Jack London
Author
Series
Publisher
Project Gutenberg
Language
English
Description
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,...
Author
Publisher
Project Gutenberg
Language
English
Description
Elam Harnish has more money than he would ever need. As he accumulates wealth as a successful entrepreneur in the Alaskan Gold Rush, Harnish must face the challenges of the Yukon Territory. After he makes a fortune, Harnish finds himself still unsatisfied. In efforts to find a new challenge and make more money, Harnish decides to move down to the mainland of America, settling in California. However, after a group of money kings threaten to take his...
Author
Publisher
Project Gutenberg
Language
English
Description
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...
Author
Publisher
Project Gutenberg
Language
English
Description
Written by the beloved author, Jack London, The Night-Born is a compelling collection of ten short works of fiction, each featuring an interesting protagonist. The Madness of John Harned is narrated by a wealthy Ecuadorian man, who attends a bullfight with his cousin, Maria, and the American man who is in love with her, John. While they watch the event, Maria and John have a debate that eventually leads to John to make an unpredictable and unfortunate...
5) The Red One
Author
Publisher
Project Gutenberg
Language
English
Description
Told from the perspective of Bassett, an English scientist, Jack London's The Red One follows an astonishing expedition in the Solomon Islands. Originally, on a quest to collect butterflies, Bassett explores the jungle of Guadalcanal. However, the scientist finds much more than just butterflies. After being kidnapped by a cannibalistic tribe, Bassett is saved by a native woman, who leads him to her settlement. As he learns of the strange politics...
Author
Publisher
Project Gutenberg
Language
English
Description
The Jacket (1915) is a novel by American writer Jack London. A groundbreaking work of science fiction that blends elements of mysticism, The Jacket critiques the harsh reality of the American criminal justice system. The novel was inspired by the experiences of Ed Morrell, a man who spent time at San Quentin State Prison for robbing trains. Horrified by his description of "the jacket," a constricting device used to punish inmates, London wrote the...
Author
Publisher
Project Gutenberg
Language
English
Description
First published in 1904, this volume contains some of Jack London's best short stories, including: "A Relic of the Pliocene", "A Hyperborean Brew", "The Faith of Men", "Too Much Gold", "The One Thousand Dozen", "The Marriage Lit-lit", "Batard", and "The Story of Jees Uck".
Author
Publisher
Project Gutenberg
Language
English
Description
First published in 1903, "The Kempton-Wace Letters" is a novel co-written by Jack London and Anna Strunsky. Published anonymously, it constitutes a profound discourse on the philosophy of love and sex, presented as a series of letters between a young scientist and an elderly poet.
13) White Fang
Author
Language
English
Description
White Fang is part dog, part wolf--and the only one of five tiny cubs to survive. In his lonely world, he soon learns to follow the harsh law of the North--kill or be killed. But nothing in White Fang's life can prepare him for the cruel owner who buys him and turns him into a vicious killer--a pit dog forced to fight for money. Will White Fang ever know the kindness of a gentle master or will he die a fierce killer?
14) The Sea-Wolf
Author
Language
English
Appears on list
Description
Jack London's 1904 novel "The Sea Wolf" is the story of Humphrey van Weyden, an effete gentleman, who finds himself shipwrecked when the San Francisco ferry his is aboard collides with another ship in the fog. Adrift in the bay, Humphrey is rescued by Wolf Larsen, the brutish captain of a seal-hunting schooner, the "Ghost". However, his relief in being saved is short-lived, for he is soon put to work, essentially enslaved as a cabin boy forced to...
15) The iron heel
Author
Language
English
Formats
Description
Ernest Everhard, a young Revolutionary Socialist, fights against the powerful state organization known as The Iron Heel, whose goal is to crush the working class at any cost, so that he and his wife can live freely.
16) Before Adam
Author
Publisher
Project Gutenberg
Language
English
Description
With dramatic and detailed first person narration, Jack London's Before Adam follows the dreams of a young boy who has a genetically imprinted memory and knowledge of an ancestor who lived in prehistoric times. Big Tooth is a pre-human ape and is the protagonist of the young boy's dreams. He lives in a tribe that rests in the middle of two extremes. In the surrounding area, there are tribes of differing levels of development. One is primitive and...
17) South Sea tales
Author
Series
Language
English
Formats
Description
Presents a collection of stories that portray life in the South Seas.
18) Martin Eden
Author
Publisher
Project Gutenberg
Language
English
Description
Martin Eden (1909) is a novel by American writer Jack London. The book follows the tradition of the Künstlerroman, a narrative that traces the life and development of an artist, to tell the story of a young man not unlike London himself. Part fiction, part autobiography, Martin Eden examines the consequences of dreams and achievements, successes and failures, for a young artist struggling with fame. The novel is heavily influenced by London's socialist...
19) John Barleycorn
Author
Series
Publisher
Project Gutenberg
Language
English
Description
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...
Author
Publisher
Project Gutenberg
Language
English
Description
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...