Jack London lived a life as dramatic as any of the heroes he created. Brilliant and self-taught, he was a hard-drinking womanizer, with an abiding interest in socialism, who died before he turned 40. In this painstakingly researched biography, already optioned for film by Disney/Touchstone, Kershaw uncovers this classic American novelist, fighter, and adventurer Buyer's Choice .
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
Alex Kershaw plunges readers into the world of Jack London by using lots of direct quotations and maintaining a fast-paced narrative--just right for dealing with an author who crammed as much action into his brief, 40-year existence (1876-1916) as can be found in his classic adventure fiction The Call of the Wild. Kershaw does justice to London's ardent socialism and pioneering efforts to protect the natural environment; his distasteful racism is acknowledged, but only briefly. This heartfelt tribute aims to kindle our admiration for "the passion and energy with which [London] lived, and which still sustains his best prose."
From Library Journal
Written with verve in a direct and emphatic style, this most recent biography of the legendary California-born adventurer and author of The Call of the Wild may prompt a reassessment of London, as its author hopes. Kershaw describes London's emotionally and materially disenfranchised early years as an oyster pirate on the San Francisco waterfront and Klondike adventurer to account for his conflicting lifelong adherence to both Darwinism and socialism. Kershaw also discusses the writer's nourishing relationship with Charmian Kittredge, London's obsessive long-distance travel, his costly attempts to create an environmentally friendly model at his Beauty Ranch, and the drinking and ill health that led up to his death at 40. Preferring living to writing, London nonetheless drove himself to write 1000 words a day. Yet this life reveals that all the money and celebrity that eventually came his way did nothing but starve London's soul, leaving him a broken man with only a reputation as a writer of dog stories. Kershaw's reassessment sees beyond the legend and examines neglected London works. Recommended for all libraries.?Charles Nash, Cottey Coll., Nevada, Mo.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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More About the Author
Alex Kershaw is the New York Times best-selling author of several popular WW11 titles. He is a British born journalist.
His work emphasizes the human face of war.
Please visit alexkershaw.com for his full bio and some great web-sites devoted to his books. He would be happy to answer any questions and sign books and help in any other way.
You can also catch up with him and his work at his facebook page - alex kershaw, author's page. He blogs at www.alexkershaw.com and provides video/images/posts on facebook.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
As passionate as London.,
By A Customer
This review is from: Jack London: A Life (Hardcover)
It was about time that someone wrote a biography that is as passionate and fast paced as Jack London himself. The biography reads like a heroic novel and does justice to his life.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
read it before you buy any other book,
By A Customer
This review is from: Jack London: A Life (Paperback)
A brilliant book because it captures the magic of London's life and reads as if he had written the book himself - fantastic stuff, and the academics should take note - this is how you bring a man and writer alive, not kill him with turgif analysis and prose. London would be proud.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Simply The Best,
By A Customer
This review is from: Jack London: A Life (Paperback)
Simply the best biography I have ever read. Jack London wrote stories that pale in comparison to the excitement and drama of his life.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
DURING HIS PREVIOUS VISIT to Hawaii, at the height of his fame, Jack had learned to surf, to ride the waves that batter the island's golden shores. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
San Francisco, New York, Beauty Ranch, John Barleycorn, Martin Eden, The Call of the Wild, George Sterling, The Sea Wolf, South Seas, Sophie Sutherland, Anna Strunsky, United States, Glen Ellen, White Fang, Wolf House, Socialist Party, John London, Valley of the Moon, Joseph Noel, Mabel Applegarth, University of California, Wolf Larsen, Barbary Coast, Cloudesley Johns, East End New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
DURING HIS PREVIOUS VISIT to Hawaii, at the height of his fame, Jack had learned to surf, to ride the waves that batter the island's golden shores. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
San Francisco, New York, Beauty Ranch, John Barleycorn, Martin Eden, The Call of the Wild, George Sterling, The Sea Wolf, South Seas, Sophie Sutherland, Anna Strunsky, United States, Glen Ellen, White Fang, Wolf House, Socialist Party, John London, Valley of the Moon, Joseph Noel, Mabel Applegarth, University of California, Wolf Larsen, Barbary Coast, Cloudesley Johns, East End New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 100
books:
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19
books
cite this book:
See all 19 books citing this book
- John Barleycorn by Jack London on 19 pages
- Martin Eden (Penguin American Library) by Jack London on 12 pages
- United States Authors Series: Jack London, Rev. Ed. (Twayne's United States Authors Series) by Earle Labor on 10 pages
- The Valley of the Moon (California Fiction) by Jack London on 10 pages
- The Sea Wolf by Jack London on 10 pages
See all 100 books this book cites
- The Road (Subterranean Lives) by Todd DePastino in Front Matter (1), Front Matter (2), and Front Matter (3)
- The Call of the Wild and Selected Stories: 100th Anniversary Edition (Signet Classics) by Jack London in Front Matter (1), Front Matter (2), and Back Matter
- The Great Earthquake and Firestorms of 1906: How San Francisco Nearly Destroyed Itself, With a New Preface by Philip L. Fradkin in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Race and the American Prospect: Essays on the Racial Realities of Our Nation and Our Time by Samuel Francis (ed.) on page 339, and page 347
- Death In Hyde Park by Robin Paige on page 79, and page 182
See all 19 books citing this book
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