Jack London (character)
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John Griffith London (; January 12, 1876 – November 22, 1916), better known as Jack London, was an American novelist, journalist and activist. A pioneer of commercial fiction and American magazines, he was one of the first American authors to become an international celebrity and earn a large fortune from writing. He was also an innovator in the genre that would later become known as
science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...
. London was part of the radical literary group "The Crowd" in
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and a passionate advocate of
animal welfare Animal welfare is the quality of life and overall well-being of animals. Formal standards of animal welfare vary between contexts, but are debated mostly by animal welfare groups, legislators, and academics. Animal welfare science uses measures ...
,
workers' rights Labor rights or workers' rights are both legal rights and human rights relating to labor relations between workers and employers. These rights are codified in national and international labor and employment law. In general, ...
and
socialism Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...
.Swift, John N. "Jack London's 'The Unparalleled Invasion': Germ Warfare, Eugenics, and Cultural Hygiene." American Literary Realism, vol. 35, no. 1, 2002, pp. 59–71. .Hensley, John R. "Eugenics and Social Darwinism in Stanley Waterloo's 'The Story of Ab' and Jack London's 'Before Adam.'" Studies in Popular Culture, vol. 25, no. 1, 2002, pp. 23–37. . London wrote several works dealing with these topics, such as his
dystopian novel Utopian and dystopian fiction are subgenres of speculative fiction that explore extreme forms of social and political structures. Utopian fiction portrays a setting that agrees with the author's ethos, having various attributes of another reality ...
''
The Iron Heel ''The Iron Heel'' is a dystopian and political novel in the form of science fiction by American writer Jack London, first published in 1908. Plot The main premise of the book is the rise of a socialist mass movement in the United Statesstrong ...
'', his non-fiction
exposé Expose, exposé, or exposed may refer to: News sources * Exposé (journalism), a form of investigative journalism * '' The Exposé'', a British conspiracist website * ''Exeposé'', a student-run newspaper of the University of Exeter Film and TV F ...
''
The People of the Abyss ''The People of the Abyss'' is a 1903 book by Jack London, containing his first-hand account of several weeks spent living in the Whitechapel district of the East End of London in 1902. London attempted to understand the working-class of this ...
'', ''War of the Classes'', and ''
Before Adam ''Before Adam'' is a novel by Jack London John Griffith London (; January 12, 1876 – November 22, 1916), better known as Jack London, was an American novelist, journalist and activist. A pioneer of commercial fiction and American magaz ...
''. His most famous works include ''
The Call of the Wild ''The Call of the Wild'' is an adventure novel by Jack London, published in 1903 and set in Yukon, Canada, during the 1890s Klondike Gold Rush, when strong sled dogs were in high demand. The central character of the novel is a dog named Buck. ...
'' and ''
White Fang ''White Fang'' is a novel by American author Jack London (1876–1916) about a wild wolfdog's journey to domestication in Yukon Territory and the Northwest Territories during the 1890s Klondike Gold Rush. First serialized in ''Outing'' magazin ...
'', both set in
Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...
and the
Yukon Yukon () is a Provinces and territories of Canada, territory of Canada, bordering British Columbia to the south, the Northwest Territories to the east, the Beaufort Sea to the north, and the U.S. state of Alaska to the west. It is Canada’s we ...
during the Klondike Gold Rush, as well as the short stories "
To Build a Fire "To Build a Fire" is a short story by American author Jack London. There are two versions of this story. The first one was published in 1902, and the other was published in 1908. The story written in 1908 has become an often anthologized class ...
", "An Odyssey of the North", and "Love of Life". He also wrote about the
South Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...
in stories such as "The Pearls of Parlay" and "
The Heathen "The Heathen" is a short story by the American writer Jack London. It was first published in ''Everybody's Magazine'' in August 1910, and later included in collections of stories by London, ''South Sea Tales (London collection), South Sea Tales'', ...
".


Family

Jack London was born January 12, 1876. His mother, Flora Wellman, was the fifth and youngest child of
Pennsylvania Canal The Pennsylvania Canal, sometimes known as the Pennsylvania Canal system, was a complex system of transportation infrastructure improvements, including canals, dams, Lock (water transport), locks, tow paths, Navigable aqueduct, aqueducts, and vi ...
builder Marshall Wellman and his first wife, Eleanor Garrett Jones. Marshall Wellman was descended from
Thomas Wellman Thomas Wellman was born in about 1615 in England and died at Lynn, Massachusetts, Lynn, Massachusetts on 10 October 1672. He was among the early settlers of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and progenitor of the Wellman family of New England. At age ...
, an early
Puritan The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to rid the Church of England of what they considered to be Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should b ...
settler in the
Massachusetts Bay Colony The Massachusetts Bay Colony (1628–1691), more formally the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, was an English settlement on the east coast of North America around Massachusetts Bay, one of the several colonies later reorganized as the Province of M ...
.Wellman, Joshua Wyman ''Descendants of Thomas Wellman'' (1918) Arthur Holbrook Wellman, Boston, p. 227 Flora left Ohio and moved to the Pacific coast when her father remarried after her mother died. In San Francisco, Flora worked as a music teacher and
spiritualist Spiritualism may refer to: * Spiritual church movement, a group of Spiritualist churches and denominations historically based in the African-American community * Spiritualism (beliefs), a metaphysical belief that the world is made up of at least ...
. Biographer Clarice Stasz and others believe London's father was
astrologer Astrology is a range of Divination, divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that propose that information about human affairs and terrestrial events may be discerned by studying the apparent positions ...
William Chaney. Flora Wellman was living with Chaney in San Francisco when she became pregnant. Whether Wellman and Chaney were legally married is unknown. Stasz notes that in his memoirs, Chaney refers to London's mother Flora Wellman as having been "his wife"; he also cites an advertisement in which Flora called herself "Florence Wellman Chaney". According to Flora Wellman's account, as recorded in the ''
San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. ...
'' of June 4, 1875, Chaney demanded that she have an abortion. When she refused, he disclaimed responsibility for the child. In desperation, she shot herself. She was not seriously wounded, but she was temporarily deranged. After giving birth, Flora sent the baby for wet-nursing to Virginia (Jennie) Prentiss, a neighbor and former slave. Prentiss was an important maternal figure throughout London's life, and he would later refer to her as his primary source of love and affection as a child. Late in 1876, Flora Wellman married John London, a partially disabled
Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
veteran, and brought her baby John, later known as Jack, to live with the newly married couple. The family moved around the
San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a List of regions of California, region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose, California, S ...
before settling in
Oakland Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major West Coast port, Oakland is ...
, where London completed public grade school. The Prentiss family moved with the Londons, and remained a stable source of care for the young Jack. In 1897, when he was 21 and a student at the
University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...
, London searched for and read the newspaper accounts of his mother's suicide attempt and the name of his biological father. He wrote to William Chaney, then living in Chicago. Chaney responded that he could not be London's father because he was impotent; he casually asserted that London's mother had relations with other men and averred that she had slandered him when she said he insisted on an abortion. London was devastated by his father's letter; in the months following, he quit school at Berkeley and went to the Klondike during the gold rush boom.


Early life

London was born near Third and Brannan Streets in San Francisco. The house burned down in the fire after the
1906 San Francisco earthquake At 05:12 AM Pacific Time Zone, Pacific Standard Time on Wednesday, April 18, 1906, the coast of Northern California was struck by a major earthquake with an estimated Moment magnitude scale, moment magnitude of 7.9 and a maximum Mercalli inte ...
; the
California Historical Society The California Historical Society (CHS) was the official historical society of California, until it dissolved and transferred its collections to the Stanford University Libraries in an agreement that was announced in January 2025. Founded in 1871 ...
placed a plaque at the site in 1953. Although the family was working class, it was not as impoverished as London's later accounts claimed. London was largely self-educated. In 1885, London found and read
Ouida Maria Louise Ramé (1 January 1839 – 25 January 1908), going by the name Marie Louise de la Ramée and known by the pseudonym Ouida ( ), was an English novelist. Ouida wrote more than 40 novels, as well as short stories, children's boo ...
's long
Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literatur ...
novel ''Signa''. He credited this as the seed of his literary success. In 1886, he went to the
Oakland Public Library The Oakland Public Library is the public library in Oakland, California. Opened in 1878, the Oakland Public Library currently serves the city of Oakland, along with neighboring smaller cities Emeryville and Piedmont. The Oakland Public Library ...
and found a sympathetic librarian,
Ina Coolbrith Ina Donna Coolbrith (born Josephine Donna Smith; March 10, 1841 – February 29, 1928) was an American poet, writer, librarian, and a prominent figure in the San Francisco Bay Area literary community. Called the "Sweet Singer of California", sh ...
, who encouraged his learning. (She later became California's first '' poet laureate'' and an important figure in the San Francisco literary community). In 1889, London began working 12 to 18 hours a day at Hickmott's Cannery. Seeking a way out, he borrowed money from his foster mother
Virginia Prentiss Daphne Virginia Prentiss, also known as "Jennie", "Jenny", or "Mammy Jenny" (c. 1832–November 27, 1922) was an African-American woman who was the nanny of the writer Jack London and a significant figure in his life. She was also a notable commun ...
, bought the sloop ''Razzle-Dazzle'' from an
oyster pirate 300px, Oyster pirates on the Chesapeake Bay in 1884 An oyster pirate is a person who poaches oysters. It was a term that became popular on both the West Coast of the United States and the East Coast of the United States during the 19th century ...
named French Frank, and became an oyster pirate himself. In his memoir, ''
John Barleycorn "John Barleycorn" is an England, English and Scotland, Scottish folk song. The song's protagonist is John Barleycorn, a personification of barley and of the beer made from it. In the song, he suffers indignities, attacks, and death that corres ...
'', he claims also to have stolen French Frank's mistress Mamie. After a few months, his sloop became damaged beyond repair. London hired on as a member of the California Fish Patrol. In 1893, he signed on to the sealing
schooner A schooner ( ) is a type of sailing ship, sailing vessel defined by its Rig (sailing), rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more Mast (sailing), masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than t ...
''Sophie Sutherland'', bound for the coast of Japan. When he returned, the country was in the grip of the panic of '93 and
Oakland Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major West Coast port, Oakland is ...
was swept by labor unrest. After grueling jobs in a
jute mill A jute mill is a factory for processing jute. There is evidence of jute fibre extraction dating back to the Han dynasty, with a fragment of jute paper being discovered in Dunhuang, in the Gansu Province. The first known mechanical jute mills are b ...
and a street-railway power plant, London joined
Coxey's Army Coxey's Army was a protest march by unemployed workers from the United States, led by Ohio businessman Jacob Coxey. They marched on Washington, D.C., in 1894, the second year of a four-year economic depression that was the worst in United S ...
and began his career as a
tramp A tramp is a long-term homeless person who travels from place to place as a vagrant, traditionally walking all year round. Etymology Tramp is derived from a Middle English verb meaning to "walk with heavy footsteps" (''cf.'' modern English '' ...
. In 1894, he spent 30 days for vagrancy in the Erie County Penitentiary at
Buffalo Buffalo most commonly refers to: * True buffalo or Bubalina, a subtribe of wild cattle, including most "Old World" buffalo, such as water buffalo * Bison, a genus of wild cattle, including the American buffalo * Buffalo, New York, a city in the n ...
, New York. In ''
The Road ''The Road'' is a 2006 post-apocalyptic novel by American writer Cormac McCarthy. The book details the grueling journey of a father and his young son over several months across a landscape blasted by an unspecified cataclysm that has destroyed ...
'', he wrote: After many experiences as a hobo and a sailor, he returned to Oakland and attended Oakland High School. He contributed a number of articles to the high school's magazine, ''The Aegis''. His first published work was "Typhoon off the Coast of Japan", an account of his sailing experiences. As a schoolboy, London often studied at Heinold's First and Last Chance Saloon, a port-side bar in Oakland. At 17, he confessed to the bar's owner, John Heinold, his desire to attend university and pursue a career as a writer. Heinold lent London tuition money to attend college. London desperately wanted to attend the
University of California The University of California (UC) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university, research university system in the U.S. state of California. Headquartered in Oakland, California, Oakland, the system is co ...
, located in Berkeley. In 1896, after a summer of intense studying to pass certification exams, he was admitted. Financial circumstances forced him to leave in 1897, and he never graduated. No evidence has surfaced that he ever wrote for student publications while studying at Berkeley. While at Berkeley, London continued to study and spend time at Heinold's saloon, where he was introduced to the sailors and adventurers who would influence his writing. In his autobiographical novel, ''
John Barleycorn "John Barleycorn" is an England, English and Scotland, Scottish folk song. The song's protagonist is John Barleycorn, a personification of barley and of the beer made from it. In the song, he suffers indignities, attacks, and death that corres ...
,'' London mentioned the pub's likeness seventeen times. Heinold's was the place where London met Alexander McLean, a captain known for his cruelty at sea. London based his protagonist Wolf Larsen, in the novel ''
The Sea-Wolf ''The Sea-Wolf'' is a 1904 psychological adventure novel by American writer Jack London. The book's protagonist, Humphrey Van Weyden, is a literary critic who is a survivor of an ocean collision and who comes under the dominance of Wolf Larsen, ...
,'' on McLean. Heinold's First and Last Chance Saloon is now unofficially named Jack London's Rendezvous in his honor.


