Irving Stone, in his insight and convincing recreation of historically influential people and days of yore bringing them once again alive and present, brought Jack London's life, family, physical surroundings and love of adventure out in such a way that I never wanted to see it end.

I have read many of Stone's biographical novels from The Agony and The Ecstasy to Depths of Glory to Lust for Life all incredible adventures of creative geniuses who struggled in many ways but understood that their creative mediums must be expressed. Sailor On Horseback is no different but one of Stone's lesser-known and should not be forgotton. I was discouraged to find that I must wait for a copy but found twice the wait would have been worth it.

There are many points in this biography which encouraged me to go back and reread Jack London's novels and short stories as if for the first time. For after reading Stone's depiction of London's self-reliant and rare view of the world his stories took on a new breath and meaning I never encountered the first time around.

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 book was awsome because it had a lot of supense. The part I liked was when white fang fought a mountain lion and he one.I would recommend this book to dog owners and dogs.

This book is a necessary addition to the bookshelf of anyone interested in american literature. Jim McClintock is an athority on London and this book demonstrates his vast knowledge.

Reading Jack London's "John Barleycorn" is like attending an AA meeting almost 50 years before they were instituted. London herein gives his story of life with alcohol, and it is much like those you hear in the rooms. Beginning with denial, then the drinking becomes a morning thing, then on the sly, the progression is classic alcoholism. Along the way, London includes enough autobiographical information that this is more than just a booze tale. Interestingly, London -- a devout socialist -- constantly harps on the need for prohibition in this country as a way to end the danger of alcoholism. And we all know how that worked out. I'm, an alcoholic, so I appreciated the book on one level. London is my favorite author, and this is one of his good efforts. It's not a depressing tale but one that is uplifting. I recommend it.(Review by Tom Bruce)

I really enjoyed this book. It is an intelligent and humorous view of a drinkers experiences, and we all know how entertaining Jack London's experiences were. This book is basically an autobiography of Jack London with an emphasis on his "drinking career". A classic that shouldn't be over looked.

John Barleycorn is a tremondous book. One of the first things that will impress you about this book is London's life. London was a literal 'super-man' in the Carlyle sense. This book details how London raised himself from incredible child hood poverty and lower class surroundings while still a teen, engaging in rugged, manly adverntures that were simply amazing. This book also relates how London's love of books changed his life, and it will amaze you that his knowledge is so broad (throughout the book London dazzles us with philosophical qoutes and insights).

Most of all though, this book is about alcoholism. As one reviewer correctly notes, London had a strong liking for intoxication. However, one would be wrong to think of this book as pro-drinking, London is fairly fanatical in his dislike of alcohol and what it eventually did to him and other young men of his age. However, the brilliance of these 'alcoholic memoirs' is that he successfully illuminates the thought processes of most intelligent persons that have drinking problems. You will come away from this book understanding why many people, even an almost super-human person like Jack London, can fall prey to this vice. An absorbing read, and the book has a much more reader friendly and 'modern' style than many of London's fiction.

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.

If you mention Jack London, thoughts are first of "White Fang," "Call of the Wild" or other fictional works. Comments about England's turn of the century East End often lead to tales of another famous Jack. In "The People of the Abyss," London is writing about the East End of London, but it is neither fiction, nor tales of the Ripper.
This narrative takes place in England during the coronation of Edward VII. The British Empire is prosperous and strong, yet poverty is rampant in the nation's capital. Jack London lived in the worst sections of the city to explore this poverty, and then, using newspaper reports, police statistics, and his own experiences and observations shows us the condition of England's human cast-offs. The report is not totally objective, as London's political views do slip into his writing. Still his effort to disguise himself as an out-of-work sailor and live in the East End give us a realistic view of this life.
This book is not for everyone. It is excellent reading if you like factual accounts, are interested in Sociology or history, or are just an Angliophile. . . . . . .. AND if you ARE into Jack the Ripper tales, reading "The People of the Abyss will give you a much clearer picture of the environment in which his crimes take place.

