It may come as some surprise to the amateur collector to learn about some of Jack London's exploits; the famous author of White Fang, and Call of the Wild. Like all of the very best of authors, Jack London remains a controversial figure - many facets of his life subsequently played down by the established literary scene, but fascinating reference material for the antiquarian!
Jack London became a committed socialist in later life, however he would not regard himself to belong to a Leninist, Marxist, or other similar strands of communist thought. Instead, he may be regarded in the same way as the United Kingdom's beloved socialist writer; George Orwell. Jack London believed in a sort of American egalitarian socialism, one that was founded on the principles of the Declaration of Independence, and the Bill of Rights: that America, the land of the Free and the Brave, could be a place where all seek to share in hard work and the rewards thereof. It is no surprise then, that London was drawn to the North and to Alaska and the Northern Territories as one of the 'last bastions' of freedom even then, at the turn of the twentieth century.
Jack London was so phenomenally successful even in his own life; his name being accepted into the great American cannon of classics; that there exists a good amount of collectively first edition material - even many signed editions (although these may be prohibitively expensive). A true first edition, in fine condition with London's signature; of one of his more famous works; say White Fang (MacMillian 1906), could be found at auction for as little as $3,000. A signed first edition of Call of the Wild however (MacMillan 1903) could cost as much as $17,000.
It is worth noting that Jack London's mortal success was so great however, that it may work against the collector in some instances. Shortly after his death his daughter took to 'rubber stamping' his signature on first edition books to increase their value (and at the publishers request, it has to be admitted). Whilst these secondary sorts of signature aren't the true first article, they are nevertheless very interesting articles in the Jack London story. One very good example of this would be the 1917 edition of The Human Drift (MacMillan) which was collected and published three years after Jack London's death, but 'signed' by his daughter. This can be found for as little as $750, and, although not a true first, is itself an important part of the London story.
London, Jack. The Son of the Wolf. Grosset and Dunlap, New York (1900).
London, Jack. The Son of the Wolf. Houghton Mifflin Co (1900). Tales Of The Far North; 2028 copies printed; first issue, first state on all known points. (i-viii) including preliminary blank leaf, (1), 2-251; printer's imprint
London, Jack. The God of His Fathers. McClure Phillips, New York (1901). Earle Labor, Robert C. Leitz III, I. Milo Shepard, Editors
London, Jack. A Daughter of the Snows. J. B. Lippincott Company, Philadelphia (1902). Illustrated with four color plates by Frederick C. Yohn
London, Jack. Children of the Frost. Macmillan Company. New York (1902). Frontis. with tissue guard, plus 7 plates by Raphael M. Reay; 3466 copies printed.
London, Jack. The Cruise of the Dazzler. Century Company, Union Square, New York (1902). St. Nicholas Magazine for Young Folks, Volume XXIX, Number 9
London, Jack. The God of His Fathers. Isbister and Co, London (1902). Tales of the Klondyke
London, Jack. The Son of the Wolf. Ibiister and Company and Pitman, London (1902). Tales of the Far North
London, Jack. Call of the Wild. MACMILLAN, NEW YORK (1903). Illustrated with plates in colour by Philip R. Goodwin and Charles Livingston Bull, decorated by Charles E. Hooper
London, Jack. People of the Abyss. MacMillan Company, New York (1903). With 81 splendid photographs; 3982 copies printed.
London, Jack. The Call of the Wild. Macmillan Company, New York (1903). Illustrated with 11 color plates, including frontispiece with tissue guard, plus 5 color illustrations in the text, by Philip R. Goodwin and Charles Livingston Bull; Decorations by Charles E. Hooper
London, Jack. The Kempton-Wace Letters. Macmillan Company, New York (1903). first issue, without the author's names on the title page; Anna Strunsky
London, Jack. The People of the Abyss. Macmillan, New York (1903). 18 full-page photo plates and 60 photo illustrations in the text; Earle Labor, Robert C. Leitz III, I. Milo Shepard, Editors
London, Jack. The People of the Abyss. Isbister and Co (1903). 24 plates
London, Jack. The Faith of Men. Macmillan Company, New York (1904). including A Relic of the Pliocene, A Hyperborean Brew, The Faith of Men, Too Much Gold, The One Thousand Dozen, The Marriage of Lit-lit, Batard, and The Story of Jees Uck; 6802 copies printed.
London, Jack. The Sea-Wolf. Heinemann, London (1904). 6 plates by W. J. Aylward
London, Jack. The Sea-wolf. Macmillan Company, New York (1904). Illustrated with plates by Aylward and housed in Century Magazine wrappers (some with moderate chips and flaking to the spine,) these 11 Vol. contain numerous articles by writres of the era such as Ernest Thompson Seton, Thackeray and many others; 40,000 copies printed
London, Jack. Game. Macmillan Company, New York (1905). With full page colour and textual black and white Illustrations and decorations by Henry Hutt and T.C. Lawrence
London, Jack. Tales of the Fish Patrol. MacMillan, New York (1905). With 8 full-page illustrations by George Varian; 8392 copies printed.