Gold rush and first success

On July 12, 1897, London (age 21) and his sister's husband Captain Shepard sailed to join the Klondike Gold Rush. This was the setting for some of his first successful stories. London's time in the harsh Klondike, however, was detrimental to his health. Like so many other men who were malnourished in the goldfields, London developed
scurvy Scurvy is a deficiency disease (state of malnutrition) resulting from a lack of vitamin C (ascorbic acid). Early symptoms of deficiency include weakness, fatigue, and sore arms and legs. Without treatment, anemia, decreased red blood cells, gum d ...
. His gums became swollen, leading to the loss of his four front teeth. A constant gnawing pain affected his hip and leg muscles, and his face was stricken with marks that always reminded him of the struggles he faced in the Klondike.
Father William Judge Father William Judge (April 28, 1850 – January 16, 1899) was a Jesuit priest who, during the 1897 Klondike Gold Rush, established St. Mary's Hospital, a facility in Dawson City which provided shelter, food and any available medicine to th ...
, "The Saint of Dawson", had a facility in Dawson that provided shelter, food and any available medicine to London and others. His struggles there inspired London's short story, "
To Build a Fire "To Build a Fire" is a short story by American author Jack London. There are two versions of this story. The first one was published in 1902, and the other was published in 1908. The story written in 1908 has become an often anthologized class ...
" (1902, revised in 1908), which many critics assess as his best. His landlords in Dawson were mining engineers
Marshall Latham Bond Marshall Latham Bond was one of two brothers who were Jack London's landlords and among his employers during the autumn of 1897 and the spring of 1898 during the Klondike Gold Rush. They were the owners of the dog that London fictionalized as Bu ...
and Louis Whitford Bond, educated at the Bachelor's level at the
Sheffield Scientific School Sheffield Scientific School was founded in 1847 as a school of Yale University, Yale College in New Haven, Connecticut, for instruction in science and engineering. Originally named the Yale Scientific School, it was renamed in 1861 in honor of Jos ...
at
Yale Yale University is a private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, and one of the nine colonial colleges ch ...
and at the Master's level at
Stanford Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth governor of and th ...
, respectively. The brothers' father,
Judge Hiram Bond Hiram Bond was born May 10, 1838, in Farmersville, Cattaraugus County, New York and died in Seattle March 29, 1906. He was a corporate lawyer, investment banker and an investor in various businesses including gold mining. His family are descend ...
, was a wealthy mining investor. While the Bond brothers were at Stanford, Hiram at the suggestion of his brother bought the New Park Estate at Santa Clara as well as a local bank. The Bonds, especially Hiram, were active
Republicans Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
. Marshall Bond's diary mentions friendly sparring with London on political issues as a camp pastime. London left Oakland with a
social conscience A social conscience is "a sense of responsibility or concern for the Social issue, problems and Social justice, injustices of society". While our conscience is related to moral conduct in our day-to-day lives with respect to individuals, social c ...
and socialist leanings; he returned to become an activist for
socialism Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...
. He concluded that his only hope of escaping the work "trap" was to get an education and "sell his brains". He saw his writing as a business, his ticket out of poverty and, he hoped, as a means of beating the wealthy at their own game. On returning to California in 1898, London began working to get published, a struggle described in his novel ''
Martin Eden ''Martin Eden'' is a 1909 novel by American author Jack London about a young proletarian autodidact struggling to become a writer. It was first serialized in '' The Pacific Monthly'' magazine from September 1908 to September 1909 and then publis ...
'' (serialized in 1908, published in 1909). His first published story since high school was "To the Man On Trail", which has frequently been collected in anthologies. When ''
The Overland Monthly The ''Overland Monthly'' was a monthly literary and cultural magazine, based in California, United States. It was founded in 1868 and published between the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century. History The ...
'' offered him only five dollars for it—and was slow paying—London came close to abandoning his writing career. In his words, "literally and literarily I was saved" when '' The Black Cat'' accepted his story "A Thousand Deaths" and paid him $40—the "first money I ever received for a story". London began his writing career just as new printing technologies enabled lower-cost production of magazines. This resulted in a boom in popular magazines aimed at a wide public audience and a strong market for short fiction. In 1900, he made $2,500 in writing, about $ in today's currency. Among the works he sold to magazines was a short story known as either "Diable" (1902) or "Bâtard" (1904), two editions of the same basic story. London received $141.25 for this story on May 27, 1902. In the text, a cruel
French Canadian French Canadians, referred to as Canadiens mainly before the nineteenth century, are an ethnic group descended from French people, French colonists first arriving in Canada (New France), France's colony of Canada in 1608. The vast majority of ...
brutalizes his dog, and the dog retaliates and kills the man. London told some of his critics that man's actions are the main cause of the behavior of their animals, and he would show this famously in another story, ''
The Call of the Wild ''The Call of the Wild'' is an adventure novel by Jack London, published in 1903 and set in Yukon, Canada, during the 1890s Klondike Gold Rush, when strong sled dogs were in high demand. The central character of the novel is a dog named Buck. ...
''. In early 1903, London sold ''The Call of the Wild'' to ''
The Saturday Evening Post ''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine published six times a year. It was published weekly from 1897 until 1963, and then every other week until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely circulated and influ ...
'' for $750 and the book rights to Macmillan. Macmillan's promotional campaign propelled it to swift success. While living at his rented villa on
Lake Merritt Lake Merritt is a lake located in a large tidal lagoon basin in the center of Oakland, California, just east of Downtown. It is named after Samuel Merritt, Oakland's mayor in 1867–1869, who had the lagoon dammed turning the varying tidal lag ...
in Oakland, California, London met poet
George Sterling George Sterling (December 1, 1869 – November 17, 1926) was an American writer based in the San Francisco, California Bay Area and Carmel-by-the-Sea. He was considered a prominent poet and playwright and proponent of Bohemianism during the fir ...
; in time they became best friends. In 1902, Sterling helped London find a home closer to his own in nearby
Piedmont Piedmont ( ; ; ) is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the northwest Italy, Northwest of the country. It borders the Liguria region to the south, the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions to the east, and the Aosta Valley region to the ...
. In his letters London addressed Sterling as "Greek", owing to Sterling's
aquiline nose An aquiline nose is a human nose with a prominent bridge, giving it the appearance of being curved or slightly bent. The word ''aquiline'' comes from the Latin word ' ("eagle-like"), an allusion to the curved beak of an eagle. While some have ...
and classical profile, and he signed them as "Wolf". London was later to depict Sterling as Russ Brissenden in his autobiographical novel ''Martin Eden'' (1910) and as Mark Hall in '' The Valley of the Moon'' (1913). In later life London indulged his wide-ranging interests by accumulating a personal library of 15,000 volumes. He referred to his books as "the tools of my trade".


''The Crowd'' (literary group)

''The Crowd'' gathered at the restaurants (including Coppa's * * * ) at the old
Montgomery Block The Montgomery Block, also known as Monkey Block and Halleck's Folly, was a historic building active from 1853 to 1959, and was located in San Francisco, California. It was San Francisco's first fireproof and earthquake resistant building. It came ...
and later was a:
Bohemian group that often spent its Sunday afternoons picnicking, reading each other's latest compositions, gossiping about each other's infidelities and frolicking beneath the cherry boughs in the hills of
Piedmont Piedmont ( ; ; ) is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the northwest Italy, Northwest of the country. It borders the Liguria region to the south, the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions to the east, and the Aosta Valley region to the ...
– Alex Kershaw, historian
Formed after 1898, they met at
Xavier Martinez Xavier or Xabier may refer to: Place * Xavier, Spain People * Xavier (surname) * Xavier (given name) * Francis Xavier (1506–1552), Catholic saint ** St. Francis Xavier (disambiguation) * St. Xavier (disambiguation) * Xavier (footballer, born ...
's home on Sundays, and at Jack London's home on Wednesdays. The group usually included
George Sterling George Sterling (December 1, 1869 – November 17, 1926) was an American writer based in the San Francisco, California Bay Area and Carmel-by-the-Sea. He was considered a prominent poet and playwright and proponent of Bohemianism during the fir ...
(poet) and his wife Caroline "Carrie" E. (née Rand) Sterling,
Anna Strunsky Anna Strunsky Walling (née Strunsky; March 21, 1877 – February 25, 1964), usually known as Anna Strunsky, was an American author and advocate of socialism, known for her novels and writings on social issues and the labor movement. Born in the ...
, Herman Whitaker,
Ambrose Bierce Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce (June 24, 1842 – ) was an American short story writer, journalist, poet, and American Civil War veteran. His book '' The Devil's Dictionary'' was named one of "The 100 Greatest Masterpieces of American Literature" by the ...
, Richard Partington and his wife Blanche, Joseph Noel (dramatist, novelist and journalist),
Joaquin Miller Cincinnatus Heine Miller ( ; September 8, 1837 – February 17, 1913), better known by his pen name Joaquin Miller ( ), was an American poet, author, and frontiersman. He became known as the "Poet of the Sierras" after the Sierra Nevada, about wh ...
,
Arnold Genthe Arnold Genthe (8 January 1869 – 9 August 1942) was a German-American photographer, best known for his photographs of San Francisco's Chinatown, the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, and his portraits of noted people, from politicians and socialite ...
and the hosts, Jack London and his wife, Bessie Maddern London, and Xavier Martinez and his wife, Elsie Whitaker Martinez.


First marriage (1900–1904)

London married Elizabeth Mae (or May) "Bessie" Maddern on April 7, 1900, the same day ''The Son of the Wolf'' was published. Bess had been part of his circle of friends for a number of years. She was related to stage actresses
Minnie Maddern Fiske Minnie Maddern Fiske (born Marie Augusta Davey; December 19, 1865 – February 15, 1932), but often billed simply as Mrs. Fiske, was one of the leading American actresses of the late 19th and early 20th century. She also spearheaded the fig ...
and Emily Stevens. Stasz says, "Both acknowledged publicly that they were not marrying out of love, but from friendship and a belief that they would produce sturdy children." Kingman says, "they were comfortable together... Jack had made it clear to Bessie that he did not love her, but that he liked her enough to make a successful marriage." London met Bessie through his friend at Oakland High School, Fred Jacobs; she was Fred's fiancée. Bessie, who tutored at Anderson's University Academy in Alameda California, tutored Jack in preparation for his entrance exams for the University of California at Berkeley in 1896. Jacobs was killed aboard the ''Scandia'' in 1897, but Jack and Bessie continued their friendship, which included taking photos and developing the film together. This was the beginning of Jack's passion for photography. During the marriage, London continued his friendship with
Anna Strunsky Anna Strunsky Walling (née Strunsky; March 21, 1877 – February 25, 1964), usually known as Anna Strunsky, was an American author and advocate of socialism, known for her novels and writings on social issues and the labor movement. Born in the ...
, co-authoring '' The Kempton-Wace Letters'', an
epistolary novel An epistolary novel () is a novel written as a series of letters between the fictional characters of a narrative. The term is often extended to cover novels that intersperse other kinds of fictional document with the letters, most commonly di ...
contrasting two philosophies of love. Anna, writing "Dane Kempton's" letters, arguing for a romantic view of marriage, while London, writing "Herbert Wace's" letters, argued for a scientific view, based on
Darwinism ''Darwinism'' is a term used to describe a theory of biological evolution developed by the English naturalist Charles Darwin (1809–1882) and others. The theory states that all species of organisms arise and develop through the natural sel ...
and
eugenics Eugenics is a set of largely discredited beliefs and practices that aim to improve the genetic quality of a human population. Historically, eugenicists have attempted to alter the frequency of various human phenotypes by inhibiting the fer ...
. In the novel, his fictional character contrasted two women he had known. London's pet name for Bess was "Mother-Girl" and Bess's for London was "Daddy-Boy". Their first child, Joan, was born on January 15, 1901, and their second, Bessie "Becky" (also reported as Bess), on October 20, 1902. Both children were born in
Piedmont Piedmont ( ; ; ) is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the northwest Italy, Northwest of the country. It borders the Liguria region to the south, the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions to the east, and the Aosta Valley region to the ...
, California. Here London wrote one of his most celebrated works, ''
The Call of the Wild ''The Call of the Wild'' is an adventure novel by Jack London, published in 1903 and set in Yukon, Canada, during the 1890s Klondike Gold Rush, when strong sled dogs were in high demand. The central character of the novel is a dog named Buck. ...
.'' While London had pride in his children, the marriage was strained. Kingman says that by 1903 the couple were close to separation as they were "extremely incompatible". "Jack was still so kind and gentle with Bessie that when Cloudsley Johns was a house guest in February 1903 he didn't suspect a breakup of their marriage." London reportedly complained to friends Joseph Noel and George Sterling: Stasz writes that these were "code words for ess'sfear that ackwas consorting with prostitutes and might bring home
venereal disease A sexually transmitted infection (STI), also referred to as a sexually transmitted disease (STD) and the older term venereal disease (VD), is an infection that is spread by sexual activity, especially vaginal intercourse, anal sex, or ...
." On July 24, 1903, London told Bessie he was leaving and moved out. During 1904, London and Bess negotiated the terms of a divorce, and the decree was granted on November 11, 1904.


