Jack London On Adventure

by Jack London; Edited by Terry Mort

• ISBN13: 9781592286096
• ISBN10: 1592286097
• Format: Trade Book
• Copyright: 2005-05-01
• Publisher: Lyons Press

Summary

"The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time," writes Jack London, accurately proclaiming the very ingredients of his full, passionate lifestyle. Bearing a name that is now synonymous with adventure, London seemed to fear nothing, constantly stretching his comfortable limits--composing his classic short stories at one thousand words every morning, sailing across the Pacific Ocean on voyages both for pleasure and profit, horseback riding, continual entertaining at home in Glen Ellen, California, barroom socializing and debating, marrying twice, frequent lecturing, and operating a ranch--all with about four or five hours of sleep a night to make it possible. Rising from the low-income factory-worker community of West Oakland, California, London's romantic writings on adventure found at sea, or in Alaska, or in the fields and factories of California appealed to the everyman--millions of readers around the world. Here, inJack London on Adventure, are excerpts from his well-loved works, which were the result of his restless quest for experience, combined with "his observations of unalterable facts," as editor Terry Mort writes in his introduction. Lose yourself in the sheer unending quietude of the North in"White Fang"and "The White Silence"; enter into the listless, worried mind of an elder in"The League of the Old Men"; prepare to sail around the world for seven years' time alongside the author-turned-captain, himself, in "The Cruise of the Snark,"where the famed boat is built with each dollar earned from London's writings; and peek into the observations of seasoned sailors and the foolish passengers they carry in"The Sea Wolf."Mort ends with the statement, "A complex man and artist is hard to capture in a single image," but in terms of the unlikely and unknown, London's works here capture the thrill that burned in him so brightly.

Author Biography

Terry Mort is the author of The Reasonable Art of Fly Fishing, Zane Grey On Fishing, and has contributed articles to a number of outdoor magazines. Recently he has turned to fiction, with a particular interest in historical and western themes. He lives in Sonoita, Arizona.

Table of Contents

Introduction	vii
Part I: The White Silence of the North	1	(130)
from: White Fang
The Trail of the Meat	3	(9)
The She-Wolf	12	(13)
The Hunger Cry	25	(14)
from: The Son of the Wolf
In a Far Country	39	(22)
The White Silence	61	(14)
from: The Call of the Wild
For the Love of a Man	75	(18)
To Build a Fire	93	(22)
from: ``The League of the Old Men''	115	(16)
Part II: The Great Faithless Sea	131	(140)
from: The Cruise of the Snark
The Inconceivable and the Monstrous	133	(18)
Finding One's Way About	151	(14)
A Son of the Sun	165	(26)
Make Westing	191	(12)
from: The Sea Wolf
Chapter 10	203	(10)
Chapter 17	213	(18)
The Seed of McCoy	231	(40)
Sources	271	(2)
A Jack London Checklist	273

Excerpts

(from editor Terry Mort's Introduction):

"A complex man and artist is hard to capture in a single image. But one of the most apposite and appealing is the picture of Jack London sitting in the cockpit of the Snark, scudding along at a good six knots somewhere in the Pacific, miles from land. At that moment he does not know his round the world voyage will be called off in Australia, because of illness and endless difficulties. He does not know, of course, how short his life will be; his body has not yet given him any clues about that. No, the cruise is just beginning. He has finished his thousand words for the day, and the Snark is practically sailing herself. and he is hunched over a book, studying celestial navigation so that he can find his place in relation to the stars. There are struggles behind and many more struggles ahead, but at this moment, he is undoubtedly happy--happy to be teaching himself something new, happy to be leaving civilization behind, happy to be on the 'adventure path' again. "

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Excerpted from Jack London on Adventure by Jack London
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.