Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey (1912)

This was a very well written book. It is a classic western. The description of the various scenes was its strong point. (I also learned some things like how milling can stop a stampede and wonder if the term is related to a circular millstone with lines that turn in on themselves.) However, the characters and plot were also very strong. From a current perspective a criticism might be that some of the story was a bit stereotyped and formulaic, but this was written in 1912. It probably feels this way because this set a standard that other Westerns later copied. That being said I felt like a large part of the ending was predictable and a bit on the unintentional dark side (however, I am trying to not put spoilers here) mixed with positive outcomes. Overall I recommend this book.

When reading this you might be interested in Moki steps carved into cliff sides and ancient Pueblo dwellings. I put a couple of links below.

Links:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riders_of_the_Purple_Sage
• https://www.amazon.com/Riders-Purple-Sage-Zane-Grey/dp/1500564796
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moki_steps
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancestral_Puebloans

Vocabulary:

• Acclivity p. 36 — An upward slope. The opposite of declivity.
• Akin p. 9 — similar or related.
• Canter p. 163 — the second fastest three beat gait of a horse (just behind a four beat gallop).
• Colloquy p. 118 — conversation, sometimes implying a serious dialogue.
• Confab p. 176 — informal private discussion.
• Coquetry p. 100 — flirting.
• Descried p. 20 — catching sight of a distant object by looking carefully.
• Desultory p. 224 — unfocused, occasionally, lacking a plan, wandering or without enthusiasm.
• Inimical p. 174 — antagonistic, unfriendly, hostile, obstructive.
• Inviolate p. 52 — safe.
• Knell p. 90 — the sound of a bell.
• Languor p. 84 — weak, sluggish, hot, humid.
• Lassiter p. 8 — This one had me wondering. It is the name of a character that is an infamous gunman in the book. However, it is also used as the name of a famous pistol in Firefly. I wondered if there might be a connection but when I looked it up it says the film gun was named after a friend of Joss Whedon. https://firefly.fandom.com/wiki/Lassiter
• Lassitude p. 75 — weary and without energy.
• League (distance) p. 33 — About a mile. It has a variable definition. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/League_(unit)
• Levity p. 108 — not taking things seriously enough.
• Pique p. 99 — stimulate or excite, can range from causing anger to curiosity.
• Propitiation p. 146 — appeasing.
• Quirt p. 25 — a short braided riding whip.
• Rod (distance) p. 89 — 16 1/2 feet. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rod_(unit)
• Skulking p. 68 — stealthily keep out of sight, avoid notice.
• Soliloquized p. 42 — talking to yourself out loud.
• Sorrel (horse) p. 161 — reddish coat.
• Sublimity p. 90 — majestic.
• Swale p. 149 — a low spot between ridges that may be marshy and or shady.
• Temerity p. 101 — confident and bold.
• Upbraided p. 143 — scold, berate, find fault.
• Vacillation p. 154 — indecision between two choices.
• Vamoosed p. 145 — to leave in a hurry.
• Verdure p. 5 — fresh green lush vegetation.
• Wended p. 68 — to slowly go by an indirect route to a location.