War correspondent (1904)

London accepted an assignment of the ''
San Francisco Examiner The ''San Francisco Examiner'' is a newspaper distributed in and around San Francisco, California, and has been published since 1863. Once self-dubbed the "Monarch of the Dailies" by then-owner William Randolph Hearst and the flagship of the He ...
'' to cover the
Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War (8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905) was fought between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and the Korean Empire. The major land battles of the war were fought on the ...
in early 1904, arriving in
Yokohama is the List of cities in Japan, second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous Municipalities of Japan, municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a popu ...
on January 25, 1904. He was arrested by Japanese authorities in
Shimonoseki file:141122 Shimonoseki City Hall Yamaguchi pref Japan01s3.jpg, 260px, Shimonoseki city hall is a Cities of Japan, city located in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 248,193 in 128,762 households and a pop ...
, but released through the intervention of American ambassador
Lloyd Griscom Lloyd Carpenter Griscom (November 4, 1872 – February 8, 1959) was an American lawyer, diplomat, and newspaper publisher. Early life Lloyd Griscom was born on November 4, 1872, at Riverton, New Jersey. He was the son of shipping magnate Clement ...
. After travelling to
Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...
, he was again arrested by Japanese authorities for straying too close to the border with
Manchuria Manchuria is a historical region in northeast Asia encompassing the entirety of present-day northeast China and parts of the modern-day Russian Far East south of the Uda (Khabarovsk Krai), Uda River and the Tukuringra-Dzhagdy Ranges. The exact ...
without official permission, and was sent back to
Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...
. Released again, London was permitted to travel with the
Imperial Japanese Army The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA; , ''Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun'', "Army of the Greater Japanese Empire") was the principal ground force of the Empire of Japan from 1871 to 1945. It played a central role in Japan’s rapid modernization during th ...
to the border, and to observe the
Battle of the Yalu The Battle of the Yalu River ( zh, t=黃海海戰, s=黄海海战, p=Huáng Hǎi Hǎizhàn; ; ) was the largest naval engagement of the First Sino-Japanese War, and took place on 17 September 1894, the day after the Japanese victory at the lan ...
. London asked
William Randolph Hearst William Randolph Hearst (; April 29, 1863 – August 14, 1951) was an American newspaper publisher and politician who developed the nation's largest newspaper chain and media company, Hearst Communications. His extravagant methods of yellow jou ...
, the owner of the ''San Francisco Examiner'', to be allowed to transfer to the
Imperial Russian Army The Imperial Russian Army () was the army of the Russian Empire, active from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was organized into a standing army and a state militia. The standing army consisted of Regular army, regular troops and ...
, where he felt that restrictions on his reporting and his movements would be less severe. However, before this could be arranged, he was arrested for a third time in four months, this time for assaulting his Japanese assistants, whom he accused of stealing the fodder for his horse. Released through the personal intervention of President
Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...
, London departed the front in June 1904.


Bohemian Club

On August 18, 1904, London went with his close friend, the poet
George Sterling George Sterling (December 1, 1869 – November 17, 1926) was an American writer based in the San Francisco, California Bay Area and Carmel-by-the-Sea. He was considered a prominent poet and playwright and proponent of Bohemianism during the fir ...
, to "Summer High Jinks" at the
Bohemian Grove The Bohemian Grove is a restricted 2,700-acre (1,100-hectare) campground in Monte Rio, California. Founded in 1878, it belongs to a private gentlemen's club known as the Bohemian Club. In mid-July each year, the Bohemian Grove hosts a more than ...
. London was elected to honorary membership in the
Bohemian Club The Bohemian Club is a private club with two locations: a city clubhouse in the Nob Hill district of San Francisco, California, and the Bohemian Grove, a retreat north of the city in Sonoma County. Founded in 1872 from a regular meeting of jour ...
and took part in many activities. Other noted members of the Bohemian Club during this time included
Ambrose Bierce Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce (June 24, 1842 – ) was an American short story writer, journalist, poet, and American Civil War veteran. His book '' The Devil's Dictionary'' was named one of "The 100 Greatest Masterpieces of American Literature" by the ...
,
Gelett Burgess Frank Gelett Burgess (January 30, 1866 – September 18, 1951) was an American artist, art critic, poet, author and humorist. He was an important figure in the San Francisco Bay Area literary renaissance of the 1890s, particularly through his ico ...
, Allan Dunn,
John Muir John Muir ( ; April 21, 1838December 24, 1914), also known as "John of the Mountains" and "Father of the national park, National Parks", was a Scottish-born American naturalist, author, environmental philosopher, botanist, zoologist, glaciologi ...
,
Frank Norris Benjamin Franklin Norris Jr. (March 5, 1870 – October 25, 1902) was an American journalist and novelist during the Progressive Era, whose fiction was predominantly in the naturalism (literature), naturalist genre. His notable works include ''M ...
, and
Herman George Scheffauer Herman George Scheffauer (February 3, 1876 – October 7, 1927) was a German-American poet, architect, writer, dramatist, journalist, and translator. San Francisco childhood Little is known about Scheffauer's youth, education and his early adult ...
. Beginning in December 1914, London worked on ''The Acorn Planter, A California Forest Play'', to be performed as one of the annual Grove Plays, but it was never selected. It was described as too difficult to set to music. London published ''The Acorn Planter'' in 1916.


Second marriage

After divorcing Maddern, London married Charmian Kittredge in 1905. London had been introduced to Kittredge in 1900 by her aunt
Netta Eames Netta Eames (September 26, 1852 – March 6, 1944) was born Ninetta Wiley, in Wisconsin on September 26, 1852. She is commonly known as Netta. She is best known as a writer and magazine editor in the late 1800s and early 1900s. As the editor o ...
, who was an editor at ''Overland Monthly'' magazine in San Francisco. The two met prior to his first marriage but became lovers years later after Jack and Bessie London visited Wake Robin, Netta Eames' Sonoma County resort, in 1903. London was injured when he fell from a buggy, and Netta arranged for Charmian to care for him. The two developed a friendship, as Charmian, Netta, her husband Roscoe, and London were politically aligned with socialist causes. At some point the relationship became romantic, and Jack divorced his wife to marry Charmian, who was five years his senior. Biographer Russ Kingman called Charmian "Jack's soul-mate, always at his side, and a perfect match." Their time together included numerous trips, including a 1907 cruise on the yacht ''
Snark Snark may refer to: Fictional creatures * Snark (Lewis Carroll), a fictional animal species in Lewis Carroll's ''The Hunting of the Snark'' (1876) * Zn'rx, a race of fictional aliens in Marvel Comics publications, commonly referred to as "Snarks ...
'' to Hawaii and Australia. Many of London's stories are based on his visits to Hawaii, the last one for 10 months beginning in December 1915. The couple also visited Goldfield, Nevada, in 1907, where they were guests of the Bond brothers, London's Dawson City landlords. The Bond brothers were working in Nevada as mining engineers. London had contrasted the concepts of the "Mother Girl" and the "Mate Woman" in ''The Kempton-Wace Letters''. His pet name for Bess had been "Mother-Girl"; his pet name for Charmian was "Mate-Woman". Charmian's aunt and foster mother, a disciple of
Victoria Woodhull Victoria Claflin Woodhull (born Victoria California Claflin; September 23, 1838 – June 9, 1927), later Victoria Woodhull Martin, was an American leader of the women's suffrage movement who ran for president of the United States in the 187 ...
, had raised her without prudishness. Every biographer alludes to Charmian's uninhibited sexuality. Joseph Noel calls the events from 1903 to 1905 "a domestic drama that would have intrigued the pen of an
Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright, poet and actor. Ibsen is considered the world's pre-eminent dramatist of the 19th century and is often referred to as "the father of modern drama." He pioneered ...
.... London's had comedy relief in it and a sort of easy-going romance." In broad outline, London was restless in his first marriage, sought extramarital sexual affairs, and found, in Charmian Kittredge, not only a sexually active and adventurous partner, but his future life-companion. They attempted to have children; one child died at birth, and another pregnancy ended in a miscarriage. In 1906, London published in ''
Collier's } ''Collier's'' was an American general interest magazine founded in 1888 by Peter F. Collier, Peter Fenelon Collier. It was launched as ''Collier's Once a Week'', then renamed in 1895 as ''Collier's Weekly: An Illustrated Journal'', shortened i ...
'' magazine his eye-witness report of the
San Francisco earthquake At 05:12 AM Pacific Standard Time on Wednesday, April 18, 1906, the coast of Northern California was struck by a major earthquake with an estimated moment magnitude of 7.9 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (''Extreme''). High-intensit ...
.


Beauty Ranch (1905–1916)

In 1905, London purchased a ranch in
Glen Ellen Glen Ellen is a census-designated place (CDP) in Sonoma Valley, Sonoma County, California, United States. The population was 784 at the 2010 census, down from 992 at the 2000 census. Glen Ellen is the location of Jack London State Historic P ...
,
Sonoma County Sonoma County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, its population was 488,863. Its seat of government and largest city is Santa Rosa. Sonoma County comprises the Santa Rosa-Petaluma ...
, California, on the eastern slope of
Sonoma Mountain Sonoma Mountain ( Coast Miwok: ''Oona-pa'is'') is a prominent landform within the Sonoma Mountains of southern Sonoma County, California. At an elevation of , Sonoma Mountain offers expansive views of the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Sono ...
. He wrote: "Next to my wife, the ranch is the dearest thing in the world to me." He desperately wanted the ranch to become a successful business enterprise. Writing, always a commercial enterprise with London, now became even more a means to an end: "I write for no other purpose than to add to the beauty that now belongs to me. I write a book for no other reason than to add three or four hundred acres to my magnificent estate." Stasz writes that London "had taken fully to heart the vision, expressed in his agrarian fiction, of the land as the closest earthly version of Eden ... he educated himself through the study of agricultural manuals and scientific tomes. He conceived of a system of ranching that today would be praised for its
ecological wisdom Ecosophy or ecophilosophy (a portmanteau of ecological philosophy) is a philosophy of ecological harmony or equilibrium. The term was coined by the French post-structuralist philosopher Félix Guattari and the Norwegian philosopher Arne Næss, f ...
." He was proud to own the first concrete
silo A silo () is a structure for storing Bulk material handling, bulk materials. Silos are commonly used for bulk storage of grain, coal, cement, carbon black, woodchips, food products and sawdust. Three types of silos are in widespread use toda ...
in California. He hoped to adapt the wisdom of Asian
sustainable agriculture Sustainable agriculture is agriculture, farming in sustainability, sustainable ways meeting society's present food and textile needs, without compromising the ability for current or future generations to meet their needs. It can be based on an ...
to the United States. He hired both Italian and Chinese stonemasons, whose distinctly different styles are obvious. The ranch was an economic failure. Sympathetic observers such as Stasz treat his projects as potentially feasible, and ascribe their failure to bad luck or to being ahead of their time. Unsympathetic historians such as
Kevin Starr Kevin Owen Starr (September 3, 1940 – January 14, 2017) was an American historian and California's state librarian, best known for his multi-volume series on the history of California, collectively called "Americans and the California Dream." ...
suggest that he was a bad manager, distracted by other concerns and impaired by his alcoholism. Starr notes that London was absent from his ranch about six months a year between 1910 and 1916 and says, "He liked the show of managerial power, but not grinding attention to detail .... London's workers laughed at his efforts to play big-time rancher nd consideredthe operation a rich man's hobby." London spent $80,000 ($ in current value) to build a stone mansion called Wolf House on the property. Just as the mansion was nearing completion, two weeks before the Londons planned to move in, it was destroyed by fire. London's last visit to Hawaii, () beginning in December 1915, lasted eight months. He met with
Duke Kahanamoku Duke Paoa Kahinu Mokoe Hulikohola Kahanamoku (August 24, 1890 – January 22, 1968) was a Hawaiian competition swimmer, lifeguard, and popularizer of the sport of surfing. A Native Hawaiian, he was born three years before the overthrow of the ...
, Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalaniana'ole,
Queen Lili'uokalani Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...
and many others, before returning to his ranch in July 1916. He was suffering from
kidney failure Kidney failure, also known as renal failure or end-stage renal disease (ESRD), is a medical condition in which the kidneys can no longer adequately filter waste products from the blood, functioning at less than 15% of normal levels. Kidney fa ...
, but he continued to work. The ranch (abutting stone remnants of Wolf House) is now a
National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...
and is protected in
Jack London State Historic Park Jack London State Historic Park, also known as Jack London Home and Ranch, is a California State Historic Park near Glen Ellen, California, United States, situated on the eastern slope of Sonoma Mountain. It includes the ruins of a house burn ...
.


