Jack London has long been recognized as one of the most colorful figures in American literature. From his birth in San Francisco in 1876 until his death in 1916, he lived a life rich with experiences and emotional intensity. Factory worker at 14; able-bodied seaman at 17; hobo and convict at 18; "Boy Socialist" of Oakland at 19; Klondike argonaut at 21; the "American Kipling" at 24, renowned author, social crusader, journalist, and war correspondent at 28; world traveler and adventurer at 31; prize-winning stock-breeder and scientific farmer at 35; self-made millionaire by the time of his death at 40: the facts became a legend in London's own lifetime. In less than 20 years, London produced some 500 non-fiction pieces, 200 short stories, and 19 novels (over 50 books in all). Of these books, at least three ( The Call of the Wild, White Fang, and The Sea Wolf ) have become world classics. London is America's most widely translated authors (into more than 80 languages), and although his works have been neglected until recently by academic critics, he is finally winning recognition as a major figure in American literary history. Comprising 1,554 carefully annotated letters, this three-volume work is the first full-scale, comprehensive collection of London't correspoThe image that emerges from London's letters is of an unpretentious, often sensitive human being, extraordinarily open and sometimes brutally candid. He was capable of writing deeply moving, poetic love letters, but he was also capable, when writing to or about those he considered enemies, of a dark bitterness and vicious invective. Like most of his published work, many of his letters ware simply good reading, written with his characteristic verve and blunt wit. This edition is lavishly illustrated, including 112 photographs, most of them from the London Family albums and many published for the first time.
Author
John Griffith Chaney (1876-1916), better known as Jack London, was an American novelist, journalist, and social 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. His most famous works include The Call of the Wild and White Fang, both set in the Klondike Gold Rush, as well as the short stories, "To Build a Fire", "An Odyssey of the North", and "Love of Life". He also wrote about the South Pacific in stories such as "The Pearls of Parlay", and "The Heathen". London was part of the radical literary group, "The Crowd," in San Francisco and a passionate advocate of unionization, workers' rights, and socialism. He wrote several works dealing with these topics, such as his dystopian novel, The Iron Heel, his non-fiction exposé The People of the Abyss, War of the Classes, and Before Adam. London died November 22, 1916, in a sleeping porch in a cottage on his ranch. London's ashes were buried on his property, not far from the Wolf House. The grave is marked by a mossy boulder. The buildings and property were later preserved as Jack London State Historic Park, in Glen Ellen, California.
