The People of the Abyss (Paperback)

by Jack London (Author), Micaela di Leonardo (Foreword) "BUT you can't do it, you know," friends said, to whom I applied for assistance in the matter of sinking myself down into the East..." (more)
Key Phrases: spike line, casual ward, East End, Johnny Upright, Dan Cullen (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
'No other book of mine took so much of my young heart and tears as that study of the economic degradation of the poor.' Jack London; 'At a time of heightened concern about the poor and homeless on the streets of London, the re-appearance of The People of the Abyss is to be welcomed. It is a complex text combining awkwardly a passionate critique of modern civilisation with a rhetoric of racial degeneration, but it is one that resonates disturbingly with much contemporary comment on the problem.' John Marriott, University of East London 'It is written with the smoldering anger of turn-of-the-century revolutionary socialism. There are no gray shadings in London's economic world. There is only the evil of capitalism and the saintly suffering of the poor. The rich had had their stories told in mass periodicals, and London felt it was time to let the ignored speak. He thus wrote the biographies of the people who have been exploited by imperialism and capitalism. This is the book that counters the Horatio Alger story. For every Alger, for every Rockefeller, there is a mass of sufferers whose plight enabled the speedy rise to wealth of a few. In its sociological and journalistic documentation of poverty is a call for direct action. Wealth blinds, and London makes us see. With this reprinting of London's incredibly important and readable book, Pluto Press and London remind us of how economic exploitation must always be fought, that we must always be educated in the lives of the unfortunate.' James Williams, editor and publisher of the Jack London Journal 'During my youth I walked the streets of East London, following in the footsteps of Jack London. He brought back, so movingly to this young reader, the poverty and suffering as well as the laughter and tears manifest in the outcasts and dispossessed of our locale at that time. Together with the revelations of Charles Booth, G.R. Sims et al, that book helped shatter the smug composure of Edwardian England, as well as providing a transatlantic best seller.' Professor William J. Fishman, Queen Mary and Westfield College 'In 1902, Jack London, posing as an out-of-work sailor, went underground into the belly of the beast: the slums of London's East End. With passion and vision, he used his skill as a journalist to expose the horrors of the Abyss to the world. Because of his ability to blend in with working people and put them at their ease, because he donned their clothing, and spent nights on the street--working odd jobs, sleeping in the homeless shelters--he gained an insight into the slum life which remains unique. By interweaving the personal stories of the people he encountered with political analysis, he produced a vibrant work of nonfiction, which remains relevant to this day. Consider the following: about one in five children in the U.S. live in poverty. Poverty is war, and it rages on with no end in sight, and the management is still guilty of mismanaging the wealth. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, the People of the Abyss are among us today.' Tarnel Abbott, Great-granddaughter of Jack London, Contributing Editor, Jack London International (www.jack.london.org) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Description

A facsimile of the 1903 edition, this firsthand report of the plight of the poor at the end of the 19th century in the East End of London is a powerful indictment of economic injustice in the industrialized West.

See all Editorial Reviews

---

Product Details Paperback: 388 pages Publisher: Lawrence Hill Books (June 1, 2004) Language: English ISBN-10: 1556521677 ISBN-13: 978-1556521676 Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies) Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews) Amazon.com Sales Rank: #689,636 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!

Search Inside This Book:

---

Inside This Book (learn more)

First Sentence:
"BUT you can't do it, you know," friends said, to whom I applied for assistance in the matter of sinking myself down into the East End of London. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
spike line, casual ward

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
East End, Johnny Upright, Dan Cullen, London Town, West End, East London, Mile End Road, Salvation Army, Green Park, Poplar Workhouse, United States, Thomas Mugridge, United Kingdom, Christ's Church, Coronation Day, Ellen Hughes Hunt, Leman Street, Trafalgar Square, Frank Cavilla, New World, Thames Embankment, Coronation D'y, Islington Workhouse, London County Council, Regent's Canal

New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats

Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!

Search Inside This Book:

---

Citations (learn more)

This book cites 15 books:

• The People Of The Abyss by Jack London on 8 pages
• The People of the Abyss by Jack London on 8 pages
• Call of the Wild & Other Stories Oper Intro Grade (Progress English) by Jonathan London in Front Matter
• A Child of the Jago: A Novel Set in the London Slums in the 1890s (An Academy Victorian Classic) by Arthur Morrison on page 60
• The Call of the Wild (Aladdin Classics) by Jack London in Front Matter

See all 15 books this book cites

 

100 books cite this book:

• Writing the Urban Jungle: Reading Empire in London from Doyle to Eliot by Joseph McLaughlin on 12 pages
• Death in Hyde Park (Robin Paige Victorian Mysteries, No. 10) by Robin Paige on 7 pages
• Death In Hyde Park by Robin Paige on 7 pages
• The Sea-Wolf (Oxford World's Classics (Oxford University Press).) by Jack London on 6 pages
• Walking the Victorian Streets: Women, Representation, and the City by Deborah Epstein Nord on 4 pages