Animal activism

London witnessed animal cruelty in the training of circus animals, and his subsequent novels '' Jerry of the Islands'' and '' Michael, Brother of Jerry'' included a foreword entreating the public to become more informed about this practice. In 1918, the
Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals The Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals-Angell Animal Medical Center (MSPCA-Angell) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with its main headquarters on South Huntington Avenue in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Bo ...
and the American Humane Education Society teamed up to create the Jack London Club, which sought to inform the public about cruelty to circus animals and encourage them to protest this establishment. Support from Club members led to a temporary cessation of trained animal acts at Ringling–Barnum and Bailey in 1925.


Death

London died November 22, 1916, in a
sleeping porch A sleeping porch is a Deck (building), deck or balcony, sometimes screened or otherwise enclosed with screened windows,scurvy Scurvy is a deficiency disease (state of malnutrition) resulting from a lack of vitamin C (ascorbic acid). Early symptoms of deficiency include weakness, fatigue, and sore arms and legs. Without treatment, anemia, decreased red blood cells, gum d ...
in the Klondike. Additionally, during travels on the ''Snark'', he and Charmian picked up unspecified tropical infections and diseases, including
yaws Yaws is a tropical infection of the skin, bones, and joints caused by the spirochete bacterium ''Treponema pallidum pertenue''. The disease begins with a round, hard swelling of the skin, in diameter. The center may break open and form an ulc ...
. At the time of his death, he suffered from
dysentery Dysentery ( , ), historically known as the bloody flux, is a type of gastroenteritis that results in bloody diarrhea. Other symptoms may include fever, abdominal pain, and a feeling of incomplete defecation. Complications may include dehyd ...
, late-stage alcoholism, and
uremia Uremia is the condition of having high levels of urea in the blood. Urea is one of the primary components of urine. It can be defined as an excess in the blood of amino acid and protein metabolism end products, such as urea and creatinine, which ...
; he was in extreme pain and taking
morphine Morphine, formerly also called morphia, is an opiate that is found naturally in opium, a dark brown resin produced by drying the latex of opium poppies (''Papaver somniferum''). It is mainly used as an analgesic (pain medication). There are ...
and
opium Opium (also known as poppy tears, or Lachryma papaveris) is the dried latex obtained from the seed Capsule (fruit), capsules of the opium poppy ''Papaver somniferum''. Approximately 12 percent of opium is made up of the analgesic alkaloid mor ...
, both common
over-the-counter drug Over-the-counter (OTC) drugs are medicines sold directly to a consumer without a requirement for a prescription from a healthcare professional, as opposed to prescription drugs, which may be supplied only to consumers possessing a valid pres ...
s at the time. London's ashes were buried on his property not far from the Wolf House. London's funeral took place on November 26, 1916, attended only by close friends, relatives, and workers of the property. In accordance with his wishes, he was cremated and buried next to some pioneer children, under a rock that belonged to the Wolf House. After Charmian's death in 1955, she was also cremated and then buried with her husband in the same spot that her husband chose. The grave is marked by a mossy boulder. The buildings and property were later preserved as
Jack London State Historic Park Jack London State Historic Park, also known as Jack London Home and Ranch, is a California State Historic Park near Glen Ellen, California, United States, situated on the eastern slope of Sonoma Mountain. It includes the ruins of a house burn ...
, in
Glen Ellen Glen Ellen is a census-designated place (CDP) in Sonoma Valley, Sonoma County, California, United States. The population was 784 at the 2010 census, down from 992 at the 2000 census. Glen Ellen is the location of Jack London State Historic P ...
, California.


Suicide debate

Because he was using morphine, many older sources describe London's death as a suicide, and some still do. This conjecture appears to be a rumor, or speculation based on incidents in his fiction writings. His death certificate gives the cause as
uremia Uremia is the condition of having high levels of urea in the blood. Urea is one of the primary components of urine. It can be defined as an excess in the blood of amino acid and protein metabolism end products, such as urea and creatinine, which ...
, following acute
renal colic Renal colic (literally, kidney pain), also known as ureteric colic (literally, pain in the ureters), is characterized by severe abdominal pain that is spasmodic in nature. This pain is primarily caused by an obstruction of one or both ureters fr ...
. The biographer Clarice Stasz writes, "Following London's death, for a number of reasons, a biographical myth developed in which he has been portrayed as an alcoholic womanizer who committed suicide. Recent scholarship based upon firsthand documents challenges this caricature." Most biographers, including Russ Kingman, now agree he died of uremia aggravated by an accidental morphine overdose. London's fiction features several suicides. In his autobiographical memoir ''
John Barleycorn "John Barleycorn" is an England, English and Scotland, Scottish folk song. The song's protagonist is John Barleycorn, a personification of barley and of the beer made from it. In the song, he suffers indignities, attacks, and death that corres ...
'', he claims, as a youth, to have drunkenly stumbled overboard into the
San Francisco Bay San Francisco Bay (Chochenyo language, Chochenyo: 'ommu) is a large tidal estuary in the United States, U.S. state of California, and gives its name to the San Francisco Bay Area. It is dominated by the cities of San Francisco, California, San ...
, "some maundering fancy of going out with the tide suddenly obsessed me." He said he drifted and nearly succeeded in drowning before sobering up and being rescued by fishermen. In the dénouement of ''
The Little Lady of the Big House ''The Little Lady of the Big House'' (1915) is a novel by American writer Jack London. It was his last novel to be published during his lifetime. Plot The story concerns a love triangle. The protagonist, Dick Forrest, is a rancher with a poetic ...
'', the heroine, confronted by the pain of a mortal gunshot wound, undergoes a physician-assisted suicide by morphine. Also, in ''
Martin Eden ''Martin Eden'' is a 1909 novel by American author Jack London about a young proletarian autodidact struggling to become a writer. It was first serialized in '' The Pacific Monthly'' magazine from September 1908 to September 1909 and then publis ...
'', the principal protagonist, who shares certain characteristics with London, drowns himself.


Plagiarism accusations

London was vulnerable to accusations of plagiarism, both because he was such a conspicuous, prolific, and successful writer and because of his methods of working. He wrote in a letter to Elwyn Hoffman, "expression, you see—with me—is far easier than invention." He purchased plots and novels from the young
Sinclair Lewis Harry Sinclair Lewis (February 7, 1885 – January 10, 1951) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and playwright. In 1930 Nobel Prize in Literature, 1930, he became the first author from the United States (and the first from the America ...
and used incidents from newspaper clippings as writing material. In July 1901, two pieces of fiction appeared within the same month: London's "
Moon-Face "Moon-Face" is a short story by Jack London, first published in 1902. It explores the subject of extreme antipathy. Plot summary The story follows the unnamed protagonist and his irrational hatred of John Claverhouse, a man with a "moon-face" ...
", in the ''San Francisco Argonaut,'' and
Frank Norris Benjamin Franklin Norris Jr. (March 5, 1870 – October 25, 1902) was an American journalist and novelist during the Progressive Era, whose fiction was predominantly in the naturalism (literature), naturalist genre. His notable works include ''M ...
' "The Passing of Cock-eye Blacklock", in ''
Century Magazine ''The Century Magazine'' was an illustrated monthly magazine first published in the United States in 1881 by The Century Company of New York City, which had been bought in that year by Roswell Smith and renamed by him after the Century Associat ...
''. Newspapers showed the similarities between the stories, which London said were "quite different in manner of treatment, utpatently the same in foundation and motive." London explained both writers based their stories on the same newspaper account. A year later, it was discovered that Charles Forrest McLean had published a fictional story also based on the same incident. Egerton Ryerson Young claimed ''
The Call of the Wild ''The Call of the Wild'' is an adventure novel by Jack London, published in 1903 and set in Yukon, Canada, during the 1890s Klondike Gold Rush, when strong sled dogs were in high demand. The central character of the novel is a dog named Buck. ...
'' (1903) was taken from Young's book ''My Dogs in the Northland'' (1902). London acknowledged using it as a source and claimed to have written a letter to Young thanking him. In 1906, the ''
New York World The ''New York World'' was a newspaper published in New York City from 1860 to 1931. The paper played a major role in the history of American newspapers as a leading national voice of the Democratic Party. From 1883 to 1911 under publisher Jo ...
'' published "deadly parallel" columns showing eighteen passages from London's short story "Love of Life" side by side with similar passages from a nonfiction article by Augustus Biddle and J. K. Macdonald, titled "Lost in the Land of the Midnight Sun". London noted the ''World'' did not accuse him of "plagiarism", but only of "identity of time and situation", to which he defiantly "pled guilty". The most serious charge of plagiarism was based on London's "The Bishop's Vision", Chapter 7 of his novel ''
The Iron Heel ''The Iron Heel'' is a dystopian and political novel in the form of science fiction by American writer Jack London, first published in 1908. Plot The main premise of the book is the rise of a socialist mass movement in the United Statesstrong ...
'' (1908). The chapter is nearly identical to an ironic essay that
Frank Harris Frank Harris (14 February 1856 – 26 August 1931) was an Irish-American editor, novelist, short story writer, journalist and publisher, who was friendly with many well-known figures of his day. Born in Ireland, he emigrated to the United State ...
published in 1901, titled "The Bishop of London and Public Morality". Harris was incensed and suggested he should receive 1/60th of the royalties from ''The Iron Heel,'' the disputed material constituting about that fraction of the whole novel. London insisted he had clipped a reprint of the article, which had appeared in an American newspaper, and believed it to be a genuine speech delivered by the
Bishop of London The bishop of London is the Ordinary (church officer), ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of London in the Province of Canterbury. By custom the Bishop is also Dean of the Chapel Royal since 1723. The diocese covers of 17 boroughs o ...
.


Views


Atheism

London was an
atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...
. He is quoted as saying, "I believe that when I am dead, I am dead. I believe that with my death I am just as much obliterated as the last mosquito you and I squashed."


Political views

London wrote from a socialist viewpoint, which is evident in his novel ''
The Iron Heel ''The Iron Heel'' is a dystopian and political novel in the form of science fiction by American writer Jack London, first published in 1908. Plot The main premise of the book is the rise of a socialist mass movement in the United Statesstrong ...
''. Neither a theorist nor an intellectual socialist, London's socialism grew out of his life experience. As London explained in his essay "How I Became a Socialist", his views were influenced by his experience with people at the bottom of the social pit. His optimism and individualism faded, and he vowed never to do more hard physical work than necessary. He wrote that his individualism was hammered out of him, and he was politically reborn. He often closed his letters "Yours for the Revolution". London joined the
Socialist Labor Party The Socialist Labor Party (SLP)"The name of this organization shall be Socialist Labor Party". Art. I, Sec. 1 of thadopted at the Eleventh National Convention (New York, July 1904; amended at the National Conventions 1908, 1912, 1916, 1920, 192 ...
in April 1896. In the same year, the ''San Francisco Chronicle'' published a story about the twenty-year-old London's giving nightly speeches in Oakland's
City Hall Park City Hall Park is a public park surrounding New York City Hall in the Civic Center of Manhattan. It was the town commons of the nascent city of New York. History 17th century David Provoost came to New Netherland as early as 1638, probab ...
, an activity he was arrested for a year later. In 1901, he left the Socialist Labor Party and joined the new
Socialist Party of America The Socialist Party of America (SPA) was a socialist political party in the United States formed in 1901 by a merger between the three-year-old Social Democratic Party of America and disaffected elements of the Socialist Labor Party of America ...
. He ran unsuccessfully as the high-profile Socialist candidate for mayor of Oakland in 1901 (receiving 245 votes) and 1905 (improving to 981 votes), toured the country lecturing on socialism in 1906, and published two collections of essays about socialism: ''War of the Classes'' (1905) and ''Revolution, and other Essays'' (1906). Stasz notes: "London regarded the
Wobblies The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), whose members are nicknamed "Wobblies", is an international labor union founded in Chicago, United States in 1905. The nickname's origin is uncertain. Its ideology combines general unionism with indu ...
as a welcome addition to the Socialist cause, although he never joined them in going so far as to recommend sabotage." Stasz mentions a personal meeting between London and
Big Bill Haywood William Dudley Haywood (February 4, 1869 – May 18, 1928), nicknamed "Big Bill", was an American labor organizer and founding member and leader of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) and a member of the executive committee of the Socia ...
in 1912. In his 1913 book ''The Cruise of the Snark'', London writes about appeals to him for membership of the ''Snarks crew from office workers and other "toilers" who longed for escape from the cities, and of being cheated by workmen. In his Glen Ellen ranch years, London felt some ambivalence toward socialism and complained about the "inefficient Italian labourers" in his employ. In 1916, he resigned from the Glen Ellen chapter of the Socialist Party. In an unflattering portrait of London's ranch days, California cultural historian
Kevin Starr Kevin Owen Starr (September 3, 1940 – January 14, 2017) was an American historian and California's state librarian, best known for his multi-volume series on the history of California, collectively called "Americans and the California Dream." ...
refers to this period as "post-socialist" and says that " ..by 1911 ..London was more bored by the class struggle than he cared to admit."
George Orwell Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950) was an English novelist, poet, essayist, journalist, and critic who wrote under the pen name of George Orwell. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to a ...
, however, identified a fascist strain in London's outlook:
But temperamentally he was very different from the majority of Marxists. With his love of violence and physical strength, his belief in 'natural aristocracy', his animal-worship and exaltation of the primitive, he had in him what one might fairly call a Fascist strain.


