Love of Life and Other Stories

Jack London

May 2021 · Graphic Arts Books

About this ebook

Love of Life and Other Stories (1906) is a collection of short stories by American writer Jack London. Containing eight stories by the author, a master of literary Naturalism and an experienced outdoorsman and adventurer, Love of Life and Other Stories explores the experience of humanity on the edge of civilization. Set mostly in Canada and Alaska, these stories follow characters for whom survival is a constant struggle, for whom death is as familiar as a friend. “Love of Life” follows a gold prospector who is abandoned by his companion when he sprains his ankle crossing a creek. Shocked at first, he quickly realizes that in order to survive, he must keep moving. As he makes his was through the Canadian wilderness eating berries and weeds, his only desire is to have just one more bullet with which to hunt for wild game. As day turns to night, and as the next day fades to another, he faces a hunger beyond description, an emptiness food cannot fill. In “A Day’s Lodging,” a man retires for the night at a cabin he discovers in the wintry Yukon woods. As he settles in and prepares to feed his team of sled dogs, two strangely familiar adventurers arrive and ask to share the cabin for the night. Love of Life and Other Stories is a masterful collection of short fiction by Jack London, an icon of adventure writing. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Jack London’s Love of Life and Other Stories is a classic of American literature reimagined for modern readers.

About the author

Jack London (1876-1916) was an American novelist and journalist. Born in San Francisco to Florence Wellman, a spiritualist, and William Chaney, an astrologer, London was raised by his mother and her husband, John London, in Oakland. An intelligent boy, Jack went on to study at the University of California, Berkeley before leaving school to join the Klondike Gold Rush. His experiences in the Klondike—hard labor, life in a hostile environment, and bouts of scurvy—both shaped his sociopolitical outlook and served as powerful material for such works as “To Build a Fire” (1902), The Call of the Wild (1903), and White Fang (1906). When he returned to Oakland, London embarked on a career as a professional writer, finding success with novels and short fiction. In 1904, London worked as a war correspondent covering the Russo-Japanese War and was arrested several times by Japanese authorities. Upon returning to California, he joined the famous Bohemian Club, befriending such members as Ambrose Bierce and John Muir. London married Charmian Kittredge in 1905, the same year he purchased the thousand-acre Beauty Ranch in Sonoma County, California. London, who suffered from numerous illnesses throughout his life, died on his ranch at the age of 40. A lifelong advocate for socialism and animal rights, London is recognized as a pioneer of science fiction and an important figure in twentieth century American literature.