Altadena National Bank Check signed by Zane Grey - 1929-1932 dated Autograph Check

Check signed by Zane Grey. Cancellation barely comes close to signature. Great bold signature in purple ink. 

Pearl Zane Grey (January 31, 1872 – October 23, 1939), born on January 31, 1872, in Zanesville, Ohio, a town founded by his maternal ancestors, developed a deep passion for fishing and baseball during his childhood. This athletic talent eventually led him to receive a baseball scholarship to the University of Pennsylvania. However, he chose to appease his strict father by studying dentistry and graduated with his degree in 1896.

After establishing a dental practice in New York City, Grey found the profession unfulfilling and began writing in the evenings to escape boredom. During this time, he met Lina Elise “Dolly” Roth, whom he married in 1905. Dolly became his lifelong editor and business manager, even financing his early, self-published novel, Betty Zane, in 1903. Inspired by her belief in his talent, Grey formally abandoned dentistry to focus solely on his literary ambitions.

Grey’s career took a significant turn after a 1907 hunting expedition to the Grand Canyon. This trip profoundly influenced his vision of the American frontier. To avoid teasing, he dropped his first name, “Pearl,” and published his breakthrough Western novel, The Heritage of the Desert, in 1910. Two years later, he published his masterpiece, Riders of the Purple Sage, which became one of the best-selling Western novels of all time. This work solidified the Western genre as a distinct and immensely popular literary form.

Throughout his prolific career, Grey authored over 80 books, including specialized works on fishing and baseball. His success made him one of the nation’s first millionaire authors. His idealized portrayal of rugged cowboys and breathtaking desert landscapes significantly shaped global perceptions of the American West. Later, he relocated to California, where he lived until his death from heart failure on October 23, 1939. Despite his passing, his stories continue to captivate audiences through over 100 Hollywood film adaptations.

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