The Heritage of the Desert: A Novel
1910
The novel opens on a man dying in the desert. John Hare, pursued by outlaws, collapses in the Utah wilderness, only to be rescued by August Naab and his family, devout Mormons whose compound offers shelter from both the desert heat and the violence that chases him. But safety comes with conditions in this harsh, beautiful landscape where faith and survival intertwine. Grey, the man who defined the American West for generations of readers, populates this novel with unforgettable characters: the noble Naab, whose quiet moral authority anchors the story; the desperate, wounded Hare searching for a place to belong; and Mescal, a young woman of Navajo heritage raised among the Mormons, whose presence ignites a love story as dangerous as it is tender. The outlaws return, and Grey builds toward a confrontation that will test loyalty, faith, and what it means to truly call a place home. This is adventure fiction at its most vivid, a story that understands the desert is not just a setting but a character in itself.
Editions
X-Ray
“Good God!” cried Hare. “They’re firing on us! They'd shoot a woman!”’ “Has it taken you so long to learn that?””
— Zane Grey
“Nimble, alert, the big white dog was not still a moment. His duty was to keep the flock compact, to head the stragglers and turn them back; and he knew his part perfectly. There was dash and fire in his work. He never barked. As he circled the flock the small Navajo sheep, edging ever toward forbidden ground, bleated their way back to the fold, the larger ones wheeled reluctantly, and the old belled rams squared themselves, lowering their massive horns as if to butt him. Never, however, did they stand their ground when he reached them, for there was a decision about Wolf which brooked no opposition. At times when he was working on one side a crafty sheep on the other would steal out into the thicket. Then Mescal called and Wolf flashed back to her, lifting his proud head, eager, spirited, ready to take his order. A word, a wave of her whip sufficed for the dog to rout out the recalcitrant sheep and send him bleating to his fellows.””
— Zane Grey
“The elder wife said that the stranger was welcome to the children, but she insisted that they hear nothing of the outside world, and that they be kept to the teachings of the Mormon geography”
— Zane Grey
“joy that was half a sob she fell upon her knees and clasped the little burro's neck. Noddle wearily flapped his long brown ears, wearily nodded his white nose; then evidently considering the incident closed, he went lazily to sleep.””
— Zane Grey
Link to this book
Add a free, dofollow link to Lex on your blog, forum, syllabus, or reading list.
<a href="https://lex-books.com/book/the-heritage-of-the-desert-a-novel-5e6f4002-627d-4526-9f01-2ad3e4d57429"><img src="https://lex-books.com/badges/read-on-lex.svg" alt="Read The Heritage of the Desert: A Novel by Zane Grey free on Lex" width="160" height="40"></a>[](https://lex-books.com/book/the-heritage-of-the-desert-a-novel-5e6f4002-627d-4526-9f01-2ad3e4d57429)[url=https://lex-books.com/book/the-heritage-of-the-desert-a-novel-5e6f4002-627d-4526-9f01-2ad3e4d57429][img]https://lex-books.com/badges/read-on-lex.svg[/img][/url]Read The Heritage of the Desert: A Novel by Zane Grey free on Lex: https://lex-books.com/book/the-heritage-of-the-desert-a-novel-5e6f4002-627d-4526-9f01-2ad3e4d57429Cite this book
Reading this edition for a paper or guide? Copy a citation.
Grey, Zane. The Heritage of the Desert: A Novel. Lex, lex-books.com/book/the-heritage-of-the-desert-a-novel-5e6f4002-627d-4526-9f01-2ad3e4d57429.Grey, Z. (1910). The Heritage of the Desert: A Novel. Lex. https://lex-books.com/book/the-heritage-of-the-desert-a-novel-5e6f4002-627d-4526-9f01-2ad3e4d57429Grey, Zane. The Heritage of the Desert: A Novel. Lex. https://lex-books.com/book/the-heritage-of-the-desert-a-novel-5e6f4002-627d-4526-9f01-2ad3e4d57429.