Electoral history


Race

London shared common concerns among many European Americans in California about Asian immigration, described as " the yellow peril"; he used the latter term as the title of a 1904 essay. This theme was also the subject of a story he wrote in 1910 called "
The Unparalleled Invasion "The Unparalleled Invasion" is a science fiction story written by American author Jack London. It was first published in ''McClure's'' in 1910. Plot summary Under the influence of Japan, China modernizes and undergoes its own version of the Mei ...
". Presented as an historical essay set in the future, the story narrates events between 1976 and 1987, in which China, with an ever-increasing population, is taking over and colonizing its neighbors with the intention of taking over the entire Earth. The western nations respond with
biological warfare Biological warfare, also known as germ warfare, is the use of biological toxins or Pathogen, infectious agents such as bacteria, viruses, insects, and Fungus, fungi with the intent to kill, harm or incapacitate humans, animals or plants as an ...
and bombard China with dozens of the most infectious diseases. On his fears about China, he admits (at the end of "The Yellow Peril"), "it must be taken into consideration that the above postulate is itself a product of Western race-egotism, urged by our belief in our own righteousness and fostered by a faith in ourselves which may be as erroneous as are most fond race fancies." By contrast, many of London's short stories are notable for their empathetic portrayal of Mexican ("The Mexican"), Asian ("The Chinago"), and Hawaiian ("Koolau the Leper") characters. London's war correspondence from the
Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War (8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905) was fought between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and the Korean Empire. The major land battles of the war were fought on the ...
, as well as his unfinished novel ''Cherry'', show he admired much about Japanese customs and capabilities. London's writings have been popular among the Japanese, some of whom believe he portrayed them positively.Jeanne Campbell Reesman, ''Jack London's Racial Lives: A Critical Biography'', University of Georgia Press, 2009, pp. 323–24 In "Koolau the Leper", London describes Koolau, who is a Hawaiian leper—and thus a very different sort of "superman" than Martin Eden—and who fights off an entire cavalry troop to elude capture, as "indomitable spiritually—a ... magnificent rebel". This character is based on Hawaiian leper Kaluaikoolau, who in 1893 revolted and resisted capture from forces of the
Provisional Government of Hawaii The Provisional Government of Hawaii (abbr.: P.G.; Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ''Aupuni Kūikawā o Hawaiʻi'') was proclaimed after the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom on January 17, 1893, by the 13-member Committee of Safety (Hawaii), Co ...
in the
Kalalau Valley The Kalalau Valley is located on the northwest side of the island of Kauai in the state of Hawaii. The valley is located in the Nā Pali Coast State Park and houses the Kalalau Beach. The Nā Pali Coast is rugged and is inaccessible to automobi ...
. Those who defend London against charges of racism cite the letter he wrote to the ''Japanese-American Commercial Weekly'' in 1913: In 1996, after the
City of Whitehorse The City of Whitehorse is a Local government areas of Victoria, local government area in Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne. It has an area of and an estimated residential population of 183,462 as o ...
,
Yukon Yukon () is a Provinces and territories of Canada, territory of Canada, bordering British Columbia to the south, the Northwest Territories to the east, the Beaufort Sea to the north, and the U.S. state of Alaska to the west. It is Canada’s we ...
, renamed a street in honor of London, protests over London's alleged racism forced the city to change the name of "Jack London Boulevard" back to "Two-mile Hill". Shortly after boxer Jack Johnson was crowned the first black world heavyweight champ in 1908, London pleaded for a white candidate to come forward to defeat Johnson.
Nat Fleischer Nathaniel Stanley Fleischer (November 3, 1887 – June 25, 1972) was a noted American boxing writer and collector. Career Fleischer was born in New York City. After he graduated from City College of New York in 1908, Fleischer worked for the ''N ...
, a boxing writer, reported that London told Jim Jeffries: "it's up to you, to save the white race." The phrase about saving the "white race" was an embellishment by Fleischer, but it is clear from London's writings that he preferred that a white boxer win the title of champion. The term "great white hope" in boxing is often attributed to London, but it was first used in contexts outside of boxing in the 19th century, and in the 1960s to refer to Jeffries.


Eugenics

With other modernist writers of the day, London supported
eugenics Eugenics is a set of largely discredited beliefs and practices that aim to improve the genetic quality of a human population. Historically, eugenicists have attempted to alter the frequency of various human phenotypes by inhibiting the fer ...
. The notion of "good breeding" complemented the Progressive era scientism, the belief that humans assort along a hierarchy by race, religion, and ethnicity. The
Progressive Era The Progressive Era (1890s–1920s) was a period in the United States characterized by multiple social and political reform efforts. Reformers during this era, known as progressivism in the United States, Progressives, sought to address iss ...
catalog of inferiority offered basis for threats to American Anglo-Saxon racial integrity. London wrote to Frederick H. Robinson of the periodical ''Medical Review of Reviews'', stating, "I believe the future belongs to eugenics, and will be determined by the practice of eugenics." Although this led some to argue for
forced sterilization Compulsory sterilization, also known as forced or coerced sterilization, refers to any government-mandated program to involuntarily sterilize a specific group of people. Sterilization removes a person's capacity to reproduce, and is usually do ...
of criminals or those deemed
feeble-minded The term feeble-minded was used from the late 19th century in Europe, the United States, and Australasia for disorders later referred to as illnesses, deficiencies of the mind, and disabilities. At the time, ''mental deficiency'' encompassed a ...
, London did not express this extreme. His short story "
Told in the Drooling Ward Told is a village in Hajdú-Bihar county in the Northern Great Plain region of eastern Hungary. Geography Told consists of an area of and has a population Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Govern ...
" is from the viewpoint of a surprisingly astute "feebled-minded" person. Hensley argues that London's novel ''
Before Adam ''Before Adam'' is a novel by Jack London John Griffith London (; January 12, 1876 – November 22, 1916), better known as Jack London, was an American novelist, journalist and activist. A pioneer of commercial fiction and American magaz ...
'' (1906–07) reveals pro-eugenic themes. London advised his collaborator
Anna Strunsky Anna Strunsky Walling (née Strunsky; March 21, 1877 – February 25, 1964), usually known as Anna Strunsky, was an American author and advocate of socialism, known for her novels and writings on social issues and the labor movement. Born in the ...
during preparation of '' The Kempton-Wace Letters'' that he would take the role of eugenics in mating, while she would argue on behalf of romantic love. (Love won the argument.) '' The Valley of the Moon'' emphasizes the theme of "real Americans," the Anglo Saxon, yet in ''
Little Lady of the Big House ''The Little Lady of the Big House'' (1915) is a novel by American writer Jack London. It was his last novel to be published during his lifetime. Plot The story concerns a love triangle. The protagonist, Dick Forrest, is a rancher with a poetic ...
'', London is more nuanced. The protagonist's argument is not that all white men are superior, but that there are more superior ones among whites than in other races; encouraging the best in any race to mate will improve its population qualities. Living in Hawaii challenged his orthodoxy. In "My Hawaiian Aloha," London noted the liberal intermarrying of races, concluding how "little Hawaii, with its hotch potch races, is making a better demonstration than the United States."


Works


Short stories

Western writer and historian
Dale L. Walker Dale L. Walker (August 3, 1935 – December 7, 2015) was an American writer. He was born in Decatur, Illinois, but spent most of his life in El Paso, Texas. The author of twenty-three books, he also served as a television reporter, editor, new ...
writes:, The World of Jack London London's "strength of utterance" is at its height in his stories, and they are painstakingly well-constructed. "
To Build a Fire "To Build a Fire" is a short story by American author Jack London. There are two versions of this story. The first one was published in 1902, and the other was published in 1908. The story written in 1908 has become an often anthologized class ...
" is the best known of all his stories. Set in the harsh Klondike, it recounts the haphazard trek of a new arrival who has ignored an old-timer's warning about the risks of traveling alone. Falling through the ice into a creek in seventy-five-below weather, the unnamed man is keenly aware that survival depends on his untested skills at quickly building a fire to dry his clothes and warm his extremities. After publishing a tame version of this story—with a sunny outcome—in ''
The Youth's Companion ''The Youth's Companion'' (1827–1929), known in later years as simply ''The Companion—For All the Family'', was an American children's magazine that existed for over one hundred years until it finally merged with '' The American Boy'' in 19 ...
'' in 1902, London offered a second, more severe take on the man's predicament in ''
The Century Magazine ''The Century Magazine'' was an illustrated monthly magazine first published in the United States in 1881 by The Century Company of New York City, which had been bought in that year by Roswell Smith and renamed by him after the Century Associati ...
'' in 1908. Reading both provides an illustration of London's growth and maturation as a writer. As Labor (1994) observes: "To compare the two versions is itself an instructive lesson in what distinguished a great work of literary art from a good children's story." Other stories from the Klondike period include: "All Gold Canyon", about a battle between a gold
prospector Prospector may refer to: Space exploration * Prospector (spacecraft), a planned lunar probe, canceled in 1962 * ''Lunar Prospector'', a NASA spacecraft Trains * Prospector (train), a passenger train operated by the Denver & Rio Grande Western ra ...
and a
claim jumper Claim Jumper Restaurant and Saloon is an American restaurant chain with 11 locations as of October 28, 2023. The company is based in Houston, Texas. History Restaurateur Craig Nickoloff opened the first Claim Jumper in Los Alamitos, California, ...
; "
The Law of Life "The Law of Life" is a short story by the American naturalist writer Jack London. It was first published in ''McClure's Magazine'', Vol.16, March, 1901. In 1902, it was published in a collection of Jack London's stories, ''The Children of Frost'' ...
", about an aging American Indian man abandoned by his tribe and left to die; "Love of Life", about a trek by a prospector across the Canadian tundra; "To the Man on Trail," which tells the story of a prospector fleeing the Mounted Police in a sled race, and raises the question of the contrast between written law and morality; and "An Odyssey of the North," which raises questions of conditional morality, and paints a sympathetic portrait of a man of mixed White and
Aleut Aleuts ( ; (west) or (east) ) are the Indigenous people of the Aleutian Islands, which are located between the North Pacific Ocean and the Bering Sea. Both the Aleuts and the islands are politically divided between the US state of Alaska ...
ancestry. London was a
boxing Boxing is a combat sport and martial art. Taking place in a boxing ring, it involves two people – usually wearing protective equipment, such as boxing glove, protective gloves, hand wraps, and mouthguards – throwing Punch (combat), punch ...
fan and an avid amateur boxer. "A Piece of Steak" is a tale about a match between older and younger boxers. It contrasts the differing experiences of youth and age but also raises the social question of the treatment of aging workers. "The Mexican" combines boxing with a social theme, as a young Mexican endures an unfair fight and ethnic prejudice to earn money with which to aid the revolution. Several of London's stories would today be classified as science fiction. "The Unparalleled Invasion" describes
germ warfare Biological warfare, also known as germ warfare, is the use of biological toxins or infectious agents such as bacteria, viruses, insects, and fungi with the intent to kill, harm or incapacitate humans, animals or plants as an act of war. Biol ...
against China; "Goliath" is about an irresistible energy weapon; "The Shadow and the Flash" is a tale about two brothers who take different routes to achieving invisibility; "A Relic of the Pliocene" is a tall tale about an encounter of a modern-day man with a
mammoth A mammoth is any species of the extinct elephantid genus ''Mammuthus.'' They lived from the late Miocene epoch (from around 6.2 million years ago) into the Holocene until about 4,000 years ago, with mammoth species at various times inhabi ...
. "
The Red One "The Red One" is a short story by Jack London. It was first published in the October 1918 issue of '' The Cosmopolitan'', two years after London's death. The story was reprinted in the same year by MacMillan, in a collection of London's stories ...
" is a late story from a period when London was intrigued by the theories of the
psychiatrist A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry. Psychiatrists are physicians who evaluate patients to determine whether their symptoms are the result of a physical illness, a combination of physical and mental ailments or strictly ...
and writer
Jung Carl Gustav Jung ( ; ; 26 July 1875 – 6 June 1961) was a Swiss psychiatrist, psychotherapist, and psychologist who founded the school of analytical psychology. A prolific author of over 20 books, illustrator, and correspondent, Jung was a c ...
. It tells of an island tribe held in thrall by an extraterrestrial object. Some nineteen original collections of short stories were published during London's brief life or shortly after his death. There have been several posthumous anthologies drawn from this pool of stories. Many of these stories were located in the Klondike and the Pacific. A collection of ''
Jack London's San Francisco Stories ''Jack London's San Francisco Stories'' is an anthology of Jack London short stories set in the San Francisco Bay Area. The book was edited by Matthew Asprey. The preface is a reprint of Rodger Jacobs' 2003 essay ''Ghost Land'', a personal medit ...
'' was published in October 2010 by Sydney Samizdat Press.


