London’s Childhood

2. London’s Childhood • Born in 1876 in San Francisco, California • Raised by mother, Flora Wellman, and stepfather, John London • Childhood marked by poverty & unhappiness

3. London at age 8 with dog Rollo

4. London as a school boy

5. Became an avid reader at age 10 when an Oakland librarian encouraged him to escape his life of poverty through reading. • Bought his first sailboat at age 12—loved to sail.

7. Youth—Adventure/Responsibility • Dropped out of school at age 14 & had series of low-paying jobs: • Seaman delivered paperssweatshop worked in canneryfreight train hobo cleaned local saloon • Loved to listen to stories about the California Gold Rush of 1849

8. Forming Ideas/Attitudes • Experiences that shaped London’s life and attitudes: • -oyster pirate -seal hunter in the North Pacific -1894—arrested & jailed in Niagara Fallsfor vagrancy -adopted socialistic views • Educated self by reading in public library • Attended University of California at Berkeley • Left school after 1 year to seek his fortune in gold fields

9. Adventure • Traveled to Klondike Gold Rushin 1897 • Spent one winter at Split-Up Island, near the Stewart River • Did not find gold; had a wealth of experiences he would later use to write stories and books • Returned home to support himself and his family by publishing his writing

10. Gold DISCOVERED in the Yukon

11. Jack London outfitted to travel to the gold fields of the Klondike Gold Rush Photo actually taken in at Truckee, CA. http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/London

12. Adult Life • An avid sailor—loved his boat, the Snark http://www.parks.sonoma.net/JLStory.html

13. http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/London/jack.html Aboard the Snark with friends

14. Bess Maddern—London’s first wife • Becky and Joan London—London’s daughters http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/London/Images/

15. Charmian London Jack London’s second wife http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/London/Images

16. London owned and loved a ranch in Sonoma Valley

17. London’s Directions to his ranch at Glen Ellen

18. “Next to my wife, the ranch is the dearest thing in the world to me.” Jack London

19. The Londons at home

21. “..he was mighty good to us, and there never was a man who came here who went away hungry.” Ranch workman http://www.parks.sonoma.net/JLStory.html

22. London—the Author • Began avidly writing in 1897 • He commonly spent 15 hours a day writing • Daily quota of 1000 written words a day • Became recognized as a talented & successful writer

23. http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/London/Images

24. Jack London wrote 50 books and 1,000 articles between 1899 and 1916.

25. “The greatest story London ever told was the story he lived.” Alfred Kazin Literary critic

26. http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/London/Images

27. “By 1916, London was the highest-paid writer in the country and the most widely read American author in the world.” http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/London

30. The Londons several weeks prior to his death

31. Jack London died on November 22, 1916 at the age of 40. He had kidney failure.

34. http://www.homestead.com/wolf29/wolves.html

35. Title:The Call of the WildGenre: Realistic FictionSetting: Late 1800’s, Klondike gold rush

37. The Call of the Wild

38. He was paid three cents per word for the story, which he had shortened by 5,000 words.

39. London received a total of $2,750.00 for his work.

40. The book has never been out of print during the last one hundred years. http://www.parks.sonoma.net/JLPark.html

41. “The Call of the Wild is the greatest dog story ever written…”Carl Sandburg

43. From the time The Call of the Wild caught the imagination of the world in 1903, until his death by a stroke and heart attack in 1916,

44. his 51 books, hundreds of short stories, essays and other writings had more newspaper coverage than any other writer. http://www.parks.sonoma.net/JLPark.html

45. “I have everything to make me glad I am alive. I am filled with dreams and mysteries.” Jack London