Jan 31, 1872. Zane Grey (original name Pearl Grey), American dentist and prolific author of tales of the Old West, was born at Zanesville, Ohio. Grey wrote more than 80 books that were translated into many languages and sold more than 10 million copies. The novel Riders of the Purple Sage (1912) was the most popular. Grey died Oct 23, 1939, at Altadena, California.