Jack London has been a bestselling author for over one hundred years. In his short life (1876–1916), he wrote twenty-five novels, and dozens of short stories, plays, and essays. Today he is recognized as a forerunner of such literary giants as Ernest Hemingway, John Steinbeck, and Jack Kerouac. Author of a number of well-known, to say nothing of well-loved, stories in our literary canon (White Fang, The Call of the Wild, and The Sea Wolf, to name just three), London also worked as a day laborer, Alaskan gold rush prospector, and seaman. He was also an adventurer, journalist, celebrity, polemicist, and drunk. Illustrated throughout with drawings, facsimile pages from his works, and contemporary photographs, many taken by London himself, An Autobiography of Jack London is a revealing portrait of this complicated and fascinating man in his own words, and is largely composed of excerpts from his memoirs: The Road, John Barleycorn, and The Cruise of the Snark. More than a mere biographical summary of a man's life, An Autobiography of Jack London aims to give the reader real insight into the character and personality of this uniquely American literary icon.

"The first authorized biography of a great American novelist"--

Acclaimed novelist, editor, and critic Eric Miles Williamson, with the publication of his first book of nonfiction, establishes himself as one of the premier critics of his generation. There is no other book that resembles Oakland, Jack London, and Me. The parallels between the lives of Jack London and Eric Miles Williamson are startling: Both grew up in the same waterfront ghetto of Oakland, California; neither knew who his father was; both had insane mothers; both did menial jobs as youths and young men; both spent time homeless; both made their treks to the Northlands; both became authors; and both cannot reconcile their attitudes toward the poor, what Jack London calls "the people of the abyss." With this as a premise, Williamson examines not only the life and work of Jack London, but his own life and attitudes toward the poor, toward London, Oakland, culture and literature. A blend of autobiography, criticism, scholarship, and polemic, Oakland, Jack London, and Me is a book written not just for academics and students. Jack London remains one of the best-selling American authors in the world, and Williamson's Oakland, Jack London, and Me is as accessible as any of the works of London, his direct literary forbear and mentor.

Who was the fascinating man behind the legend? Forget all the rumors. In this book, you can read Jack¿s thoughts and ideas . . . in his own words. More insightful than an autobiography, London¿s words offer a direct glimpse into his life, mind, and spirit. His words reflect his multi-faceted personality¿direct, enthusiastic, intelligent, passionate, and at times, brutally frank. This collection of quotations¿the most comprehensive to date¿from Jack London¿s writings and letters allow us to better understand who he was¿his dreams, his doubts, and frustrations. By publishing these words, Jack London speaks for himself. In this premier edition, the first of its kind, published 85 years after his death, Jack's words speak to us, reaching out across the great "white silence" to enrich the lives of a new generation of readers. This book also contains a Chronology of Jack London¿s life . . . one of the most complete and accurate chronologies in existence!Edited by Margie Wilson, professional editor and writer for more than 30 years. Her honors include inclusion in Who¿s Who in the West, The Dictionary of International Biography, and selection as one of the ¿2000 Outstanding Women of the 20th Century¿ and one of the ¿2000 Outstanding Scholars of the 20th Century¿.