Of the many collections of Jack London short stories, this one has to be the best. Of the 50 stories authorized by Jack London's family, there are two versions of London's famous "To Build a Fire"- the original he wrote in 1902 and the the more famous one that he rewrote in 1908 from memory of the original version.

Notes at the end of the book give insight to each story detailing his struggles to get many published, the amount he was paid, and commentary from Jack on some of them.

This is a book that was a required text for one of my Lit. Crit. classes. I sold it back at the end of the semester and have had to borrow my prof's copy about 4 times this semester for papers for other classes. It is really helpful for writing any English paper (even for non-critical papers). I am excited to see it again and here it is the same price as a used copy at school.

a great introduction that leads up to present day. using five of the greatest works of literature as examples, the text fully explains and demonstates who each movement and theory operates and can be effectively implimented. highly recommmended.

I used this text to teach introductory literary criticism to my high school seniors for over six years. The examples in the text are excellent, and the characteristics of each approach are clearly established. It is my first choice as a teaching tool, and I think it would be equally effective for a college student working independently. I give it my highest rating.

Well - commanded "The complete short stories"; receved only 3th volume - Let me guess, what do you think about? - A swindle?

I finally bought the thing. I've been stalling and stallingfor years. All I can say is, if you like Jack London, the set is worth it. It contains 197 stories (by my count; oddly enough I couldn't find this statistic in the blurb or the introduction). ...

I think Jack London is at his best in his short stories. NONE of his novels are QUITE first-rate, and as you explore beyond the famous ones the quality falls off rapidly. Most of his less-well-known novels are deservedly forgotten. ("The Little Lady of the Big Hous e-- EEeeeeeewwwww!")

This is not true of his stories. When you explore beyond the couple of dozen that are anthologized, you discover treasures. I am finding that many of the stories I don't know are every bit as good as those I know.

One of my recent "discoveries" is a story entitled "The Banks of the Sacramento." It's not deep, it's not portentous, it's not Great Literature--it's just a superbly constructed little gem of a suspense story* that concerns a fourteen-year-old boy who conducts a daring rescue of--well, read it. Aloud, in company, if possible.

There are, as you'd expect, some curiosities, some juvenalia, some outright bad stories, but not enough to dilute the collection. And of course even these have their interest. "The Handsome Cabin Boy" is not a very good story, but it certainly is another piece in the puzzle of Jack London's sexuality.

Look, if you've bought more than three collections of Jack London stories, you know you're going to buy them all eventually--so why mess around?

These are, as you'd darn well expect at the price, nicely printed, sturdy volumes. They are intended for, and meet, both the needs of general readers and scholars seeking accurate texts. One annoying peculiarity is that an alphabetical list of story titles appears only at the end of the third volume.

These volumes are, alas, priced on the self-fulfilling assumption that they will be bought only by libraries, and your library is probably where you will go for them. (Interlibrary loans are a wonderful thing; be sure to ask about them if your library does not have these volumes). .... END

a great man brought low by very mediocre analysis and the kind of slavish academic tone that seprates writers from ivory tower hacks - reesman and labor - when's your masterpiece due any way mate? Get a life like London and don't waste us fans of LOndon's time. I got stuck with the tab this time.