In this classic collection of stories drawn from his own experiences, the author looks back on his days as a teenager aboard the fishing boats of San Francisco Bay. In the early 1900s, men of all stripes descended on these waters to plunder its rich oyster beds. To stop the run on the waters, a patrol was established. Jack London began his youthful adventures on the wrong side of the law, as an oyster pirate. But conscience and common sense got the better of him, and at the age of 16 he became a member of the Fish Patrol. Dedicated to enforcing the many laws that were passed to protect the fish, the Fish Patrol had many death-defying encounters with the pirates. These 7 short stories, based both on Jack's experiences and those of his fellow deputies, describe these incredible encounters. Includes:
- White and Yellow
- The King of the Greeks
- A Raid on the Oyster Pirates
- The Siege of the "Lancashire Queen
- Charley's Coup
- Demetrios Contos
- Yellow Handkerchief
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.
