Jack London

The Iron Heel (1907) is a novel by American writer Jack London. A groundbreaking work of dystopian science fiction, The Iron Heel was, inspired by London's socialist views and belief in an eventual global upheaval. Although his predictions proved wrong for the United States of the early-twentieth century, London was, recognized by such figures as George Orwell for his foresight regarding the rise of fascism in Europe. The novel is, told from the perspective...

Wrestling with the disease of alcoholism for most of his life, Jack London tells all in his autobiography John Barleycorn. Beginning with a discussion of the prohibition movement and its effects, London explores the ways that alcohol affects daily life in the Victorian era. Because there were not many forms of affordable entertainment or reliable communication, bars were the perfect spot for social activity. People were able to sit and drink, enjoying...

The Valley of the Moon (1913) is a novel by American writer Jack London. Inspired by his experiences as a working-class man and dedicated socialist, London incorporates aspects of his own biography-his interest in sailing, his life on a ranch in Sonoma County-to tell a story of hardship, hope, and perseverance. Having grown disillusioned with the labor movement, London uses the novel to advocate for sustainable agriculture and other alternatives to...

The People of the Abyss (1903) is a work of nonfiction by American writer Jack London. Written after the author spent three months living in London's poverty-stricken East End, The People of the Abyss bears witness to the difficulties faced by hundreds and thousands of people every day in one of the wealthiest nations on earth. Inspired by Friedrich Engels's The Condition of the Working Class in England (1845) and Jacob Riis's How the Other Half Lives,...

A Daughter of the Snows is Jack London's first novel. Set in the Yukon, it tells the story of Frona Welse, "a Stanford graduate and physical Valkyrie" who takes to the trail after upsetting her wealthy father's community by her forthright manner and befriending the town's prostitute. She is also torn between love for two suitors: Gregory St. Vincent, a local man who turns out to be cowardly and treacherous, and Vance Corliss, a Yale-trained mining...

This antiquarian book contains Jack London's 1911 novel, "Adventure". It tells the story of the relationship between a man who finds himself harassed by a group of cannibals on a plantation and a fierce, independent, and liberated woman who arrives at the plantation and changes everything. It is a hard-hitting exploration of slavery and colonialism set on the Solomon Islands, and was the cause of much controversy. An interesting and thought-provoking...

The House of PrideKoolau the LeperGood-bye, JackAloha OeChun Ah ChunThe Sheriff of Kona

"Tales of the Fish Patrol" is a collection of seven short stories written by Jack London. Based on his own experiences, London harks back at his teenager years spent aboard various fishing boats in San Francisco Bay during the early 1900s. At the time, the waters contained rich oyster beds, and people of all ages and creeds descended upon them for profit. Jack was one of these oyster pirates, but later had a change of conscience and become a member...

This collection of short stories shows the adventures and misadventures of the "children" alluded in the title: members of several Native-American tribes of the Canadian Arctic, Alaska and the Pacific Northwest at the turn of the XXth Century, on the backdrop of the Klondike Gold Rush amidst a harsh, unforgiving, Darwinian (red in tooth and claw indeed) Nature. The inevitable clash of civilisations brought by the coming of the gold-seeking "Sunlanders"...

The Cruise of the Snark (1911) is a work of travel literature by American writer Jack London. In 1906, after achieving early success as an author of novels and short stories, London began dreaming of the adventures of his youth. Inspired, he spent a fortune to build a 45-foot yacht complete with two sails and a 70-horsepower engine, powerful enough to carry him across the Pacific. Envisioning a seven-year journey, London and his wife Charmian set...