Novels

London's most famous novels are ''
The Call of the Wild ''The Call of the Wild'' is an adventure novel by Jack London, published in 1903 and set in Yukon, Canada, during the 1890s Klondike Gold Rush, when strong sled dogs were in high demand. The central character of the novel is a dog named Buck. ...
'', ''
White Fang ''White Fang'' is a novel by American author Jack London (1876–1916) about a wild wolfdog's journey to domestication in Yukon Territory and the Northwest Territories during the 1890s Klondike Gold Rush. First serialized in ''Outing'' magazin ...
'', ''
The Sea-Wolf ''The Sea-Wolf'' is a 1904 psychological adventure novel by American writer Jack London. The book's protagonist, Humphrey Van Weyden, is a literary critic who is a survivor of an ocean collision and who comes under the dominance of Wolf Larsen, ...
'', ''
The Iron Heel ''The Iron Heel'' is a dystopian and political novel in the form of science fiction by American writer Jack London, first published in 1908. Plot The main premise of the book is the rise of a socialist mass movement in the United Statesstrong ...
'', and ''
Martin Eden ''Martin Eden'' is a 1909 novel by American author Jack London about a young proletarian autodidact struggling to become a writer. It was first serialized in '' The Pacific Monthly'' magazine from September 1908 to September 1909 and then publis ...
''. In a letter dated December 27, 1901, London's Macmillan publisher George Platt Brett, Sr., said "he believed Jack's fiction represented 'the very best kind of work' done in America." Critic Maxwell Geismar called ''
The Call of the Wild ''The Call of the Wild'' is an adventure novel by Jack London, published in 1903 and set in Yukon, Canada, during the 1890s Klondike Gold Rush, when strong sled dogs were in high demand. The central character of the novel is a dog named Buck. ...
'' "a beautiful prose poem"; editor Franklin Walker said that it "belongs on a shelf with ''
Walden ''Walden'' (; first published as ''Walden; or, Life in the Woods'') is an 1854 book by American transcendentalism, transcendentalist writer Henry David Thoreau. The text is a reflection upon the author's simple living in natural surroundings. T ...
'' and ''
Huckleberry Finn Huckleberry "Huck" Finn is a fictional character created by Mark Twain who first appeared in the book ''The Adventures of Tom Sawyer'' (1876) and is the protagonist and narrator of its sequel, '' Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'' (1884). He is 12 ...
''"; and novelist E.L. Doctorow called it "a mordant parable ... his masterpiece." The historian Dale L. Walker commented: Some critics have said that his novels are episodic and resemble linked short stories. Dale L. Walker writes:
Ambrose Bierce Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce (June 24, 1842 – ) was an American short story writer, journalist, poet, and American Civil War veteran. His book '' The Devil's Dictionary'' was named one of "The 100 Greatest Masterpieces of American Literature" by the ...
said of ''
The Sea-Wolf ''The Sea-Wolf'' is a 1904 psychological adventure novel by American writer Jack London. The book's protagonist, Humphrey Van Weyden, is a literary critic who is a survivor of an ocean collision and who comes under the dominance of Wolf Larsen, ...
'' that "the great thing—and it is among the greatest of things—is that tremendous creation, Wolf Larsen ... the hewing out and setting up of such a figure is enough for a man to do in one lifetime." However, he noted, "The love element, with its absurd suppressions, and impossible proprieties, is awful." ''
The Iron Heel ''The Iron Heel'' is a dystopian and political novel in the form of science fiction by American writer Jack London, first published in 1908. Plot The main premise of the book is the rise of a socialist mass movement in the United Statesstrong ...
'' is an example of a
dystopian A dystopia (lit. "bad place") is an imagined world or society in which people lead wretched, dehumanized, fearful lives. It is an imagined place (possibly state) in which everything is unpleasant or bad, typically a totalitarian or environmenta ...
novel that anticipates and influenced
George Orwell Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950) was an English novelist, poet, essayist, journalist, and critic who wrote under the pen name of George Orwell. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to a ...
's ''
Nineteen Eighty-Four ''Nineteen Eighty-Four'' (also published as ''1984'') is a dystopian novel and cautionary tale by the English writer George Orwell. It was published on 8 June 1949 by Secker & Warburg as Orwell's ninth and final completed book. Thematically ...
''.''Orwell: the Authorized Biography'' by Michael Shelden,
HarperCollins HarperCollins Publishers LLC is a British–American publishing company that is considered to be one of the "Big Five (publishers), Big Five" English-language publishers, along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group USA, Hachette, Macmi ...
London's socialist politics are explicitly on display here. ''The Iron Heel'' meets the contemporary definition of
soft science fiction Soft science fiction, or soft SF, is a category of science fiction with two different definitions, in contrast to hard science fiction. It explores the Hard and soft science, "soft" sciences (e.g. psychology, political science, sociology), as op ...
. ''
The Star Rover ''The Star Rover'' is a novel by American writer Jack London published in 1915 (published in the United Kingdom as ''The Jacket''). It is science fiction, and involves both mysticism and reincarnation. Plot summary A framing story is told in th ...
'' (1915) is also science fiction.


''Credo'' is likely by London despite doubts

London's
literary executor The literary estate of a deceased author consists mainly of the copyright and other intellectual property rights of published works, including film rights, film, translation rights, original manuscripts of published work, unpublished or partially ...
, Irving Shepard, quoted a ''Jack London Credo'' in an introduction to a 1956 collection of London stories:
I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry-rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.
The biographer Stasz notes that the passage "has many marks of London's style" but the only line that could be safely attributed to London was the first. The words Shepard quoted were from a story in the ''San Francisco Bulletin'', December 2, 1916, by journalist Ernest J. Hopkins, who visited the ranch just weeks before London's death. Stasz notes, "Even more so than today journalists' quotes were unreliable or even sheer inventions," and says no direct source in London's writings has been found. However, at least one line, according to Stasz, is authentic, being referenced by London and written in his own hand in the autograph book of Australian suffragette
Vida Goldstein Vida Jane Mary Goldstein (pron. ) (13 April 186915 August 1949) was an Women's suffrage in Australia, Australian suffragist and social reformer. She was one of four female candidates at the 1903 Australian federal election, 1903 federal election ...
:
Dear Miss Goldstein:– Seven years ago I wrote you that I'd rather be ashes than dust. I still subscribe to that sentiment. Sincerely yours, Jack London Jan. 13, 1909
In his short story "By The Turtles of Tasman", a character, defending her "ne'er-do-well grasshopperish father" to her "antlike uncle", says: "... my father has been a king. He has lived .... Have you lived merely to live? Are you afraid to die? I'd rather sing one wild song and burst my heart with it, than live a thousand years watching my digestion and being afraid of the wet. When you are dust, my father will be ashes." The last three sentences of the credo have been deemed to be an authentic quotation of Jack London by ''The Oxford Dictionary of American Quotations''. Likewise,
National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...
has ascribed the quotation to Jack London, and explained that it was published via a journalist; NPR did not question the accuracy of that reporter who first published the credo in 1916. Part of the credo was used to describe the philosophy of the fictional character
James Bond The ''James Bond'' franchise focuses on James Bond (literary character), the titular character, a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels ...
, in the
Ian Fleming Ian Lancaster Fleming (28 May 1908 – 12 August 1964) was a British writer, best known for his postwar ''James Bond'' series of spy novels. Fleming came from a wealthy family connected to the merchant bank Robert Fleming & Co., and his ...
novel '' You Only Live Twice'' (1964), and again in the movie ''
No Time to Die ''No Time to Die'' is a 2021 spy thriller film and the twenty-fifth in the List of James Bond films, ''James Bond'' series, and the fifth and final to star Daniel Craig as fictional British MI6 agent Portrayal of James Bond in film, James Bon ...
'' (2021).Harrison, Ellie.
"No Time to Die: What is the quote M uses about James Bond at the end of the film?"
''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'' (5 Oct 2021).
According to a 2021 article about that Bond movie in ''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'', "The quote was originally...by the American writer Jack London...."


Diatribe about scabs has unknown author

A short diatribe on "The Scab" is often quoted within the U.S. labor movement and frequently attributed to London. It opens: In 1913 and 1914, a number of newspapers printed the first three sentences with varying terms used instead of "scab", such as "knocker", "stool pigeon" or "scandal monger". Those newspapers did not attribute those sentences to London. This passage as given above was the subject of a 1974 Supreme Court case, ''
Letter Carriers v. Austin This is a list of all the United States Supreme Court cases from volume 418 of the ''United States Reports The ''United States Reports'' () are the official record (law reports) of the Supreme Court of the United States. They include rulings, ...
'', in which Justice
Thurgood Marshall Thoroughgood "Thurgood" Marshall (July 2, 1908 – January 24, 1993) was an American civil rights lawyer and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1967 until 1991. He was the Supreme C ...
referred to it as "a well-known piece of trade union literature, generally attributed to author Jack London". A union newsletter had published a "list of scabs", which was granted to be factual and therefore not libelous, but then went on to quote the passage as the "definition of a scab". The case turned on the question of whether the "definition" was defamatory. The court ruled that "Jack London's... 'definition of a scab' is merely rhetorical hyperbole, a lusty and imaginative expression of the contempt felt by union members towards those who refuse to join", and as such was not libelous and was protected under the First Amendment. Despite being frequently attributed to London, the passage does not appear at all in the extensive collection of his writings at
Sonoma State University Sonoma State University (SSU, Sonoma State, or Sonoma) is a public university in Sonoma County, California, United States. It is part of the California State University system. Sonoma State offers 92 bachelor's degree programs, 19 master's de ...
's website. However, in his book ''War of the Classes'', he published a 1903 speech titled "The Scab" which gave a much more balanced view of the topic:


List of publications

Source unless otherwise specified:


Novels

* ''
The Cruise of the Dazzler ''The Cruise of the Dazzler'' is an early novel by Jack London, set in his home city of San Francisco. It is considered a boy's adventure novel. In the novel, Joe Bronson, dissatisfied with his dull life at school, runs away and joins the crew o ...
'' (1902) * '' A Daughter of the Snows'' (1902) * ''
The Call of the Wild ''The Call of the Wild'' is an adventure novel by Jack London, published in 1903 and set in Yukon, Canada, during the 1890s Klondike Gold Rush, when strong sled dogs were in high demand. The central character of the novel is a dog named Buck. ...
'' (1903) * '' The Kempton-Wace Letters'' (1903)
(published anonymously, co-authored with
Anna Strunsky Anna Strunsky Walling (née Strunsky; March 21, 1877 – February 25, 1964), usually known as Anna Strunsky, was an American author and advocate of socialism, known for her novels and writings on social issues and the labor movement. Born in the ...
) * ''
The Sea-Wolf ''The Sea-Wolf'' is a 1904 psychological adventure novel by American writer Jack London. The book's protagonist, Humphrey Van Weyden, is a literary critic who is a survivor of an ocean collision and who comes under the dominance of Wolf Larsen, ...
'' (1904) * '' The Game'' (1905) * ''
White Fang ''White Fang'' is a novel by American author Jack London (1876–1916) about a wild wolfdog's journey to domestication in Yukon Territory and the Northwest Territories during the 1890s Klondike Gold Rush. First serialized in ''Outing'' magazin ...
'' (1906) * ''
Before Adam ''Before Adam'' is a novel by Jack London John Griffith London (; January 12, 1876 – November 22, 1916), better known as Jack London, was an American novelist, journalist and activist. A pioneer of commercial fiction and American magaz ...
'' (1907) * ''
The Iron Heel ''The Iron Heel'' is a dystopian and political novel in the form of science fiction by American writer Jack London, first published in 1908. Plot The main premise of the book is the rise of a socialist mass movement in the United Statesstrong ...
'' (1908) * ''
Martin Eden ''Martin Eden'' is a 1909 novel by American author Jack London about a young proletarian autodidact struggling to become a writer. It was first serialized in '' The Pacific Monthly'' magazine from September 1908 to September 1909 and then publis ...
'' (1909) * ''
Burning Daylight ''Burning Daylight'' is a novel by Jack London, published in 1910, one of the best-selling books of that year and London's best-selling book in his lifetime. The novel has been adapted for film. Plot The first part of the novel takes place in ...
'' (1910) * ''
Adventure An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme spo ...
'' (1911) * ''
The Scarlet Plague ''The Scarlet Plague'' is a post-apocalyptic fiction novel by American writer Jack London, originally published in ''The London Magazine'' in 1912. Plot summary The story takes place in 2073, sixty years after an uncontrollable epidemic, the Re ...
'' (1912) * '' A Son of the Sun'' (1912) * ''
The Abysmal Brute ''The Abysmal Brute'' is a novel by American writer Jack London, published in book form in 1913. It is a short novel, and could be regarded as a novelette. It first appeared in September 1911 in ''Popular Magazine''. In the story, a man who w ...
'' (1913) * '' The Valley of the Moon'' (1913) * '' The Mutiny of the Elsinore'' (1914) * ''
The Star Rover ''The Star Rover'' is a novel by American writer Jack London published in 1915 (published in the United Kingdom as ''The Jacket''). It is science fiction, and involves both mysticism and reincarnation. Plot summary A framing story is told in th ...
'' (1915)
(published in England as ''The Jacket'') * ''
The Little Lady of the Big House ''The Little Lady of the Big House'' (1915) is a novel by American writer Jack London. It was his last novel to be published during his lifetime. Plot The story concerns a love triangle. The protagonist, Dick Forrest, is a rancher with a poetic ...
'' (1916) * '' Jerry of the Islands'' (1917) * '' Michael, Brother of Jerry'' (1917) * '' Hearts of Three'' (1920)
(novelization of a script by Charles Goddard) * ''
The Assassination Bureau, Ltd ''The Assassination Bureau, Ltd'' is a thriller novel, begun by Jack London and finished after his death by Robert L. Fish.Pöhlmann, Sascha. ''Vote with a Bullet: Assassination in American Fiction''. Boydell & Brewer, Incorporated, 2021. 47. ...
'' (1963)
(left half-finished, completed by Robert L. Fish)