See all 100 books citing this book

---

Books on Related Topics (learn more)

The Mammoth Book of Jack the Ripper by Nathan Braund

Discusses:

• casual ward
• East End
• East London

Jack London by Jack London

Discusses:

• spike line
• casual ward
• East End

The Ultimate Jack the Ripper Companion by Stewart P. Evans

Discusses:

• casual ward
• divisional surgeon
• Mile End Road

East End 1888 by William Fishman

Discusses:

• casual ward
• East End
• East London

The People Of The Abyss by Jack London

Discusses:

• spike line
• casual ward
• East End

The Mammoth Book of Jack the Ripper by Nathan Braund Discusses: casual ward East End East London Jack London by Jack London Discusses: spike line casual ward East End The Ultimate Jack the Ripper Companion by Stewart P. Evans Discusses: casual ward divisional surgeon Mile End Road East End 1888 by William Fishman Discusses: casual ward East End East London Loading...

---

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	53% buy the item featured on this page: The People of the Abyss 4.6 out of 5 stars (8) $14.78
	22% buy The People of the Abyss 5.0 out of 5 stars (2) $9.90
	10% buy The People of the Abyss: The Underworld in the East End of Victorian London, 1902 5.0 out of 5 stars (1) $9.99
	8% buy Jack London : Novels and Social Writings (Library of America) 4.0 out of 5 stars (2)

Explore similar items

---

Tags Customers Associate with This Product  (What's this?) Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people. Check the boxes next to the tags you consider relevant or enter your own tags in the field below. 20th century american fiction(1) historical dimensions and perspectives(1) jack london(1) london(1) magic carpet ride(1) northern skies(1) social history(1) trips and journeys(1) Your tags: Add your first tag

Search Products Tagged with   See most popular tags

Help others find this product — tag it for Amazon search

No one has tagged this product for Amazon search yet. Why not be the first to suggest a search for which it should appear?

---

 

Customer Reviews

8 Reviews 5 star:  (5) 4 star:  (3) 3 star:    (0) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review 4.6 out of 5 stars (8 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews 19 of 19 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars Shades of "The Jungle", February 26, 2002 By  Christopher B. Jonnes "author of BIG ICE and... (Stillwater, MN United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    The Abyss was the poverty-stricken East End of London, England. The People were the unfortunate millions in the late 1800s and early 1900s who teetered on the edge, waiting for the all-too-common event--"the thing," as Jack called it--to send them careening over the edge from which there was virtually no hope of return. It could be loss of a job, an illness, a debilitating injury, or a family breadwinner's death. What followed was a slow descent into hell, a long, losing struggle for gainful employment, food, and shelter. The Abyss was a cesspool of misery, disease, crime, abject poverty, drunkenness, debauchery, and early death. According to Jack London (an American outsider), responsibility for it lay with the high and mighty managers of society, the rich politicians who largely wrote-off the district as an aberration created by those who inhabited it. People of the Abyss is reminiscent of Upton Sinclair's classic about the Chicago meatpacking industry, written some decades later. I found it better written, more readable, and more convincing as an impetus for social change. Where Sinclair employed a fictional device to shock readers with deplorable working and living conditions around the stockyards, London's book is very much like a journalistic report, a book-length essay on his real-life, "undercover" experiences in the Abyss. Also, while both writers do more moralizing than is generally acceptable in today's literature, London does less of it than Sinclair does. Less exaggerating too. The book has a lot of historical value, and makes an interesting read. It's fascinating to learn of the horrendous conditions suffered by millions of unfortunate Londoners a hundred years ago. The debate rages on as to whether present-day inner-city conditions have improved. --Christopher Bonn Jonnes, author of Wake Up Dead. 16 of 16 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Profoundly contemporary, January 12, 1999 By A Customer This was written at the beginning of this century, and yet, it speaks just as vividly to the conditions at end of the century. We are seeing the erosion and deterioration of all that was won through hard-fought labor battles: the end of the 8 hour work day; people working two jobs and still not being able to make ends meet; children left to their own devices as parents are stretched to the breaking point; the rise of infectious diseases, especially tuberculosis, as people are forced to live in more crowded, unsanitary conditions; the lack of healthcare; increasing numbers of people living on the street; and hunger. These were the conditions Jack London saw and described in East London at the turn of the century; but they could as easily have been New York City or any large American city; and they could be any large American city today. Jack London was far more than just a writer of dog stories for boys, as he is so often thought to be. All his writings should be more widely read, and I commend the publishers for republishing this brilliant piece of "investigative journalism" by a great American writer. 16 of 17 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Powerful. Sadly more pertinant now than when it was written., July 24, 1998 By  [e-mail] (Staten Island, New York) - See all my reviews This is Jack London's first hand account of the living conditions of London's poor in 1901. He actually went to live among them. England was at the height of her empire and unable to alleviate the misery right on her own door step. The descriptions of privation physically affect the pit of the stomach, and the point of such horror being possible square in the middle of the pomp and perfumery of opulence is pressed home by London until the reader can feel nothing other but indignation. It is a sad tract about human greed and human suffering, and as long as homelessness and want are rampant, this little book will find readers.		Ad feedback   Most Recent Customer Reviews 5.0 out of 5 stars There is a numberless starving army at all the gates of life (H. Longfellow) Jack London's social document written in 1902 about the slum of London's East End paints no less than hell, `a huge killing machine': an illiterate scrambling mass of human beings... Read more Published on March 6, 2007 by Luc REYNAERT 4.0 out of 5 stars One of London's Best London's expose of the underbelly of England's capital in the early years of the twentieth century still packs a punch even though, both in method and some content, it has... Read more Published on August 31, 2003 by Richard F Bowden 5.0 out of 5 stars Great book I love this book, Jack London is quite possibly my favorite author, whether it's fiction or non-fiction. Read more Published on March 31, 2003 by A. Shea 4.0 out of 5 stars Beyond Jack the Ripper If you mention Jack London, thoughts are first of "White Fang," "Call of the Wild" or other fictional works. Read more Published on January 21, 2002 5.0 out of 5 stars IT IS BEYOND CRITICISM I do not believe that anybody can judge a piece of art like this Published on December 27, 2001 by A. KIRIAKOPOULOS Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