I love this book, Jack London is quite possibly my favorite author, whether it's fiction or non-fiction. It was incredible to read a first-hand account of the struggle of the working class in england, even today this book sheds light on many issues such as poverty/labor laws... one of the coolest features of this book are the black and white photographs!

MARTIN EDEN follows the rise and fall of a young sailor who by sheer force of will educates himself and succeeds in becoming a famous writer (this is London's autobiographical novel, published in 1909, when he was thirty-three and the most popular living writer in the world). Few readers liked it then, they found it dark and depressing after a certain point; they wanted the entertainment they were used to from London ("Come on, Jack, give us another story with dogs and snow in it!"). Not as many read it now as should, and London himself disdained the fact that it inspired many young writers without talent to follow Martin Eden's example. But it is also a valuable story about a young man maturing in his conception of love as regards the opposite sex:

"Ambition soared on mad wings, and he saw himself climbing the heights with her, pleasuring in beautiful and noble things with her. It was a soul-possession he dreamed, refined beyond any grossness, a free comradeship of spirit that he could not put into definite thought." -- The youth becomes a man.

London's prose is straightforward and vibrant, much like the author at his best. Martin Eden falls victim to the vicissitudes of his fame and fortune, much like the author at his worst (too much hard living is often given as the reason for London's death at forty). London spends a lot of time in this book criticizing American materialism in the way that materialism ought to be criticized. He also displays a certain kind of American work ethic (five hours of sleep a night, perseverance through failure, etc.) that sometimes doesn't know what to do with itself once it achieves success. We should all have that problem--just hope that we deal with it better than young Martin Eden does. A very worthwhile read.

Martin Eden is one of those books on which it's difficult to pass judgment. It doesn't rise to the realm of high art, although the writing is splendid in parts. The philosophy displayed through most of the novel comes across as sophomoric and meretricious. As autobiography it is dubious at best, as anyone who has read a biography of London knows. On all these accunts, London's other semi-autobiographical work, John Barleycorn, is much better and well-grounded......And yet, any one who has ever been in love or thirsted for beauty and knowledge, or has had ambition thwarted, or had it fulfilled and found that its reward led to emptiness can not help saying that this is the stuff of life.

The book has Nietzsche's influence written all over it. Indeed, the closing lines of Chapter XXVIII are directly lifted from Nietzsche. This influence doesn't, to my mind, detract from the novel though. Quite to the contrary, it's what holds the book thematically and artistically together.

The best part of the book by far is the ending, wherein London remains artistically and thematically true to himself and to his readers, and thereby renders the book unpalatable for mass consumption. As Nietzsche puts it, "I love him who is abashed when the dice fall to make his fortune, and asks, 'Am I then a crooked gambler?' For he wants to perish" There is also the influence and theme of that most anomolous of the books of The Bible, Ecclesiastes, which is, again, more overtly evident in London's John Barleycorn: "Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher; all is vanity. What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?"

This book has its faults, but indiffence to the very pulse of life and to the vagaries of the human condition is not one of them. I can't imagine any lover of and struggler with words and life coming away from Martin Eden unmoved.

"Martin Eden" is my fifth foray into the works of Jack London. Although I don't find the excitement within that was apparent in "Sea Wolf," the passion is certainly evident. I have read that "Martin Eden" inspired more bad writers to sequester themselves with paper and pencil in unheated attics than any other book, and it is easy to determinewhy. Eden's obsession with learning and then creating the immortal printed word -- after falling for a woman above his class in society/socialist-conscious San Francisco -- is a powerful force that London expounds convincingly. Then, without warning, the sage advice "be careful what you wish for, it may come true," rears its ugly head. London also includes a line about ghosts that should be a classic, but isn't, and his description of a suicide ranks as the best of its kind. A WORD OF WARNING: Do not read the foreward until after. It tells too much of the story and robs some of the author's intended suprises. This is unforgivable. May the publisher rot in hell.

