The Man of the Forest

by Zane Grey

First published 1920

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4.1(2,219)

A solitary outdoorsman who has deliberately withdrawn from society is drawn back into human conflict when two young women need protection from men threatening their inheritance. His knowledge of the White Mountains and his ability to survive beyond settled country make him a formidable guardian, but helping them also means accepting responsibilities he had hoped to escape.

The novel contrasts wilderness independence with the obligations created by affection and loyalty. Ranching interests, inheritance and predatory violence bring the disputes of settled society into remote Arizona, forcing a man who trusts the forest more than people to decide whether isolation is still possible or even desirable.