London, Jack. The Game. Morang and Co Ltd, Toronto (1905).
London, Jack. The Game. Macmillan Company, New York (1905). Frontispiece and 5 full-page color illustrations by Henry Hutt; text drawings, endpapers and decorations by T. C. Lawrence and Hutt; First edition (June). Second issueMetropolitan Magazine stamp on copyright page
London, Jack. The Tramp. Charles H. Kerr, Chicago (1905).
London, Jack. The Tramp. Wilshire's Magazine, New York City (1905).
London, Jack. War of the Classes. Heinemann, London (1905).
London, Jack. War of the Classes. MacMillan Company, New York (1905). 2530 copies printed.
London, Jack. Moon-Face. Macmillan, New York (1906). 8400 copies printed.
London, Jack. SCORN OF WOMEN. Macmillan and Co, New York (1906). in Three Acts; 920 copies printed.
London, Jack. Tales of the Fish Patrol. William Heinemann, London (1906). With one map and seven additional black and white plates by George Varian
London, Jack. White Fang. MacMillan Co, New York (1906). Colour frontis and 7 colour plates by Charles Livingston Bull plus 3 illus. Plates done in red ink only; Earle Labor, Robert C. Leitz III, I. Milo Shepard, Editors
London, Jack. Before Adam. MacMillan Company, New York (1907). with 8 full page color plates and with numerous other illustrations by Charles Livingston; 20,080 copies printed.
London, Jack. Love of Life. MacMillan Co, New York (1907). 7973 copies printed.
London, Jack. The Road. Macmillan Company, New York (1907). Frontispiece. 47 inserted black and white plates, many from photographs; 5360 copies printed.
London, Jack. The Iron Heel. Macmillan Company, New York (1908). Futuristic and Socialistic Fantasy Novel about Events Leading to Fascist Totalitarian Takeover of U. S. by Organization of Industrial Monopolies
London, Jack. The Iron Heel. Appeal to Reason, Girard, Kansas (1908).
London, Jack. The Iron Heel. Everett and Co, London (1908).
London, Jack. Martin Eden. Macmillan, New York (1909).
London, Jack. Burning Daylight. The Daily Worker, New York (1910).
London, Jack. Burning Daylight. Macmillan Company, New York (1910). With illustrations and decoration by Henry Hutt and T.C. Lawrence; 8 Illustrations (plates) by W. Morgan.
London, Jack. Lost Face. Macmillan Co, New York (1910). 6954 copies printed; Illustrated with six plates
London, Jack. Revolution. Macmillan Company, New York (1910). 2130 copies printed.
London, Jack. Theft. Macmillan Company, New York (1910). A Play in Four Acts; 990 copies printed.
London, Jack. Adventure. Nelson, London (1911). full colour frontis. by W.E. Webster.
London, Jack. Adventure. Macmillan Company, New York (1911). 14,600 copies printed.
London, Jack. Cruise of the Snark. Macmillan Company, New York (1911).
London, Jack. SOUTH SEA TALES. (1911). 4974 copies printed.
London, Jack. Cruise of the Snark. CHICAGO M. A. DONOHUE and CO (1911).
London, Jack. The Cruise of the Snark. Macmillan Company, New York (1911). 4265 copies
London, Jack. When God Laughs. International Fiction Library, Cleveland (1911).
London, Jack. When God Laughs. Leslie-Judge Company, New York (1911).
Jack, London. When God Laughs. Mills and Boon (1911).
London, Jack. When God Laughs. Macmillan, New York (1911). Illustrated with frontispiece and 5 inserted plates; 3758 copies printed.
London, Jack. A Son of the Sun. Doubleday, Page and Company, Garden City (1912). With 4 full-page Illustrations by A.O. Fischer and C.W. Ashley
London, Jack. Revolution. Macmillan, New York (1912).
London, Jack. Smoke Below. Bell and Cockburn, Toronto (1912).
London, Jack. Smoke Below. Century Company, New York (1912). Illustrated with 8 plates by P.J. Monaghan
London, Jack. Wonder of Women. International Magazine, New York (1912).
London, Jack. John Barley-Corn. Bell and Cockburn, Toronto (1913). Frontispiece plus seven other black and white illustrations by Dunn
London, Jack. John Barleycorn. Century Co., New York (1913). Or, Alcholic Memoirs; Frontispiece and 7 illustrations by H.T. Dunn
London, Jack. The Abysmal Brute. Bell and Cockburn, Toronto (1913).
