Zane Grey was an American author best known for his adventure novels and pulp fiction that glamorized the Old West. Grey became one of the first millionaire authors. He would spend part of the year traveling having adventures and the rest of the year using his experiences to create his fiction. When discussing this book Grey said: "I want to show the color and beauty of those painted cliffs and the long, brown-matted bluebell-dotted aisles in the grand forests; I want to give a suggestion of the tang of the dry, cool air; and particularly I want to throw a little light upon the life and nature of that strange character and remarkable man, Buffalo Jones."