Jack London

Jerry of the Islands: A True Dog Story Jack London

The story of Irish Terrier that went to sea, written by the author while stretched out on Waikiki Beach. Jack London's tale of adventure on the South Seas includes a foreword by the author, in which he says, "I hope I have given some assurance that the adventures of my dog hero in this novel are real adventures in a very real cannibal world."

"Not until Mister Haggin abruptly picked him up under one arm and stepped into the sternsheets of the waiting whaleboat, did Jerry dream that anything untoward was to happen to him. Mister Haggin was Jerry's beloved master, and had been his beloved master for the six months of Jerry's life. Jerry did not know Mister Haggin as "master," for "master" had no place in Jerry's vocabulary, Jerry being a smooth-coated, golden-sorrel Irish terrier."

Jack London (1876-1916), an American novelist and short-story writer whose works deal romantically with elemental struggles for survival. At his peak, he was the highest paid and the most popular of all living writers. Because of early financial difficulties, he was largely self educated past grammar school.

London draws heavily on his life experiences in his writing. He spent time in the Klondike during the Gold Rush and at various times was an oyster pirate, a seaman, a sealer, and a hobo. His first work was published in 1898. From there he went on to write such American classics as Call of the Wild, Sea Wolf, and White Fang.