Jack London was an American author, journalist, and adventurer. London s early careers as sailor, fisherman, and prospector provided inspiration for his later writing, and it was only when he returned from the Klondike that London decided to focus on social activism and journalism. He soon became a popular magazine columnist and author, and a prolific commercial writer, penning over two dozen novels, and numerous short stories and poems. His most famous works include The Call of the Wild, White Fang, The Sea-Wolf, and the short stories To Build a Fire, and An Oddyssey of the North. London died in 1916.