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Russ Kingman : A Pictorial Life of Jack London

Jack London Research Center, Glen Ellen, California, 1979

ISBN 9780517540930

4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall. CD4 - A 2nd printing paperback book SIGNED by Becky London (Jack London's daughter) with "Sincerely, 3/24/89" written and also SIGNED and inscribed by Russ Kingman to previous owner on the half-title page in very good condition that has some chipping on the cover edges, sides and corners, reading crease on the spine, a few light stains on the page edges, light tanning and shelf wear in its original slipcase in very good condition that has some bumped corners with crack/tear, some chipping on the edges, sides and corners, light discoloration and shelf wear. Foreword by Irving Stone. Over 250 illustrations. In the entire history of American literature, no other writer has come close to the worldwide popularity and recognition attained by Jack London. Author, sailor, world adventurer, socialist agitator, gold prospector, war correspondent, self-educated scholar, worker, farmer, railroad hobo - Jack London embodied perfectly the lusty, brawling spirit of turn-of-the-century America, the America of the closing frontier and of the last generation of rugged and desperate men who sought their fortune in the wilderness. In this illustrated biography, Russ Kingman, founder of the Jack London Museum and Bookstore in Glen Ellen, California, recounts the events of London's life, drawing on ten years of research and study of original documents and letters from the author's estate, and presenting for the reader a large number of rare photographs, many of which have not appeared in print before. Here are the fabulous adventures of this vagabond-writer, beginning with his early years as a gamin of the San Francisco waterfront, examining his living as an oyster pirate, working in canneries, jute mills, and laundries for starvation wages. At the age of fifteen he became a hobo and rode the rails to see the country. At the age of twenty he hiked across the famous Chilkoot Pass to get to the Klondike gold fields. In 1904 he covered the Russo-Japanese War for the Hearst papers, and in 1912 he was on the scene again during the Mexican Revolution. In the end he had climbed out of poverty to find himself America's best-selling author, caught in the grinding struggle to maintain that position against failing health and the ever increasing demands of Wolf House, his magnificent ranch and model farm in California's Valley of the Moon. In A Pictorial Life of Jack London, Russ Kingman turns a knowledgeable and sympathetic eye on this giant of men, whose name became synonymous with adventure and toughness and concern for the underdog - qualities deeply ingrained in the American character. 10.75"x8.25", 288 pages. Satisfaction Guaranteed. Jack London (John Griffith Chaney) was an American novelist, journalist and activist. A pioneer of commercial fiction and American magazines, he was one of the first American authors to become an international celebrity and earn a large fortune from writing. He was also an innovator in the genre that would later become known as science fiction. London was part of the radical literary group "The Crowd" in San Francisco and a passionate advocate of animal rights, workers' rights and socialism. London wrote several works dealing with these topics, such as his dystopian novel The Iron Heel, his non-fiction exposé The People of the Abyss, War of the Classes, and Before Adam. His most famous works include The Call of the Wild and White Fang, both set in Alaska and the Yukon during the Klondike Gold Rush, as well as the short stories "To Build a Fire", "An Odyssey of the North", and "Love of Life". He also wrote about the South Pacific in stories such as "The Pearls of Parlay", and "The Heathen".. Book Condition: Very Good. Binding: Paperback. Jacket: No Jacket as Issued

2nd Printing
Signed by Author

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