Short story collections

* ''Son of the Wolf'' (1900) * ''The God of His Fathers & Other Stories'' (1901) * ''Children of the Frost'' (1902) * ''The Faith of Men and Other Stories'' (1904) * ''Tales of the Fish Patrol'' (1906) * ''Moon-Face and Other Stories'' (1906) * ''Love of Life and Other Stories'' (1907) * '' Lost Face'' (1910) * '' South Sea Tales'' (1911) * ''When God Laughs and Other Stories'' (1911) * ''The House of Pride & Other Tales of Hawaii'' (1912) * '' Smoke Bellew'' (1912) * ''A Son of the Sun'' (1912) * ''The Night Born'' (1913) * ''The Strength of the Strong'' (1914) * ''The Turtles of Tasman'' (1916) * ''The Human Drift'' (1917) * ''The Red One'' (1918) * ''On the Makaloa Mat'' (1919) * ''Dutch Courage and Other Stories'' (1922)


Autobiographical memoirs

* ''
The Road ''The Road'' is a 2006 post-apocalyptic novel by American writer Cormac McCarthy. The book details the grueling journey of a father and his young son over several months across a landscape blasted by an unspecified cataclysm that has destroyed ...
'' (1907) * ''
The Cruise of the Snark ''The Cruise of the Snark'' is a 1911 non-fictional, illustrated book by Jack London chronicling his sailing adventure in 1907 across the south Pacific in his ketch the ''Snark''. Accompanying London on this voyage was his wife Charmian London ...
'' (1911) * ''
John Barleycorn "John Barleycorn" is an England, English and Scotland, Scottish folk song. The song's protagonist is John Barleycorn, a personification of barley and of the beer made from it. In the song, he suffers indignities, attacks, and death that corres ...
'' (1913)


Non-fiction and essays

* ''Through the Rapids on the Way to the Klondike'' (1899) * ''From Dawson to the Sea'' (1899) * ''What Communities Lose by the Competitive System'' (1900) * ''The Impossibility of War'' (1900) * ''Phenomena of Literary Evolution'' (1900) * ''A Letter to Houghton Mifflin Co.'' (1900) * ''Husky, Wolf Dog of the North'' (1900) * ''Editorial Crimes – A Protest'' (1901) * ''Again the Literary Aspirant'' (1902) * ''
The People of the Abyss ''The People of the Abyss'' is a 1903 book by Jack London, containing his first-hand account of several weeks spent living in the Whitechapel district of the East End of London in 1902. London attempted to understand the working-class of this ...
'' (1903) * ''How I Became a Socialist'' (1903) * ''War of the Classes'' (1905) * ''The Story of an Eyewitness'' (1906) * ''A Letter to Woman's Home Companion'' (1906) * "The Lepers of Molokai" in ''Woman's Home Companion'' (1908) * " The Nature Man" in ''Woman's Home Companion'' (1908) * "The High Seat of Abundance" in ''Woman's Home Companion'' (1908) * ''Revolution, and other Essays'' (1910) * ''Mexico's Army and Ours'' (1914) * ''Lawgivers'' (1914) * ''Our Adventures in Tampico'' (1914) * ''Stalking the Pestilence'' (1914) * ''The Red Game of War'' (1914) * ''The Trouble Makers of Mexico'' (1914) * ''With Funston's Men'' (1914)


Plays

* ''Theft'' (1910) * ''Daughters of the Rich: A One Act Play'' (1915) * ''The Acorn Planter: A California Forest Play'' (1916)


Poetry

* ''A Heart'' (1899) * ''Abalone Song'' (1913) * ''And Some Night'' (1914) * ''Ballade of the False Lover'' (1914) * ''Cupid's Deal'' (1913) * ''Daybreak'' (1901) * ''Effusion'' (1901) * ''George Sterling'' (1913) * ''Gold'' (1915) * ''He Chortled with Glee'' (1899) * ''He Never Tried Again'' (1912) * ''His Trip to Hades'' (1913) * ''Homeland'' (1914) * ''Hors de Saison'' (1913) * ''If I Were God'' (1899) * ''In a Year'' (1901) * ''In and Out'' (1911) * ''Je Vis en Espoir'' (1897) * ''Memory'' (1913) * ''Moods'' (1913) * ''My Confession'' (1912) * ''My Little Palmist'' (1914) * ''Of Man of the Future'' (1915) * ''Oh You Everybody's Girl'' (19) * ''On the Face of the Earth You are the One'' (1915) * ''Rainbows End'' (1914) * ''Republican Rallying Song'' (1916) * ''Sonnet'' (1901) * ''The Gift of God'' (1905) * ''The Klondyker's Dream'' (1914) * ''The Lover's Liturgy'' (1913) * ''The Mammon Worshippers'' (1911) * ''The Republican Battle-Hymn'' (1905) * ''The Return of Ulysses'' (1915) * ''The Sea Sprite and the Shooting Star'' (1916) * ''The Socialist's Dream'' (1912) * ''The Song of the Flames'' (1903) * ''The Way of War'' (1906) * ''The Worker and the Tramp'' (1911) * ''Tick! Tick! Tick!'' (1915) * ''Too Late'' (1912) * ''Weasel Thieves'' (1913) * ''When All the World Shouted my Name'' (1905) * ''Where the Rainbow Fell'' (1902) * ''Your Kiss'' (1914)


