The Rainbow Trail, A Romance by Zane Grey (1915 Harper & Brothers Printing) - Sequestered Western Classic 🌈🐎🇺🇸

This volume is an authenticated 1915 printing of Zane Grey's novel, The Rainbow Trail, the direct sequel to his genre-defining Riders of the Purple Sage. Published by Harper & Brothers in the same year as the First Printing, this edition is a historically solid acquisition of a cornerstone American Western. The novel is a key piece in the Western literary canon, revisiting the fate of beloved characters trapped in the remote canyons of Utah. This book appeals directly to the collector seeking a vintage edition with an authentic period aesthetic and a verifiable, personal historical inscription on the front flyleaf.

2. About the Book/Object 📖✍️✨

The Rainbow Trail takes place approximately twelve years after the dramatic conclusion of Riders of the Purple Sage, set in the remote, dramatic canyon country of the Utah-Arizona border. The story shifts focus to John Shefford, a former clergyman from the East struggling with his faith, who journeys west in search of the legendary Surprise Valley and its sequestered inhabitants. The narrative is an adventure that focuses heavily on the theme of religious freedom and the victimization of women by corrupt Mormon elders.

This edition features a Foreword dated June, 1915, where Grey reveals that the story originally appeared in a monthly magazine under the title “The Desert Crucible,” which speaks to the book's intense, defining setting. The frontispiece, "NONNEZOSHE SPANNING THE CAÑON LIKE A GRACEFUL RAINBOW," is a striking full-color illustration that highlights the book’s central geographical motif, the immense Rainbow Bridge. The chapter titles, such as "The Story of Surprise Valley," "The Navajo," and "The Trail to Nonnezoshe," confirm the epic scale of the search and rescue plot.

3. About the Artist/Author/Maker ✍️🏛️

Zane Grey (1872–1939) remains the definitive author of the American Western, transforming the genre into a mass-market phenomenon. Grey was a relentless traveler, a passionate conservationist, and an avid sportsman whose work directly stemmed from his personal experiences in the American West. His commitment to authenticity resulted in vivid descriptions of the Southwest's landscape and the complex moral struggles of its inhabitants.

The Rainbow Trail is a crucial work for understanding Grey’s evolving relationship with his own fictional world, as he was compelled to write the sequel due to the "answer to a question often asked" by readers of Riders of the Purple Sage. His style, though romanticized, is built on a framework of moral clarity and the stoic triumph of personal honor over institutional corruption. The continued focus on the persecution of women by polygamist sects in this volume shows Grey’s unflinching engagement with controversial social issues of the time.

4. Historical/Political Era Context 🌍🕰️📜

This book was published in August 1915. This places its release during the early phases of World War I in Europe, a conflict the U.S. had not yet entered, but which profoundly impacted the American mood. As the world became increasingly chaotic, Grey’s novels offered an escape to an idealized, rugged landscape rooted in American exceptionalism and moral individualism.

The novel reflects the prevailing national mood that sought refuge and identity in the mythical "last American wilderness". Though Utah had outlawed plural marriage, the novel’s focus on hidden polygamist communities highlights the tension between evolving American federal law and entrenched regional social structures. The themes of moral compromise and the need for redemption (seen in the former clergyman protagonist) also resonate with a nation on the brink of major global and domestic changes, marking this volume as a cultural time capsule of pre-war American identity.

5. The Ideal Collector 💡🧐🏛️

This volume is tailored for a collector who specializes in the evolution of American genre fiction and the history of Western print culture. The Ideal Collector is a curator of turn-of-the-century Americana, or a serious collector of Zane Grey's First Edition narratives.

The book belongs in a library that prioritizes personal history and aesthetic consistency. The unique inscription from "Wallie Coffreys" provides a verifiable human connection, making the book a superior acquisition for the collector who values documented personal ownership and the nostalgic appeal of a vintage object.

6. Value & Rarity 💎✨🏛️

This volume is a Harper & Brothers 1915 printing and is 110 years old. The "L-P" code (November 1915) confirms it is a later printing from the first year of publication, which is a key bibliographical fact. The mandatory deduction principle applies, as it is not the scarce First Printing (F-P code), and it lacks the original dust jacket.

The book's value is sustained by its age and the Ephemera Premium derived from the clearly documented inscription: "Wallie Coffreys Book". This unique detail transforms the volume into a singular artifact of personal history that is non-replicable. It is objectively a solid, investment-grade reading copy that carries the aesthetic and historical weight of its original publishing year.

7. Condition 🔎📚✨

This is a 1915 Harper & Brothers hardcover lacking the original dust jacket. The volume's condition is consistent with an antique book that has been read and handled for over a century.

• Positive Qualities:

  • The binding remains relatively secure, and the text block is intact.

  • The full-color frontispiece is present and vibrant.

  • The title and spine design, though darkened, are legible and follow the classic Harper’s style.

  • The handwritten inscription on the flyleaf is clear and distinct.

• Imperfections:

  • The green cloth boards show sunning and darkening, particularly to the spine and edges.

  • The boards have rubbing, shelf wear, and minor chipping to the extremities and spine ends.

  • The pages are age-toned and yellowed, typical of the paper stock used in 1915.

  • The absence of the original dust jacket triggers a substantial deduction from the top-tier collector price.

8. Fun Facts & Unique Features 🤓📜🤩

• Zane Grey often used his personal exploration as the basis for his plots, making this book a literary record of his ventures in the then-remote Navajo country near the Utah-Arizona border.

• The novel's key geographical element is the Rainbow Bridge (Nonnezoshe), one of the world's largest natural bridges, which was officially “discovered” by two separate parties in 1909 and was declared a National Monument in 1910, just a few years before the book's publication.

• Grey wrote the foreword for this novel in June 1915, two months before the stated August publication, demonstrating the publisher’s urgency in bringing the sequel to market following the massive success of Riders of the Purple Sage.

• The code "L-P" on the copyright page is a crucial bibliographical key, with Harper’s using L for November and P for 1915, confirming its specific printing within the first year of the book's release.

9. Supporting Information 🏷️📦💰

• Title: The Rainbow Trail, A Romance

• Author: Zane Grey

• Year of Publication: 1915 (Copyright and Published Date)

• Publisher: Harper & Brothers Publishers

• Place of Origin: New York and London, Printed in USA

• Format/Binding: Hardcover, Green Cloth Boards with Gilt and Embossed Lettering

• Edition: Later 1915 Printing (L-P Code)

• Rarity: Common Edition, Rare in First Printing, Unique Inscription

• Verbatim Transcription of Inscription/Marking: On the front free endpaper, there are two notations: "Wallie Coffreys Book" in pencil, and a separate price notation "5.00".