Zane Grey's first novel, "Betty Zane" (1903), was a fictionalized historical biography of his great grandmother, partly based on journals of his great grandfather. The Spirit of the Border (1906), his second book, in part also contained fictionalized history of his family. His next book, the "Last of the Plainsmen (1908) began to set the stage for his western novels. "The Last Trail" and the "Heritage of the Desert" followed in 1909-1910.