Jack London was born in San Francisco, California, on January 12, 1876. Even though he quit school at 14, London was a great reader. While still in his teens, he worked as a coal-shoveler, a jute mill worker, and an oyster pirate in America. And then as a seal hunter in Japan and Siberia.
Returning home from this expedition, London became a tramp and was jailed for vagrancy. In 1897, after the Gold Rush started, 21-year-old London went prospecting in Canada and Alaska. There, he learned about the lives of trappers, Indians, gold prospectors-and very importantly-sled-dogs. His experiences in the North formed the basis for many of his adventure books, especially his best-sellers, The Call of the Wild, White Fang, and The Sea Wolf.
During his 17-year writing career, London wrote 50 books, novels, and short stories in addition to newspaper articles and political essays.
By the time he was 40, London had earned a million dollars through his writing, but his own personal suffering led him to leave man’s world, just as it led Buck, his Call of the Wild dog hero. And on November 22, 1916, Jack London committed suicide. He had experienced more of life than most people, and he told the world about it in a fascinating, vigorous, and memorable style.
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