grey's first western, and honestly more of a chronical of his journey and foray into the west than a true work of fiction (from my understanding). Grey was absolutely masterful in his discriptions of landscape and beauty. For those who have ever been lost at words for a sunrise you can look to Grey.

With that said, the book can drag on a bit. The 40th discription of a sunrise can drag a bit, and the actual plot is a bit sparse. Grey and the "the last plainsman" trek through the old west. They train some dogs, search for mountain lions, kill some, kill some wolves, ford some rivers.

It's Grey's first book, and can at times read like a new author being a bit worry to stretch out his first book for publishing.

I picked up the second edition from an estate sale for about a dollar. It's a decent if dragging read.

[Faith High School]

Buffalo Jones--one of the last. Jones was a famous sportsman in North America at the turn of the 20th century and Grey a famous author of adventure stories. Unlike many of Grey's fictional novels of the old west, this is an account of a trip made to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon about 1908, for the purpose of tracking and capturing mountain lions. In those days, the North Rim was famous for the number and size of cougars--one mentioned in the book was 10' long, tip of tail to nape of neck, and weighed 300 pounds. The story is riveting with many details of the Arizona high desert and Grand Canyon areas of that era and gives a wonderful account of the Ponderosa Pine forest now known as the Kaibab National Forest. By Jade Mortenson

[Cameron Reid Armstrong · Rating 4 out of 5]

i always wanted to read A Zane Gray book because Colonel Potter on the TV show M*A*S*H* was always reading his books. he would get called away to an important matter and would say, "i guess Zane Gray will have to wait" then put his book down and go. Zane Gray is one of those classic authors you hear about yet I had no idea what book to start with. this was the only audio book of his at the Orem library so I just took it and listened to it. i really enjoyed it and he deserves the "Classic" title. he is such a good world builder even when he is describing the southern Utah dessert. he has one chapter where the character just waches a sunrise and it is a beautiful chapter.

[Filip · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have to admit that even though Zane Grey is such a famous author, his writing doesn't seem that great to me. It is very simple, lacks a bit of depth, it is repetitive sometimes and he could've bothered more with some descriptions. That being said, I can fully understand why his books fascinate so many people. It is quite clear that his love for the Wild West is genuine and it can draw in similar-minded people. Even though the era is long gone. Or maybe because of it.

Still, this doesn't mean I enjoy his books. They are interesting in what they represent but the storytelling itself isn't all that great and I've never been a big fan of the Wild West.