---

Customer Discussions

 Beta (What's this?)

New! See all customer communities, and bookmark your communities to keep track of them.

This product's forum (0 discussions)   Discussion Replies Latest Post   No discussions yet Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight Start a new discussion Topic: First post: Receive e-mail when new posts are made Prompts for sign-in   [Cancel] Guidelines Active discussions in related forums   Discussion Replies Latest Post history History of the Palestinian Nation? 801 5 minutes ago history What was the Worst Military Defeat in History? 163 17 minutes ago history Roman vs. Greek "Empires" 11 25 minutes ago history Why does Holocaust Denial Exist? 5360 1 hour ago history Islam: the Facade and the Facts 639 4 hours ago current events Rights and Freedoms vs, Security 12 5 days ago current events Get Rich Cheating 0 15 days ago

The 20th Century American... community Latest activity 22 hours ago 1,293 customers have contributed 4,497 products, 172 lists & guides and more... › Explore the community The London community Latest activity 5 hours ago 1,374 customers have contributed 1,390 products, 53 lists & guides and more... › Explore the community The Social History community Latest activity 15 hours ago 1,063 customers have contributed 1,366 products, 29 lists & guides and more... › Explore the community Related forums 20th century... current events (18 discussions) history (666 discussions) london (1 discussion) social history (1 discussion) Explore more › See all Customer Communities › Your communities

---

Product Information from the Amapedia Community

Beta (What's this?)

Be the first person to add an article about this item at Amapedia.com.

› See featured Amapedia.com articles

---

Listmania!

The Definitive Jack The Ripper Guide: A list by Arthur Kicker "Ragged, Tagged, and Bodybagged"   Dystopia Dystopia I: The Ultimate List of Dystopian Vision in Print: A list by Mark Lightfoot   MISTERIOUS & FURIOUS BOOKS ( Part 5 ): A list by Don Peppe Create a Listmania! list

Search Listmania!

---

So You'd Like to...

Books that will make a Super Tramp out of you yet,: A guide by Bret Mason   Read the best Short Stories: A guide by Blazes Boylan   Take a class in American Lit: A guide by Blazes Boylan Create a guide

Search Guides

---

Look for Similar Items by Category

• Books > History > Americas > United States
• Books > History > Europe > England > London
• Books > History > World
• Books > Nonfiction > Current Events > Poverty
• Books > Nonfiction > Social Sciences > Sociology > Social Groups

---

Plumbing Products in the Value Center Turn it on for less with spectacular deals on brand-name faucets, showerheads, and more in the Home Improvement Value Center. ›Shop the Value Center

Best Books of 2008 Find our top 100 editors' picks as well as customers' favorites in dozens of categories in our Best Books of 2008 Store.

Buy Three Books, Get a Fourth Free Order any four eligible books under $10 and get the lowest-price book free in our 4-for-3 Books Store. See more details.

