The Weltanschauung of Jack London
By James Eden: “Jack London? Didn’t he used to write kid’s stories about dogs?” Sadly, this response to the mention of American author Jack London’s name is all too frequent. London’s legacy and reputation seems to revolve around his “doggie” books, The Call of the Wild and White Fang. Yet as with many aspects of Jack London’s life, not all is as first appears. Labelling The Call of the Wild as just a book about…
Mr Pike – 69 Years Old & Fighting Fit!
By Max Musson: I watched a short video again recently and memories of Mr Pike, the Mate on the Elsinore, from Jack London’s novel ‘Mutiny on the Elsinore’ sprang to mind. Here’s how Jack London describes Mr Pike: “… Huge he was in all conscience, broad-shouldered, heavy-boned, and, despite the profound stoop of his shoulders, fully six feet in height … a splendid figure of a man” “I stole a look at his gnarled hands. Any finger would…
In the Lives of All My Fathers
By Max Musson: Jack London 1876 – 1916, was the son of Flora Wellman a woman of Puritan stock who was deserted by her husband while London was still very young. At the age of 13 London was already working in a local canning factory, later becoming an oyster pirate, a fisheries patrolman, a student and a gold prospector during the Klondike Gold Rush. These early experiences gave London a massive amount of material upon…