London, Jack. The Abysmal Brute. Century Company, New York (1913). Frontispiece by Gordon Grant
London, Jack. THE NIGHT-BORN. The Century Co, New York (1913). First edition-first state has extra blank page in rear; And Also The Madness of John Harned, When the World was Young, The Benefit of The Doubt, Winged Blackmail, Bunches of Knuckles, War, Under the Deck Awnings, To Kill a Man, The Mexican
London, Jack. The Night-Born. Grosset and Dunlap, New York (1913). And Also The Madness of John Harned, When the World was Young, The Benefit of The Doubt, Winged Blackmail, Bunches of Knuckles, War, Under the Deck Awnings, To Kill a Man, The Mexican
London, Jack. The Night-Born. Bell and Cockburn, Toronto (1913). And Also The Madness of John Harned, When the World was Young, The Benefit of The Doubt, Winged Blackmail, Bunches of Knuckles, War, Under the Deck Awnings, To Kill a Man, The Mexican
London, Jack. John Barleycorn. Mills and Boon, London (1914). or Alcoholic Memoirs
London, Jack. Strength of the Strong. MacMillan, New York (1914).
London, Jack. The Mutiny of the Elsinore. Macmillan Company, New York (1914). 16,684 copies
London, Jack. The Strength of the Strong. Macmillan Company, New York (1914). This collection of seven stories includes four fantastic tales:The Strength of the Strong (1911),The Unparalleled Invasion (1910),The Enemy of All the World (1908) andThe Dream of Debs (1909). Angenot and Khouri,An International Bibliography of Prehistoric Fiction,
London, Jack. Star Rover. Macmillan Company, New York (1915).
London, Jack. The Jacket. Mills and Boon, London (1915). The Star Rover
London, Jack. The Scarlet Plague. Macmillan, New York (1915). With illustrations by Gordon Grant
London, Jack. The Star Rover. MacMillan Company, New York (1915).
London, Jack. Little Lady of the Big House. Mills and Boon, London (1916).
London, Jack. Little Lady of the Big House. Macmillan Company, New York (1916). 18,448 copies printed
London, Jack. Turtles of Tasman. Mac Millan and Co, New York (1916). Tales included: By the Turtles of Tasman, The Eternity of Forms, Told in the Drooling Ward, The Hobo and the Fairy, The Prodigal Father, The First Poet, Finis, The End of the Story
London, Jack. White Fang. Mac Millan and Co, New York (1916).
London, Jack. Jerry of the Islands. Mills and Boon London, London (1917).
London, Jack. Jerry of the Islands. Macmillan Company, New York (1917).
London, Jack. Michael, Brother of Jerry. Daily Worker/Madison, New York (1917).
London, Jack. Michael, Brother of Jerry. Macmillan Company, New York (1917).
London, Jack. The Human Drift. Macmillan Company, New York (1917). The human drift.--Nothing that ever came to anything.--That dead men rise up never.--Small-boat sailing.--Four horses and a sailor.--A classic of the sea.--A wicked woman (curtain raiser)--The birth mark (sketch)
London, Jack. The Red One. Macmillan Company, New York (1918). Collects four stories, the title fiction,The Hussy,Like Argus of the Ancient Times andThe Princess.The Red One,; Frontispiece portrait of London by Arnold Genthe; 5342 copies printed.
London, Jack. On The Makaloa Mat. Macmillan, New York (1919). 4972 copies printed.
London, Jack. Hearts of Three. Macmillan, New York (1920).
London, Jack. Island Tales. Mills and Boon (1920). On the Makaloa Mat
London, Jack. Revolution. Mills and Boon, London (1920). Somnambulists; Dignity of Dollars; Goliah; Golden Poppy; Shrinkage of the Planet; House Beautiful; Gold Hunters of the North; Foma Gordyeeff; These Bones Shall Rise Again
London, Jack. Jack London. Mills and Boon, London (1921). 2 volumes.
London, Jack. The Book of Jack London. Century Company, New York (1921). Two Volume Set
London, Jack. Dutch Courage. Macmillan, New York (1922). Frontispiece portrait of the author as a young sailor, plus seven plates illustrated by George M. Richards; 4348 copies printed.
London, Jack. The New Hawaii. Mills and Boon, London (1923). ContainingMy Hawaiian Aloha, by Jack London; Illustrated with 16 halftone photos; double page map of Hawaiian Islands
London, Jack. The Sea Sprite and the Shooting Star. Oakland, California (1932).
London, Jack. The Assassination Bureau, LTD. McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York (1963). the text completed from London's notes by Robert L. Fish
London, Jack. Jack London. Editura Pentru Literatura Universala, Bucuresti (1966). Opere Alese, in 3 Volume (Vols. I. , II. and II. ):
London, Jack. Klondike Trilog. Neville Publishing, Santa Barbara (1983). 3 UNCOLLECTED STORIES; Illustrated by Jack Freas; Total edition contain 326 copies.
London, Jack. The Letters of Jack London. Stanford University, Stanford (1988). three volumes in slipcase; Edited by Earle Labor, Robert C. Leitz
London, Jack. Dutch Courage. Yosemite Association, El Portal (2006).