Pedal and Park Find the bike rack or stand that works for your space in the Storage & Home Organization Store. ›Shop for bike racks and stands

Ad feedback

 

Feedback If you need help or have a question for Customer Service, contact us.  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images? Is there any other feedback you would like to provide? Your comments can help make our site better for everyone. Please note that we are unable to respond directly to all feedback submitted via this form, but we'll ask you to sign in so we can contact you if needed.

Where's My Stuff? Track your recent orders. View or change your orders in Your Account. Shipping & Returns See our shipping rates & policies. See FREE shipping information. Return an item (here's our Returns Policy). Need Help? Forgot your password? Buy gift cards. Visit our Help department.

Your Recent History

  (What's this?)

You have no recently viewed items or searches. After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.	Continue shopping: Top Sellers Free by Chris Anderson 3.5 out of 5 stars (15)$0.00 Paranoia by Joseph Finder 4.1 out of 5 stars (202)$0.00 My Soul to Lose by Rachel Vincent 3.6 out of 5 stars (5)$0.00 Glenn Beck's Common Sense by Glenn Beck 3.8 out of 5 stars (293)$6.59

Amazon.com Home  |   Directory of All Stores

International Sites:  Canada  |  United Kingdom  |  Germany  |  Japan  |  France  |  China

Business Programs: Sell on Amazon  |  Build an eCommerce Site  |  Advertise With Us  |  Developer Services  |  Self-Publish with Us

Help  |  View Cart  |  Your Account  |  1-Click Settings  |  Join Associates  |  Join Advantage

Careers at Amazon  |  Investor Relations  |  Press Releases  |  Corporate Responsibility

Conditions of Use | Privacy Notice © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates

Product Details

• Paperback: 388 pages
• Publisher: Lawrence Hill Books (June 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1556521677
• ISBN-13: 978-1556521676
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #689,636 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Shades of "The Jungle", February 26, 2002

By	Christopher B. Jonnes "author of BIG ICE and... (Stillwater, MN United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The Abyss was the poverty-stricken East End of London, England. The People were the unfortunate millions in the late 1800s and early 1900s who teetered on the edge, waiting for the all-too-common event--"the thing," as Jack called it--to send them careening over the edge from which there was virtually no hope of return. It could be loss of a job, an illness, a debilitating injury, or a family breadwinner's death. What followed was a slow descent into hell, a long, losing struggle for gainful employment, food, and shelter. The Abyss was a cesspool of misery, disease, crime, abject poverty, drunkenness, debauchery, and early death. According to Jack London (an American outsider), responsibility for it lay with the high and mighty managers of society, the rich politicians who largely wrote-off the district as an aberration created by those who inhabited it.

People of the Abyss is reminiscent of Upton Sinclair's classic about the Chicago meatpacking industry, written some decades later. I found it better written, more readable, and more convincing as an impetus for social change. Where Sinclair employed a fictional device to shock readers with deplorable working and living conditions around the stockyards, London's book is very much like a journalistic report, a book-length essay on his real-life, "undercover" experiences in the Abyss. Also, while both writers do more moralizing than is generally acceptable in today's literature, London does less of it than Sinclair does. Less exaggerating too.

The book has a lot of historical value, and makes an interesting read. It's fascinating to learn of the horrendous conditions suffered by millions of unfortunate Londoners a hundred years ago. The debate rages on as to whether present-day inner-city conditions have improved. --Christopher Bonn Jonnes, author of Wake Up Dead.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Profoundly contemporary, January 12, 1999

By A Customer

This was written at the beginning of this century, and yet, it speaks just as vividly to the conditions at end of the century. We are seeing the erosion and deterioration of all that was won through hard-fought labor battles: the end of the 8 hour work day; people working two jobs and still not being able to make ends meet; children left to their own devices as parents are stretched to the breaking point; the rise of infectious diseases, especially tuberculosis, as people are forced to live in more crowded, unsanitary conditions; the lack of healthcare; increasing numbers of people living on the street; and hunger. These were the conditions Jack London saw and described in East London at the turn of the century; but they could as easily have been New York City or any large American city; and they could be any large American city today.

Jack London was far more than just a writer of dog stories for boys, as he is so often thought to be. All his writings should be more widely read, and I commend the publishers for republishing this brilliant piece of "investigative journalism" by a great American writer.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Powerful. Sadly more pertinant now than when it was written., July 24, 1998

By	[e-mail] (Staten Island, New York) - See all my reviews

This is Jack London's first hand account of the living conditions of London's poor in 1901. He actually went to live among them. England was at the height of her empire and unable to alleviate the misery right on her own door step. The descriptions of privation physically affect the pit of the stomach, and the point of such horror being possible square in the middle of the pomp and perfumery of opulence is pressed home by London until the reader can feel nothing other but indignation. It is a sad tract about human greed and human suffering, and as long as homelessness and want are rampant, this little book will find readers.