I thougth that it was a good book. There is some good action in it but at the same time its a very sad book. Although the character is a dog you can relate to him how he is a outcast and no one likes him to learning the way of the wild and becoming a good sled dog. He is a fast learner to the law of club and fang and is a strong leader. This was a good book with a great ending and i would suggest reading it.

I remember reading "To Build a Fire" in school in eighth grade. It is a fairly short story about a man travelling in extremely cold conditions who falls in a creek and, in order to stay alive, has to build a fire. It by itself is a great story, but along with "White Fang" and "The Call of the Wild," this is just an excellent book for anyone who likes life and death struggles and, well, dogs and wolves.

The book White Fang was about a wolf-dog that lived with his
owner.Then one day his master got drunk by drinking and his master
sold him to a mean man.

White Fang is a cross between a wolf & a dog, and the story begins near the beginning of his life, when he is still living in a cave and has yet to experience the out of doors. His father, the wolf, dies when WF is still cave-bound.
Much description is written about WF's feelings for his mother (intense devotion) and the world around him as he begins to explore it. Along the way, by trial and error, he becomes a wily hunter & survivor.

He and his mother Kiche are eventually taken in by a group of
Indians and Gray Beaver becomes his master/god. He trains
WF to be one of his sled dogs and a hunter. The way he trains
him is with ferocious beatings any time WF disobeys or slacks off
or does anything wrong. WF sees him as a god. Not one that he
loves, but one he must obey to avoid beatings and to receive
food.

Gray Beaver eventually sells him to another god, Beauty Smith,
who is truly evil. Beauty is training WF to be a fighter dog,
and his beatings are even more ferocious. WF is pitted against
other dogs on a daily basis, while his master takes bets. WF
never looses. Then one day, WF is pitted against a bull dog.
The fight is like none he had ever experienced before, and it
is one that almost cost him his life.

It is through the fight with the bull dog that WF comes to know
his newest and last master/god, Weedon Scott. And it is
through Weedon that WF learns how to love his god. And in the
end, love is rewarded on both sides.

It is a book that would be most appealing to the intermediate
reader and young adult, especially adventuring types, and animal
lovers. The edition I read was from the Whole Story Series
and their additions to each of the books they publish are very
noteworthy. Besides the complete text of the original book
they also include many photos, illustrations, and enlightening
notes about the history, culture, etc. of the place & era. Even if a person is not crazy about the story (& WF in not my "type" of story,) the information in the margin alone is worth the reading.

White Fang deserves two huge thumbs up. It is exciting, touching, and sometimes kind of silly. Jack London did a very good job writing this book. This book is about a wolf that had a part-wolf and part-dog mother and a wolf father. The book starts out telling about the mother's journey, but quickly turns to the son called White Fang. Eventually White Fang gets domesticated and the Native Americans turn him into a sled wolf.

The only thing I did not like about this book was in the very beginning. The author thrusts you into the story without any explanation. I wish the story was set up more. This book rates with my favorite books. Jack London does well at showing the feelings of non-human characters along with the differences between the old Native Americans and the new settlers. I think you should buy this book and enter the world of White Fang.

The book White Fang was well written by Jack London and its truly about survival. It starts out talking about two men, Bill and Henry, who are out in the wild with their pack of dogs. Some of their dogs disappear because they are lured in by a she-wolf of another pack and are killed. Bill tries to shoot one of the wolves to save their dogs. The only problem is he only has three bullets. He misses and gets eaten by the pack. Henry makes a fire to try to keep the wolves away and is almost eaten but is saved by some men that were traveling nearby. The pack of wolves keeps moving on with the she-wolf leading the pack and then they find food and there the pack starts to split up. The she-wolf splits up with another wolf and she has some little puppies. Only one survives and gets nourished by his mother in a cave. He wonders off one day to get a drink and sees his first humans and he bites one of them. The men know his mother, Kiche, and the pup meets his first owner. His name is Grey Beaver who sees the pups white fangs and gives him the name White Fang. White Fang becomes ferocious in camp and is hated by his kind and by manhood. He then becomes a fighter and runs away. He later finds Grey and he gets sold to Beauty Smith, a really cruel man, who beats him and enters him into fights. He switches owners again to Weedon Scott who actually takes care of him. This was the best book I have ever read and I suggest this book to anyone who enjoys books about the adventure in nature.

