Jack London 1876 - 1916

Bio: Birth Jack was born on January 12, 1876. near San Francisco, CA. Was originally born John Griffith Chaney. When Jack was born, His mother was unmarried. Jack father has never been truly Identified.

Bio: Family His Mother’s name was Flora Wellman. She was a local Music teacher. Many believe that Jack’s Father may have been William Chaney. - Chaney was a lawyer, journalist, and a highly respected figure in the Astrology community. Shortly after jack was born, Flora married John London, a partially disabled Civil War veteran.

Bio: Family London's first marriage was to Bess Maddern (elizabeth) in 1900. They had two daughters, Joan and Bess. After 4 years of marriage, Jack and Bess got divoced, because He had an affair with Charmian Kittredge. Re-married in 1905 to Charmian. One child died at birth, and another pregnancy ended in a miscarriage.

BIO:Family Both children were born in Piedmont, California. Here London wrote one of his most celebrated works, The Call of the Wild Their first child, Joan, was born on January 15, 1901, and their second, Bessie (later called Becky), on October 20, 1902

Bio: Early Life At the age of 15, Jack had many part time jobs in order to help his family financially. London was born near Third and Brannan Streets in San Francisco. The house burned down in the fire after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. As a schoolboy, London often studied at Heinold's First and Last Chance, a port side bar in Oakland. At 17, he confessed to the bar's owner, John Heinold, his desire to attend University and pursue a career as a writer.

BIO:LIFE In 1905, London purchased a 1,000 acres ranch in Glen Ellen, Sonoma County, California. He desperately wanted the ranch to become a successful business enterprise. he educated himself through the study of agricultural manuals and scientific tomes. He conceived of a system of ranching that today would be praised for its ecological wisdom.

BIO:LIFE The ranch was an economic failure. Jack would leave home for six months at a time, some say he was distracted but other say that it was because he was a alcoholic. London spent $80,000 to build a 15,000-square-foot stone mansion on the property. Just as the mansion was nearing completion, two weeks before the London's planned to move in, it was destroyed by fire.

Bio: Education •Dropped out from Oakland High School at the age of 14 to help support his family • At 19, London went back to finish up High School •Wanted to become a doctor •Attended to University of California and Ohio State College •He bought a boat and became an illegal oyster pirate at San Francisco Bay •Earned the title “Prince of the Oyster Pirates” •Made a huge amount of money Realized the consequences of the lifestyle as a pirate and quitted

INFORMATION London joined the Socialist Labor Party in April 1896. In 1901, he left the Socialist Labor Party and joined the new Socialist Party of America. London wrote from a socialist viewpoint London shared common Californian concerns about Asian immigration.

How he got started: Spending the winter of 1897 in the Yukon provided the metaphorical gold for his first stories, which he began publishing in the Overland Monthly in 1899. From that point he was a highly disciplined writer, who would produce over fifty volumes of stories, novels, and political essays. London was among the most publicized figures of his day, and he used this pulpit to endorse his support of socialism, women's suffrage, and eventually, prohibition. He was among the first writers to work with the movie industry, and saw a number of his novels made into films.

How he got started His novel The Sea-Wolf became the basis for the first full-length American movie.  He was also one of the first celebrities to use his endorsement for commercial products in advertising, including dress suits and grape juice. Because he was an autodidact, London's ideas lacked consistency and precision. For example, he clearly accepted the Social Darwinism and scientific racism prevalent during his time, yet he seem troubled that the "inevitable white man," as he called him, would destroy the rich cultures of various native groups he had encountered over the years.

HOW HE GOT STARTED His socialism was fervent, but countered by his strong drive toward individualism and capitalist success. These contradictory themes in his life and writing make him a difficult figure to reduce to simple terms. London's great love became agriculture, and he often stated he wrote to support his Beauty Ranch in Glen Ellen.

Gold Rush: On July 12, 1897, London (age 21) and his sister's husband Captain Shepard sailed to join the Klondike Gold Rush. Getting the Scurvy sickness it inspired him to write how to build a fire. London left Oakland with a social conscience and socialist leanings; he returned to become an activist for socialism. He concluded that his only hope of escaping the work "trap" was to get an education and "sell his brains."

Gold Rush London was fortunate in the timing of his writing career. He started just as new printing technologies enabled lower-cost production of magazines. This resulted in a boom in popular magazines aimed at a wide public, and a strong market for short fiction. In 1900, he made $2,500 in writing, about $70,000 in current value. His career was well under way.

Gold Rush While living at his rented villa on Lake Merritt in Oakland, London met poet George Sterling and in time they became best friends. In 1902, Sterling helped London find a home closer to his own in nearby Piedmont. In later life London indulged his wide-ranging interests by accumulating a personal library of 15,000 volumes. He referred to his books as "the tools of my trade.”

Most popular works:

White fang and call Of the Wild: Summary of the novel Two men are out in the wild of the north. Their dogs disappear as they are lured by a she-wolf and eaten by the pack. They only have three bullets left and Bill, one of the men, uses them to try to save one of their dogs; he misses and is eaten with the dog. Only Henry and two dogs are left; he makes a fire, trying to drive away the wolves. They draw in close, and he is almost eaten, saved only by a company of men who were traveling nearby. Why did he write the book? Jack London had drifted from job to job. He had tried digging for gold in the Klondike. Then he started writing. He wrote about what he knew. He had lived where dogs were necessary. Wolves and dogs bred with each other. Theme? He uses naturalism as his theme. Summary of the novel: This is the story of a dog’s change from a pet to a wild animal. Buck is a pet dog in California around the time gold was discovered in California. He is stolen and sent north to become a sled dog. He has to learn how to adapt to his new environment and actually adapts quicker than he thought he would. He becomes leader of his pack and starts to become a stronger and more powerful dog. Buck starts to hear the “call of the wild” and wants to become more like a wolf or primitive dog. Although, he still finds himself attached to the human world. Once Indians kill his last owner, whom he loved very much, he makes the transformation and becomes leader of a wolf pack. Why did he write the book? Jack London spent an unsuccessful year or so looking for gold during the Klondike gold rush. As an adventurer, he returned with the seeds of his novels. What is the theme of the novel? Civilization vs. the Wild The novel traces Buck’s gradual transformation from a domesticated dog into a wild dog.

Bio:DEATH London died November 22, 1916, in a sleeping porch in a cottage on his ranch. Many older sources describe London's death as a suicide, and some still do. This conjecture appears to be a rumor, or speculation based on incidents in his fiction writings. Some people say that it was kidney failure and his alcoholism that killed him.