Road

Description

Jack London's "road" is the railroad, and these reminiscences paint a vivid portrait of life in the United States during the major economic depression of the 1890s. His compelling adventures include a month-long detention in a state penitentiary for vagrancy, as well as his travels with Kelly's Army, a group of unemployed workers who united to protest the labor environment. London honed his storytelling skills during his hobo days, spinning yarns to avoid arrest and to cajole food and money from sympathetic listeners. This compelling memoir - which inspired the 1973 movie Emperor of the North Pole - also chronicles London's inner journey, from self-interested freebooter to social activist. Reprint of the Macmillan, New York, 1907 edition.

Novelist, journalist, and social activist Jack London (1876-1916) rose from abject poverty to international fame. The bestselling, highest-paid, and most popular author of his era, London created a substantial body of work in his short life, drawing upon his experiences as a cannery worker, sailor, railroad hobo, and prospector.