The two rivals circle the ring, probing for any point of weakness. The duel has lasted longer than either competitor had anticipated. Weakened by fatigue, the challenger feints high and goes for a crippling blow. No, this is not a boxing title match in Las Vegas. This is a life-and-death struggle of one domestic dog for survival in the cold, icy, barren regions of the Alaskan plains. This is a clash between the civilized and the primordial. This is the conflict between domestication and liberation. This is the Call of the Wild.

Jack London centers his story on a dog by the name of Buck. Buck is a big, strong dog, his father being a St. Bernard and his mother being a Scottish shepherd dog. At one hundred and forty pounds, Buck was no mere house pet. Kept physically strong with a love of rigorous swimming and constant outdoor exercise, Buck was a lean, formidable dog. Undoubtedly, his great condition was part of the reason that the gardener's helper dog-napped and sold him to dog traders, who in turn sold him to Canadian government mail couriers. The gold rush in Alaska had created a huge demand for good dogs, which eventually led to the "disappearances" of many dogs on the West Coast. Buck was no exception. He was sold into a hostile environment, which was unforgiving and harsh. Although civilization domesticated him from birth, Buck soon begins almost involuntarily to rediscover himself, revealing a "primordial urge", a natural instinct, which London refers to as the Call of the Wild.

This book is set in the Klondike, a region in Alaska that was literally stormed by thousands of men looking to get rich quick via the gold rush. Transportation was increasingly important, but horses were near useless in winter, prone to slip and fall on snow and ice. Dogs were by far the best means of transportation in Alaska at the time, somewhere near the end of the 19th century. As the demand for dogs grew, the prices for good dogs skyrocketed. This price hike inevitably created a black-market- style selling of dogs, and the gardener's helper Manuel did what many men did; they sold the dogs for a good price.

A recurring theme in London's novel is the clash between natural instinct and domesticated obedience. Soon after the dog traders captured Buck, a man broke him with a club. Buck is thoroughly humiliated, but learned an all-important truth of the wild: The law of club and fang. Kill or be killed. Survival is above all. Buck resolved to himself to give way to men with clubs. In the beginning, Buck had problems with this new restriction, but learned that when his masters' hands hold whips or clubs, he must concede. However, that did not keep Buck from doing little deeds like stealing a chunk of bacon behind his masters' backs. However, as London says, "He did not steal for joy of it, but because of the clamor of his stomach . In short, the things he did were done because it was easier to do them than not to do them." In this way Buck learns the way of the wild but also acknowledges his inferiority to men with clubs or whips. Eventually in this novel, Buck throws away his old life completely and replaces it with his natural urge, the primordial version of himself, the Call of the Wild.

Another underlying theme is the relationship between dog and master. In the beginning, Buck is acquainted with the Judge with a dignified friendship, his sons with hunting partnership, his grandsons with protective guardianship, the mail couriers Francois and Perrault with a mutual respect. Against the man with a club he despised but gave respect. However, when Buck met John Thornton, he loved his master for the first time ever. There wasn't anything Buck wouldn't do for his master. Twice Buck saved Thornton's life, and pulled a thousand pounds of weight for Thornton's sake. Even after Buck routinely left his master's camp to flirt with nature, Buck always came back to appreciate his kind master. However, even after Thornton was gone and Buck had released all memories of his former life, Buck never forgot the kind hands of his master, even after answering the Call of the Wild.

