Five Great Short Stories (Dover Thrift Editions)
by Jack London
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Five stories that epitomize Jack London's mastery of the adventure story. "The White Silence," "In a Far Country," and "An Odyssey of the North" bring the harshness of the frozen North powerfully to life while "The Seed of McCoy" reflects London's experiences as a sailor in the South Seas. Also includes "The Mexican." Publisher's Note.Tags
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Surprisingly, I enjoyed this short book of short stories. I'm not much of a fan of short stories - they always seem so incomplete to me. However, London does a good job of character development and action and resolution in each of these stories, that I wasn't left wanting more.
There are 3 stories set in his signature Yukon territory, 1 story is a sailing story (probably my least fave of the 5) and the last story is about boxing and revolution.
I read this for my 2015 reading challenge, "short story" category. Recommended for a taste of London if you haven't read him before.
There are 3 stories set in his signature Yukon territory, 1 story is a sailing story (probably my least fave of the 5) and the last story is about boxing and revolution.
I read this for my 2015 reading challenge, "short story" category. Recommended for a taste of London if you haven't read him before.
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1,802+ Works 81,486 Members
One of the pioneers of 20th century American literature, Jack London specialized in tales of adventure inspired by his own experiences. London was born in San Francisco in 1876. At 14, he quit school and became an "oyster pirate," robbing oyster beds to sell his booty to the bars and restaurants in Oakland. Later, he turned on his pirate show more associates and joined the local Fish Patrol, resulting in some hair-raising waterfront battles. Other youthful activities included sailing on a seal-hunting ship, traveling the United States as a railroad tramp, a jail term for vagrancy and a hazardous winter in the Klondike during the 1897 gold rush. Those experiences converted him to socialism, as he educated himself through prolific reading and began to write fiction. After a struggling apprenticeship, London hit literary paydirt by combining memories of his adventures with Darwinian and Spencerian evolutionary theory, the Nietzchean concept of the "superman" and a Kipling-influenced narrative style. "The Son of the Wolf"(1900) was his first popular success, followed by 'The Call of the Wild" (1903), "The Sea-Wolf" (1904) and "White Fang" (1906). He also wrote nonfiction, including reportage of the Russo-Japanese War and Mexican revolution, as well as "The Cruise of the Snark" (1911), an account of an eventful South Pacific sea voyage with his wife, Charmian, and a rather motley crew. London's body broke down prematurely from his rugged lifestyle and hard drinking, and he died of uremic poisoning - possibly helped along by a morphine overdose - at his California ranch in 1916. Though his massive output is uneven, his best works - particularly "The Call of the Wild" and "White Fang" - have endured because of their rich subject matter and vigorous prose. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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- First words
- "Carmen won't last more than a couple of days."
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)The revolution could go on.
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