Dolly and Zane Grey

Popular western writer Zane Grey was a literary celebrity during his lifetime and the center of a huge enterprise based on his writing, which included books, magazine serials, film and stage versions of his stories, even comic strips. His wife, Dolly, closely guided Greys career almost from its beginning, editing and sometimes revising his work, negotiating with publishers and movie studios, and skilfully managing the considerable fortune derived from these activities. Dolly maintained the faade of a conventional married life that was essential to Greys public image and the traditional middle-class values his work reflected. This faade was constantly threatened by Greys numerous affairs with other women. The stress of hiding these dalliances placed a huge strain on their relationship, and much of Zane and Dollys union was sustained largely by correspondence. Their letters - thousands of them - reveal the true nature of this complex partnership. As edited by Candace Kant, the letters offer an engrossing portrait of an extremely unorthodox marriage and its times.