Jack London truly brings Buck to life. Using a limited 3rd person view, the reader is told of Buck's thoughts and actions. Obviously, London gave several ideal human qualities to Buck, including a sharp wit, rational reasoning, quick thinking, and grounded common sense. However, he does not over-exaggerate the humanity in Buck, which would have given an almost cartoon-like feeling for a reader. Rather, being a good observer, London saw how dogs acted and worked backwards, trying to infer what the dogs think. The result is a masterful blend of human qualities and animal instinct that is entirely believable. It is obvious that Buck's experience was similar to many other dogs' experiences.

I have to admit that I have not really given Jack London his proper due up to now. Perhaps it is because I don't by my nature like outdoor adventure type stories, or perhaps it is because I associate White Fang and "To Build a Fire" with my youth. The fact is that Jack London is a tremendously talented writer. His understanding of the basics of life matches his great knowledge of the snow-enshrouded world of the upper latitudes. The Call of the Wild, despite its relative brevity and the fact that it is (at least on its surface) a dog's story, contains as much truth and reality of man's own struggles as that which can be sifted from the life's work of many another respected author. The story London tells is starkly real; as such, it is not pretty, and it is not elevating. As an animal lover, I found parts of this story heartbreaking: Buck's removal from the civilized Southland in which he reigned supreme among his animal kindred to the brutal cold and even more brutal machinations of hard, weathered men who literally beat him and whipped him full of lashes is supremely sad and bothersome. Even sadder are the stories of the dogs that fill the sled's traces around him. Poor good-spirited Curly never has a chance, while Dave's story is made the more unbearable by his brave, undying spirit. Even the harsh taskmaster Spitz has to be pitied, despite his harsh nature, for the reader knows full well that this harsh nature was forced upon him by man and his thirst for gold. Buck's travails are long and hard, but the nobility of his spirit makes of him a hero--this despite the fact that his primitive animal instincts and urges continually come to dominate him, pushing away the memory and reality of his younger, softer days among civilized man. Buck not only conquers all--the weather, the harshness of the men who harness his powers in turn, the other dogs and wolves he comes into contact with--he thrives. This isn't a story to read when you are depressed. London's writing is beautiful, poignant, and powerful, but it is also somber, sometimes morose, infinitely real, and at times gut-wrenching and heartbreaking.

"The Call of the Wild," by Jack London, is a short novel that tells the story of a dog named Buck. Half St. Bernard and half "Scotch shepherd dog," Buck is a huge, powerful dog who lives an idyllic existence on a magnificent estate "in the sun-kissed Santa Clara Valley." But the gold rush of 1897 has created a demand for working dogs. Early in the book's first chapter, Buck is betrayed, stolen, and sold into service in the frozen wilderness of the far north. The story follows his adventures and his relationships with both humans and other canines as he travels across this harsh new world.

The copyright page of the Dover edition notes that "Call" was published in book form back in 1903. It is a bold, rousing adventure story. Buck is a magnificent hero who evoked both my sympathy and my admiration as I followed his odyssey. He's a likeable but noble beast: truly one of American literature's great characters. London has filled Buck's world with a fascinating and diverse group of supporting characters (both man and beast). London's prose style is a pleasure to read: solid and muscular, yet with a subtly poetic, even mythic, flavor.

"Call" could be read as a straightforward adventure story, or perhaps as a parable of the human condition. Either way, London draws an intriguing contrast between the polite ways of society and the harsh "law of club and fang." This is a story full of adventure, violence, love, loss, and discovery. Both heartbreaking and uplifting, "The Call of the Wild" is, in my view, a true classic. Recommended as companion texts: Ernest Hemingway's "The Old Man and the Sea" (another great adventure tale) and Phyllis Reynold Naylor's "Shiloh" (another profoundly moving dog story).