"I would rather be ashes than dust!"— Jack London
Jack London
The man who wrote the wild
Jack London was born poor in San Francisco. His mother was a spiritualist, his stepfather a struggling shopkeeper. Jack worked from age 10, helping with the family. He worked in a cannery 12 hours a day, then bought a small boat and became an oyster pirate, stealing oysters from commercial beds and selling them at the docks.
Then he sailed to Japan on a sealing ship. Then he hopped freight trains across America as a hobo. Then he went to high school for one year. Then, in 1897, he joined the rush north to the Klondike gold fields in northern Canada, hoping to strike it rich. He didn't find gold, but he came back with something more valuable, stories.
Quick Facts
- Born: January 12, 1876
- From: San Francisco, California, USA
- Job: Sailor, prospector, writer
- Famous for: The Call of the Wild, White Fang, Sea Wolf
Jack London was the FIRST American to make a million dollars from his writing. He used the money to build a wild experimental ranch in California. He was a celebrity for his lifestyle as much as his books.
His Famous Stories
Read London's stories on Worldly
Jack London's stories are fast, sharp, and full of animal heroes. On Worldly, every page is adapted to your reading level.
1903Buck is a strong, gentle California dog. One day he's kidnapped, sold to gold prospectors, and forced into a Yukon sled team. He has to learn to be wild.
1906White Fang is born in the wild, part wolf, part dog. Through many owners, kind and cruel, he slowly learns to trust humans. The mirror of Call of the Wild.
His Life, Year by Year
A short, wild, productive life
Jack London packed enough adventure into 40 years for several normal lifetimes.
Born in San Francisco
John Griffith Chaney is born in San Francisco to a poor unmarried mother. She marries John London soon after, and Jack takes his stepfather's name.
Oyster pirate at 15
Jack quits his cannery job and buys a small boat. He becomes an oyster pirate, stealing oysters from commercial beds in San Francisco Bay.
Off to sea
At 17, Jack signs onto a sealing schooner bound for Japan and Siberia. He's gone for seven months.
Across America as a hobo
Jack hops freight trains across the U.S. and Canada, sometimes jailed for vagrancy. He sees how poor people really live, and it changes him.
Klondike Gold Rush
Jack joins the rush to the Klondike gold fields in northern Canada. He doesn't find gold. He gets scurvy. He survives a brutal winter. He listens to stories from prospectors and Native Americans. He gathers gold of a different kind.
His first published story
Jack sells his first short story to a magazine. He starts publishing constantly.
The Call of the Wild
Jack publishes The Call of the Wild, a short novel about a California dog named Buck who's stolen and forced into Yukon sled teams. It's an instant smash.
White Fang
Jack publishes White Fang, a kind of mirror to Call of the Wild, a wolf-dog hybrid born in the wild who slowly is tamed by humans.
He dies at 40
Jack dies at his California ranch at age 40 of kidney failure. He had written more than 50 books in just 17 years.
The Wild in His Books
Three things Jack London brought to fiction
Jack London wrote about animals and wilderness like nobody had before.
Call of the Wild · 1903
The dog as hero
Buck the dog is the main character. We see the entire story through his eyes. The dog has thoughts, instincts, loyalty, and a soul. It was revolutionary in 1903.
Klondike stories
Survival in extreme places
Jack's Yukon stories show what it's like to fight for survival in brutal cold. His writing is sharp, fast, and full of physical detail because he'd lived it himself.
White Fang · 1906
The animal-to-human bond
White Fang is part wolf, born wild, slowly tamed by humans. The book explores how trust between an animal and a person is built over time.
Wait… really?!
Six surprising things about Jack London
He was the first American writer to make a million
Jack London was the first American author to earn over a million dollars from his writing. In today's money, that's tens of millions.
He was a real oyster pirate
As a teenager, Jack bought a small sailing boat and raided commercial oyster beds in San Francisco Bay, then sold the oysters at the docks. He was called 'Prince of the Oyster Pirates' before he was 16.
He survived the Klondike Gold Rush
Jack joined the 1897 gold rush to the Klondike region of northern Canada. He didn't find gold, but he survived a brutal Yukon winter and gathered the experiences that would fuel his famous books.
He built an experimental ranch
With his book earnings, Jack bought a ranch in California and turned it into a wild experimental farm. He tried out new ideas in farming, raising pigs in concrete houses with running water, and growing eucalyptus trees.
He died very young
Jack died at age 40 of kidney failure. He'd been seriously ill for years from the diseases he'd caught during his adventures. Some historians think he may have intentionally overdosed on morphine.
He wrote over 50 books in 17 years
Jack started selling stories in 1899 and died in 1916. In those 17 years, he published 50+ books, including novels, story collections, memoirs, and political essays.
Good questions, answered
Jack London FAQ
Was Jack London a real adventurer?+
Yes, very. He worked as a cannery boy, oyster pirate, sailor on a sealing ship, hobo riding freight trains, and gold prospector in the Klondike, all before age 22. His books were written from real experience.
Are his books too violent for kids?+
The originals have some brutal moments, especially fights between dogs, and harsh wilderness scenes. The Worldly versions soften the violence and update the language for ages 9 and up.
Did he find gold?+
No! Jack joined the Klondike Gold Rush of 1897 but never struck it rich. He DID get a worse case of scurvy from poor nutrition. But he came back with stories that would make him richer than any gold strike.
What age are his books good for?+
Jack London's stories work for ages 9 and up in the Worldly adaptations. The original books have intense moments that are better for older readers.
Why is the dog in Call of the Wild called Buck?+
Just a name Jack chose. Buck was inspired partly by a real dog Jack met during his time in the Yukon. The novel is dedicated to a real dog the author owned named Brown Wolf.
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