Though American writer and journalist Jack London is best remembered for his fierce frontier fiction that captured the harsh Alaskan and Canadian wilderness during the gold rush of the late 19th century, London was also a pioneering short-story writer, journalist, socialist crusader, and science fiction author. He was also a swimmer who never hesitated to plunge into open water on many occasions, whether to win a bet or to soothe a frenzied soul.
Born in poverty in 1876 in San Francisco, London worked diligently to rise above that station and before turning 30, became one of the highestearning and widely renowned writers America has ever produced. A striver in all things, London was exceptionally prolific in his writing. According to the Jack London State Historic Park, between 1900 and 1916, London “completed more than 50 fiction and nonfiction books, hundreds of short stories, and numerous articles. Several of the books and many of the short stories are classics and still popular; some have been translated into as many as 70 languages. Among his most well-known books are Call of the Wild, White Fang, The Sea Wolf, and Martin Eden.”
With his gripping stories and prodigious output, London quickly became an icon of the American ideal of rugged individualism that defined the American West during the turn of the 20th century. A charismatic, selfmade man with an unrivaled ability to churn out engaging copy that sold well, London embodied and attained the American dream.