Overview

Jack London (1876-1916) is one of the most popular American authors in the world today. Two novels, The Call of the Wild and White Fang, are regarded as literary classics and have never been out of print. His forty-four published books, and hundreds of short stories and essays have been translated into more than 100 languages and hailed by critics worldwide. A vigorous self-promoter and the kind of media celebrity we would recognize today, London was America's first novelist to earn more than one million dollars a year from his writing (in today's currency). Call of the Atlantic reveals a side of London's life that has been largely overlooked by academics and critics, yet is essential to understanding the character, drive, and success of this extraordinary man -- namely, London's publishing odyssey overseas. Joseph McAleer considers how London achieved international fame, and the part that he played in engineering his own success. What makes London's dealings overseas especially interesting is that he made his own decisions, unlike many of his contemporaries who depended upon the good will of their agents and publishers. Through correspondence, McAleer reveals London's conversations and transactions, as well as the misunderstandings caused when letters (which could take up to three weeks to arrive) crossed in the mail. Emotions ran high, as did the constant need for money, and the picture that emerges of London is not a pretty one. It was his way or nothing as he played what he called the 'writing game' right through to his premature death, aged forty.

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9780198747819

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Reviews

Joseph McAleer manages to synthesise an impressive wealth of correspondence into a coherent narrative; coherent, yet dense with the communication challenges of multiple individuals writing across oceans ... McAleer's book makes for a rewarding and surprisingly engaging read ... McAleer has laid the groundwork for future research by piecing together these muddled correspondences. Both students and researchers should find insights and intriguing material on a range of topics. Candice Allmark-Kent, Literature and History

Joseph McAleer manages to synthesise an impressive wealth of correspondence into a coherent narrative; coherent, yet dense with the communication challenges of multiple individuals writing across oceans ... McAleer's book makes for a rewarding and surprisingly engaging read ... McAleer has laid the groundwork for future research by piecing together these muddled correspondences. Both students and researchers should find insights and intriguing material on a range of topics. Candice Allmark-Kent, Literature and History Call of the Atlantic is an engaging, original, and well-documented scholarly study that adds a new and worthy dimension to London studies. Kenneth K. Brandt, Studies in American Naturalism

Author Information

Joseph McAleer attended St John's College, Oxford as a graduate student, completing his D.Phil. in Modern History in 1989. His previous publications include Popular Reading and Publishing in Britain, 1914-1950 (OUP, 1992), which received the inaugural Longmans/History Today Book of the Year Award, and Passion's Fortune: The Story of Mills & Boon (OUP, 1999). He has held a variety of interesting jobs, including university professor, Scottish castle administrator, corporate PR head, spokesman for the Roman Catholic Church, editor,webmaster, and national film critic.

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