The Lone Star Ranger by Zane Grey (Grosset & Dunlap Reprint), Circa 1920s 🤠📜⭐

This volume of The Lone Star Ranger is a top-shelf decorative reprint of a canonical novel by Zane Grey, the master of American Western fiction.

The book is classified as a top-shelf documentary artifact, appealing to collectors of Western Americana and the history of the West Coast book trade.

Its value is secured by the iconic status of the author and a non-replicable Provenance Premium tied to the Gressey's Book Store in Eugene, Oregon.

2. About the Artwork/Book/Object 📖✍️✨ The Lone Star Ranger is a classic "Romance of the Border," set along the Rio Grande and featuring themes of outlaws, revenge, and the Texas Rangers. The novel is dedicated to Captain John Hughes and his Texas Rangers, establishing its grounding in real-world history.

The book is a reprint edition, featuring a pictorial cloth binding with a stamped, illustrated scene of a cowboy and horse . The plot centers on Buck Duane, the last of the Duanes, and his inherent "driving intensity to kill," reflecting the novel's focus on the brutal code of the frontier. The internal illustrations are essential to the period's narrative style.

3. About the Artist/Author/Maker ✍️🏛️ Zane Grey (1872–1939) was a cultural phenomenon whose novels fundamentally defined the American West for millions of readers worldwide. His books, which romanticized the cowboy life and the stark beauty of the desert, created an enduring literary genre.

The publisher, Grosset & Dunlap, was the leading firm in distributing Grey's bestsellers through affordable reprints, ensuring his narratives became a staple of the American reading public. The novel is a direct product of the massive early 20th-century demand for Western escapist fiction.

4. Historical/Political Era Context 🌍🕰️📜 The novel was published in January 1915, placing it at the close of the Progressive Era and just as America was reacting to the start of World War I. The book provided a powerful sense of American individual action and frontier morality at a time of increasing industrialization.

The provenance stamp from Gressey's Book Store in Eugene, Oregon, anchors this copy to a specific regional retail market in the American West. The volume functions as a tangible record of the literary commerce and regional identity of the American Pacific Northwest in the mid-20th century.

5. The Ideal Collector 💡🧐🏛️ This volume is an essential acquisition for a curator of Western Americana and Pacific Northwest Bookselling History.

It is ideally suited for a collector who specializes in Zane Grey’s canon and seeks items with specific, verifiable bookseller stamps. The Gressey's Eugene, OR, stamp provides a clear non-replicable chain of commercial ownership, transforming the book into a unique regional artifact.

6. Value & Rarity 💎✨🏛️ This book is a reprint edition of a canonical novel. The volume is approximately 100 to 110 years old (reprint date).

Its scarcity is low as a reprint. However, the value is significantly elevated by its strong Provenance Premium. The clear, intact stamp of GRESSEY'S BOOK STORE, EUGENE, OR. provides non-replicable documentation of its specific commercial history in the American West.

7. Condition 🔎📚✨ The physical condition has been assessed directly from the provided high-resolution photography. The book is deemed to be in Very Good Antique Condition.

• Binding: Bound in original publisher's tan cloth with a pictorial illustration stamped in black and orange on the cover .

• Printing: Confirmed as an early Grosset & Dunlap reprint.

• Bookseller Stamp: Features a clear, purple stamp on the endpaper: GRESSEY'S EUGENE, OR. BOOK STORE.

• Wear: The cloth binding shows rubbing and darkening along the spine and edges consistent with its age.

• Text Block: The text block is secure and square, with toning appropriate for its age.

8. Fun Facts & Unique Features 🤓📜🤩

• The Texas Ranger Dedication: The novel is formally dedicated to Captain John Hughes and his Texas Rangers, confirming the novel's grounding in actual historical figures of the Old West.

• The Star Motif: The title page features a single star emblem, a direct reference to the "Lone Star Ranger" title and the Texas state symbol.

• The Author's Research: Zane Grey conducted extensive research and camping trips in the regions he wrote about, lending his fiction an air of geographic authenticity.

• The Publisher's Mark: The volume was published by arrangement with Harper & Brothers, the original publisher, indicating the continuing demand for the title.

9. Supporting Information 🏷️📦💰

• Object Type: Vintage Novel (Bookseller Provenance Copy)

• Author: Zane Grey

• Title: The Lone Star Ranger

• Year/Period: Circa 1920s (Early Reprint)

• Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap

• Place of Origin: New York

• Format/Binding: Publisher’s Pictorial Cloth

• Edition/Rarity: Reprint Edition (Oregon Bookseller Provenance)

• Transcription of Stamp (Verbatim): GRESSEY'S EUGENE, OR. BOOK STORE

• Transcription of Copyright Page: Copyright, 1914, by HARPER & BROTHERS / Published January, 1915