11 h 24 minAudiobook7 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
A headstrong young woman comes home from Philadelphia to a frontier where courage is no longer a choice.
In Zane Grey’s Betty Zane, the American Revolution reaches the settlements along the Ohio River. Betty returns to her family in Wheeling, eager for freedom and fun. Then Alfred Clarke arrives from Philadelphia and falls for her. Neither is ready for all that frontier life demands, and Alfred must prove himself in country he does not know.
Beyond the fort, Lewis Wetzel moves alone through dangerous woods. Betty’s brother Isaac loves Myeerah, a Wyandot chief’s daughter, while war divides their peoples. As British officers and their Indigenous allies plan attacks on the settlements, Fort Henry faces a growing threat. Romance, ambushes, and ordinary people’s courage come together in this frontier adventure.
What you’ll discover
- A spirited frontier heroine Meet Betty as her wish for freedom meets the hard demands of frontier life.
- Love on unfamiliar ground Follow Alfred Clarke as love for Betty tests his place in an unfamiliar world.
- A scout in the shadows Enter the woods with Lewis Wetzel, a solitary hunter who guards the Zane family.
- Two worlds at war Discover Isaac and Myeerah’s love across the divide between their peoples.
- A fort under threat Feel the pressure gather around Fort Henry as its defenders prepare to protect their home.
Who will love it
For readers who love early American history, frontier adventure and romance, and a fast, clear story. It is also a good first look at Zane Grey.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A city girl comes home to the frontier
- A stranger from Philadelphia falls in love
- Wetzel, the silent hunter of the woods
- Isaac Zane and the Wyandot princess
- Danger gathers around Fort Henry
- What the story means and how Grey tells it
Who’s who
- Betty ZaneA lively, strong-willed young woman home from school in Philadelphia, she wants freedom and fun but must learn what the frontier asks of her.
- Alfred ClarkeA well-educated young man from Philadelphia who comes to the fort, loves Betty, and must prove himself in a land he does not know.
- Lewis WetzelA solitary scout and hunter, bitter from his losses, who guards the Zane family and moves through the woods like a shadow.
- Isaac ZaneBetty's brother, a former captive of the Wyandot, who loves a chief's daughter and is torn between two worlds.
- MyeerahCalled the White Crane, she is the proud daughter of a Wyandot chief and loves Isaac despite the war between their peoples.
- Colonel Ebenezer ZaneBetty's eldest brother, a founder of the settlement at Wheeling, who wants to protect his family, his home and his neighbors.
- Colonel Silas ZaneBetty's brother and commander of Fort Henry, who must hold the stockade when the great attack comes.
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- Audiobook
- 11 h 24 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 7 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
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- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
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Betty Zane
by Zane Grey · 1903
A spirited young woman returns to Fort Henry, where romance and the threat of attack test her courage.
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In short
Betty Zane is a novel of the American frontier, written by Zane Grey and published in 1903. It was his first book.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A city girl comes home to the frontier
The story opens in the years of the American Revolution. Betty Zane, the youngest of the Zane family, has spent time in Philadelphia, where she was sent to be educated. Now she returns to Fort Henry, the small stockade at Wheeling, where her brothers and their families live. The place is rough and watchful. Settlers farm by day and keep their rifles near, because raids from across the river are always possible.
Betty is quick, bright and full of fun. She dresses and speaks like a city girl, and the settlers notice. She also has a stubborn will, and she is not shy about using it. Her brother Colonel Ebenezer Zane is a strong figure in the settlement, and the family is known to everyone around.
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What is Betty Zane about?
It is a frontier novel about a young woman who comes home to Fort Henry at Wheeling during the American Revolution. It mixes romance, family loyalty and the danger of attack, building toward a siege of the fort.
Is Betty Zane a true story?
It is a novel, but it is based on the real Zane family and on the siege of Fort Henry in 1782. Grey invented many scenes and details, drawing on family stories about his ancestors.
Who was the real Betty Zane?
Elizabeth Zane was a member of the pioneer family that settled Wheeling. Family and local tradition say she helped carry gunpowder to the fort during a siege. Historians debate some details, and Grey adds his own.
The author
Zane Grey
1872–1939 · American Western novelist
Zane Grey (1872–1939) was an American novelist born in Zanesville, Ohio. He worked as a dentist before becoming a writer. He wrote Western novels, including Riders of the Purple Sage (1912) and The Rainbow Trail (1915). He later lived in Altadena, California, where he died in 1939.
More by Zane Grey
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