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Jack London. 1876-1916. Was born to an unstable mother and a father that wouldn’t claim him Raised by family friend and stepsister Worked from age 11 Loved the sea, so he spent most of his time at the harbor While in his teens he sailed to Siberia
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1876-1916 • Was born to an unstable mother and a father that wouldn’t claim him • Raised by family friend and stepsister • Worked from age 11 • Loved the sea, so he spent most of his time at the harbor • While in his teens he sailed to Siberia • At 18 he rode the rails, living as a drifter • 1897- Left college and went to the Yukon to join the Klondike gold rush • Used this experience to write his stories
At 18 he rode the rails, living as a drifter • Saw the raw, painful lives of men and women who didn’t fit into society • Decided to educate himself so he could use mental powers, not physical strength, to survive • Finish high school in one year • Attended the University of California at Berkeley • 1897- Left college and went to the Yukon to join the Klondike gold rush • Used this experience to write his stories when he didn’t strike gold
In 1903 he published The Call of the Wild • Became the country’s highest-paid author • Wrote at least a thousand publication in order to support numerous family members • Became the country’s first millionaire author, but habitually spent more then he earned • He often wrote stories just to pay off debts • At the end of his life he bought a ranch in northern California • Began to build his dream house, Wolf House • In 1913 the house burned down, and devastated London, he never rebuilt the house • He passed when he was 40 years old