Short stories

* "Typhoon off the Coast of Japan" (November 12, 1893) * " 'Frisco Kid's' Story" (February 15, 1895) * "Sakaicho, Hona Asi and Hakadaki" (April 19, 1895) * "Night's Swim In Yeddo Bay" (May 27, 1895) * "Who Believes in Ghosts!" (October 21, 1895) * "And 'Frisco Kid Came Back" (November 4, 1895) * "One More Unfortunate" (December 18, 1895) * "O Haru" (1993; written in April 1897) * "The Mahatma's Little Joke" (1993; written in May 1897) * "The Strange Experience of a Misogynist" (1993; written between May and September 1897), originally titled "The Misogynist" * "Two Gold Bricks" (September 1897) * "The Plague Ship" (1993; written between September and December 1897) * "The Devil's Dice Box" (December 1976; written in September 1898) * "The Test: A Clondyke Wooing" (1983; written in September 1898) * "A Klondike Christmas" (1983; written in November 1898) * "A Dream Image" (1898) * "To the Man on Trail: A Klondike Christmas" (January 1899) * "
The White Silence "The White Silence" is a short story written by American author Jack London John Griffith London (; January 12, 1876 – November 22, 1916), better known as Jack London, was an American novelist, journalist and activist. A pioneer of comme ...
" (February 1899) * "The Son of the Wolf" (April 1899) * "The Men of Forty-Mile" (May 1899) * " A Thousand Deaths" (May 1899) * "An Old Soldier's Story" (May 20, 1899) * "In a Far Country" (June 1899) * "The Priestly Prerogative" (July 1899) * "The Handsome Cabin Boy" (July 1899) * "The Wife of a King" (August 1899) * "In the Time of Prince Charley" (September 1899) * "Old Baldy" (September 16, 1899) * "The Grilling of Loren Ellery" (September 24, 1899) * "The Rejuvenation of Major Rathbone" (November 1899) * "The King of Mazy May" (November 30, 1899) * "The Wisdom of the Trail" (December 1899) * "A Daughter of the Aurora" (December 24, 1899) * "Pluck and Pertinacity" (1899) * "An Odyssey of the North" (January 1900) * "A Lesson in Heraldry" (March 1900) * "The End of the Chapter" (June 9, 1900) * "Uri Bram's God" (June 24, 1900) * "Even unto Death" (July 28, 1900) * "Grit of Women" (August 1900) * "Jan the Unrepentant" (August 1900) * "The Man with the Gash" (September 1900) * "Their Alcove" (September 1900) * "Housekeeping in the Klondike" (September 16, 1900) * "The Proper 'Girlie' " (October 1900) * "Thanksgiving on Slav Creek" (November 24, 1900) * "Where the Trail Forks" (December 1900) * "The Great Interrogation" (December 1900) * "Semper Idem" (December 1900) * "A Northland Miracle" (November 4, 1926; written in 1900) * "Dutch Courage" (November 29, 1900) * "A Relic of the Pliocene" (January 12, 1901) * "
The Law of Life "The Law of Life" is a short story by the American naturalist writer Jack London. It was first published in ''McClure's Magazine'', Vol.16, March, 1901. In 1902, it was published in a collection of Jack London's stories, ''The Children of Frost'' ...
" (March 1901) * "Siwash" (March 1901) * "The Lost Poacher" (March 14, 1901) * "At the Rainbow's End" (March 24, 1901) * "The God of His Fathers" (May 1901) * "The Scorn of Woman" (May 1901) * "The Minions of Midas" (May 1901) * "Chris Farrington: Able Seaman" (May 23, 1901) * "A Hyperborean Brew" (July 1901) * "Bald Face" (September 6, 1901) * "Keesh, Son of Keesh" (January 1902) * "An Adventure in the Upper Sea" (May 1902) * "
To Build a Fire "To Build a Fire" is a short story by American author Jack London. There are two versions of this story. The first one was published in 1902, and the other was published in 1908. The story written in 1908 has become an often anthologized class ...
" (May 29, 1902, revised August 1908) * " Diable — A Dog" (June 1902), renamed ''
Bâtard "Bâtard" (English: "Bastard" or "Mongrel") is a short story by Jack London, first published in 1902 under the title "Diable — A Dog" in '' The Cosmopolitan'' before being renamed "Bâtard" in 1904. Story The story follows Black Lecl ...
'' in 1904 * "To Repel Boarders" (June 1902) * "The 'Fuzziness' of Hoockla-Heen" (July 3, 1902) * "
Moon-Face "Moon-Face" is a short story by Jack London, first published in 1902. It explores the subject of extreme antipathy. Plot summary The story follows the unnamed protagonist and his irrational hatred of John Claverhouse, a man with a "moon-face" ...
" (July 21, 1902) * "Nam-Bok, the Liar" (August 1902) * "Li Wan the Fair" (August 1902) * "The Master of Mystery" (September 1902) * "In the Forests of the North" (September 1902) * "The Sunlanders" (September 1902) * "The Death of Ligoun" (September 1902) * "The Story of Jees Uck" (September 1902) * "The Sickness of Lone Chief" (October 1902) * "The League of the Old Men" (October 4, 1902) * "Lost Face" (1902) * "In Yeddo Bay" (February 1903) * "The One Thousand Dozen" (March 1903) * "The Shadow and the Flash" (June 1903) * "The Faith of Men" (June 1903) * " The Leopard Man's Story" (August 1903) * "The Marriage of Lit-Lit" (September 1903) * "Local Color" (October 1903) * "Too Much Gold" (December 1903) * "Amateur Night" (December 1903) * "The Dominant Primordial Beast" (1903) * "Keesh, The Bear Hunter" (January 1904); often reprinted as "The Story of Keesh" * "The Banks of the Sacramento" (March 17, 1904) * "White and Yellow" (February 16, 1905) * "The King of the Greeks" (March 2, 1905) * "A Raid on the Oyster Pirates" (March 16, 1905) * "The Siege of the 'Lancashire Queen' " (March 30, 1905) * "Charley's Coup" (April 13, 1905) * "Demetrios Contos" (April 27, 1905) * "Yellow Handkerchief" (May 11, 1905) * "All Gold Cañon" (November 1905) * "Love of Life" (December 1905) * "The Sun-Dog Trail" (December 1905) * "A Nose for the King" (March 1906) * "Planchette" (June 1906) * "The Unexpected" (August 1906) * "Brown Wolf" (August 1906) * "The Apostate" (September 1906) * "Up the Slide" (October 25, 1906) * "A Wicked Woman" (November 1906) * "The White Man's Way" (November 4, 1906) * "The Wit of Porportuk" (December 1906) * "When God Laughs" (January 1907) * "Just Meat" (March 1907) * "Created He Them" (April 1907) * "Morganson's Finish" (May 1907) * "A Day's Lodging" (May 25, 1907) * "Negore the Coward" (September 1907) * "Chased by the Trail" (September 26, 1907) * "The Passing of Marcus O'Brien" (January 1908) * "Trust" (January 1908) * "That Spot" (February 1908) * "Flush of Gold" (April 1908) * "Make Westing" (April 1908) * "The Enemy of All the World" (October 1908) * "Aloha Oe" (December 1908) * "A Curious Fragment" (December 10, 1908) * "
The Dream of Debs "The Dream of Debs" is a short story by American writer Jack London, first published in the '' International Socialist Review'' in serial form in the issues of January and February 1909., accessed 21 January 2015. It was included in the collecti ...
" (January 1909) * "The House of Mapuhi" (January 1909) * "The Seed of McCoy" (April 1909) * "The Madness of John Harned" (May 1909) * "
South of the Slot "The South of the Slot" is a short story by American naturalist writer Jack London (1876–1916). It was first published in ''The Saturday Evening Post'', Vol. 181, May, 1909. In 1914, it was published by Macmillan in a collection of Jack London ...
" (May 22, 1909) * "Good-by, Jack" (June 1909) * "The Chinago" (June 26, 1909) * "The Sheriff of Kona" (August 1909) * "
The Heathen "The Heathen" is a short story by the American writer Jack London. It was first published in ''Everybody's Magazine'' in August 1910, and later included in collections of stories by London, ''South Sea Tales (London collection), South Sea Tales'', ...
" (September 1909) * "
A Piece of Steak "A Piece of Steak" was a short story written by Jack London which first appeared in the ''Saturday Evening Post'' in November 1909. It took him about half a month to write it and earned him five hundred dollars. It was re-published in the 1911 sho ...
" (November 20, 1909) * "Koolau the Leper" (December 1909) * "Mauki" (December 1909) * "The Mission of John Starhurst" (December 29, 1909); reprinted as "The Whale Tooth" * "Samuel" (1909) * "Chun An Chun" (Spring 1910) * "The Terrible Solomons" (March 1910) * "The Inevitable White Man" (May 14, 1910) * "
The Unparalleled Invasion "The Unparalleled Invasion" is a science fiction story written by American author Jack London. It was first published in ''McClure's'' in 1910. Plot summary Under the influence of Japan, China modernizes and undergoes its own version of the Mei ...
" (July 1910) * "Winged Blackmail" (September 1910) * "When the World was Young" (September 10, 1910) * "The Benefit of the Doubt" (November 12, 1910) * "Under the Deck Awnings" (November 19, 1910) * "Yah! Yah! Yah!" (December 1910) * "The House of Pride" (December 1910) * "To Kill a Man" (December 10, 1910) * "Bunches of Knuckles" (December 18, 1910) * "Goliath" (1910) * "The 'Francis Spaight' " (January 1911) * "The Hobo and the Fairy" (February 11, 1911) * "The Strength of the Strong" (March 1911) * "The Eternity of Forms" (March 1911) * "A Son of the Sun" (May 27. 1911) * "The Taste of the Meat" (June 1911) * "The Proud Goat of Aloysius Pankburn" (June 24, 1911) * "The Meat" (July 1911) * "The Night Born" (July 1911) * "War" (July 29, 1911) * "The Goat Man of Fuatino" (July 20, 1911) * "The Stampede to Squaw Creek" (August 1911) * "
The Mexican ''The Mexican'' is a 2001 American romantic crime comedy film directed by Gore Verbinski. The film stars Julia Roberts and Brad Pitt, with James Gandolfini, Bob Balaban, J. K. Simmons, and Gene Hackman in supporting roles. It tells th ...
" (August 19, 1911) * "Shorty Dreams" (September 1911) * "A Little Account with Swithin Hall" (September 2, 1911) * "A Goboto Night" (September 30, 1911) * "The Man on the Other Bank" (October 1911) * "The Pearls of Parlay" (October 14, 1911) * "The Race for Number Three" (November 1911) * "The End of the Story" (November 1911) * " The Jokers of New Gibbon" (November 11, 1911) * "By the Turtles of Tasman" (November 19, 1911) * "The Little Man" (December 1911) * "The Unmasking of the Cad" (December 23, 1911) * "The Hanging of Cultus George" (January 1912) * "The Mistake of Creation" (February 1912) * "A Flutter in Eggs" (March 1912) * "The Sea-Farmer" (March 1912) * "The Feathers of the Sun" (March 9, 1912) * "The Town-Site of Tra-Lee" (April 1912) * "Wonder of Woman" (May 1912) * "The Prodigal Father" (May 1912) * "
The Scarlet Plague ''The Scarlet Plague'' is a post-apocalyptic fiction novel by American writer Jack London, originally published in ''The London Magazine'' in 1912. Plot summary The story takes place in 2073, sixty years after an uncontrollable epidemic, the Re ...
" (June 1912) * "The Captain of the Susan Drew" (December 1, 1912) * "Samuel" (May 1913) * "The Sea-Gangsters" (November 1913) * "Told in the Drooling Ward" (June 1914) * "The Hussy" (December 1916) * "Man of Mine" (February 1917) * "Like Argus of the Ancient Times" (March 1917) * "Jerry of the Islands" (1917) * "When Alice Told Her Soul" (March 1918) * "The Princess" (June 1918) * "The Tears of Ah Kim" (July 1918) * "The Water Baby" (September 1918) * "
The Red One "The Red One" is a short story by Jack London. It was first published in the October 1918 issue of '' The Cosmopolitan'', two years after London's death. The story was reprinted in the same year by MacMillan, in a collection of London's stories ...
" (October 1918) * "In the Cave of the Dead" (November 1918) * "Shin-Bones" (1918) * "On the Makaloa Mat" (March 1919) * "The Bones of Kahekili" (July 1919) * " Whose Business Is to Live" (September 1922) * "Eyes of Asia" (September 1924)


Legacy and honors

*
Mount London Mount London, also known as Boundary Peak 100, , is a mountain on the Alaska-British Columbia boundary in the Juneau Icefield of the Boundary Ranges of the Coast Mountains, located southwest of Atlin, British Columbia on the border with Haines ...
, also known as Boundary Peak 100, on the
Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...
-
British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
boundary, in the
Boundary Ranges The Boundary Ranges, also known in the singular and as the Alaska Boundary Range, are the largest and most northerly subrange of the Coast Mountains. They begin at the Nass River, near the southern end of the Alaska Panhandle in the Canadian pro ...
of the
Coast Mountains The Coast Mountains () are a major mountain range in the Pacific Coast Ranges of western North America, extending from southwestern Yukon through the Alaska Panhandle and virtually all of the British Columbia Coast, Coast of British Columbia sout ...
of
British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
, is named for him. *
Jack London Square Jack London Square is a neighborhood on the waterfront of Oakland, California, United States. Named after the author Jack London and owned by the Port of Oakland, it is the home of stores, restaurants, hotels, Amtrak's Jack London Square st ...
on the waterfront of
Oakland Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major West Coast port, Oakland is ...
, California was named for him. * He was honored by the
United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...
with a 25¢
Great Americans series The Great Americans series is a set of definitive stamps issued by the United States Postal Service, starting on December 27, 1980, with the 19¢ stamp depicting Sequoyah, and continuing through 1999, the final stamp being the 55¢ Justin S. Mor ...
postage stamp released on January 11, 1986. *
Jack London Lake Jack London Lake () is a mountain lake located in the Yagodninsky District of Magadan Oblast, Russia. It was named in 1932 in honor of American writer, journalist and socialist activist Jack London by Russian geologist P. Skornyakov, following ...
(), a mountain lake located in the upper reaches of the
Kolyma River The Kolyma (, ; ) is a river in northeastern Siberia, whose basin covers parts of the Sakha Republic, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, and Magadan Oblast of Russia. The Kolyma is frozen to depths of several metres for about 250 days each year, b ...
in Yagodninsky district of
Magadan Oblast Magadan Oblast is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject (an oblast) of Russia. It is geographically located in the Russian Far East, Far East region of the country, and is administratively part of the Far Eastern Federal District. Magadan ...
. * Fictional portrayals of London include Michael O'Shea in the 1943 film ''
Jack London John Griffith London (; January 12, 1876 – November 22, 1916), better known as Jack London, was an American novelist, journalist and activist. A pioneer of commercial fiction and American magazines, he was one of the first American authors t ...
'',
Jeff East Jeffrey Franklin East (born October 27, 1957) is an American retired actor. Beginning his professional acting career at the age of fourteen, East is known for his portrayal of Huckleberry Finn in the United Artists feature films '' Tom Sawyer'' ...
in the 1980 film '' Klondike Fever'',
Michael Aron Michael Douglas Aron (born 22 March 1959) is a British diplomat who has been Ambassador to Kuwait, Iraq, Libya and Sudan, and Yemen. Career Aron was educated at Exeter School, Leeds University and the Polytechnic of Central London. He taugh ...
in the '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' episode Time's Arrow from 1992,
Aaron Ashmore Aaron Richard Ashmore (born October 7, 1979) is a Canadian actor. He is the identical twin brother of actor Shawn Ashmore. He is known for portraying Jimmy Olsen on ''Smallville'' (2006–2011), Steve Jinks on '' Warehouse 13'' (2011–2014), ...
in the ''
Murdoch Mysteries ''Murdoch Mysteries'' is a Canadian television drama series that premiered on Citytv on January 20, 2008, and currently airs on CBC. The series is based on characters from the ''Detective Murdoch'' novels by Maureen Jennings and stars Yannick ...
'' episode " Murdoch of the Klondike" from 2012, and
Johnny Simmons Johnny Simmons is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Dylan Baxter in ''Evan Almighty'' (2007), Chip Dove in '' Jennifer's Body'' (2009), "Young Neil" Nordegraf in '' Scott Pilgrim vs. the World'' (2010) and '' Scott Pilgrim Takes Of ...
in the 2014 miniseries '' Klondike''.


See also

*
List of celebrities who own wineries and vineyards The trend of celebrities owning wineries and vineyards is not a recent phenomenon, though it has certainly garnered more attention in today's Information Age. In ancient Greek (wine), ancient Greek and Roman (wine), Roman times, the leading phi ...


Notes


References


Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * The Jack London Online Collection * * * * * * * *


Further reading

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


External links

* * * * * *
Western American Literature Journal: Jack London

The Jack London Online Collection
Site featuring information about Jack London's life and work, and a collection of his writings. * Biographical information and writings
Jack London State Historic Park



Guide to the Jack London Papers
at
The Bancroft Library The Bancroft Library is the primary special-collections library of the University of California, Berkeley. It was acquired from its founder, Hubert Howe Bancroft, in 1905, with the proviso that it retain the name Bancroft Library in perpetuity. ...

Jack London Collection
a
Sonoma State University Library

Jack London Stories
scanned from original magazines, including the original artwork * 5 shor

from Jack London's writing at California Legacy Project *
Jack London Personal Manuscripts
* {{DEFAULTSORT:London, Jack 1876 births 1916 deaths 1906 San Francisco earthquake survivors 19th-century American short story writers 19th-century American sailors 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American short story writers 20th-century American sailors American male short story writers American psychological fiction writers Members of the Socialist Labor Party of America Military personnel from California People from Glen Ellen, California People from Piedmont, California People of the Klondike Gold Rush People of the Russo-Japanese War Socialist Party of America politicians from California United States Merchant Mariners University of California, Berkeley alumni War correspondents of the Russo-Japanese War Writers from Oakland, California Writers from San Francisco American nomads American sailors American atheists American eugenicists American male non-fiction writers American male novelists American war correspondents American travel writers Alcohol-related deaths in California Deaths from dysentery Oakland High School (Oakland, California) alumni