The Cruise of the Snark
Published on 27. April 2004
Book
Paperback/Softback
288 pages
978-0-14-243773-5 (ISBN)
Description
Inspired by the examples of his heroes Herman Melville, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Joshua Slocum, Jack London determined to sail around the world. In April 1907 he sailed from San Francisco in the forty-five-foot ketch Snark, with his wife, Charmian, a skeleton crew, and his writing to keep him company. Beset by seasickness and tropical disease, London wrote incessantly-not only his major autobiographical novel Martin Eden and numerous short stories, but also a series of sketches recording the voyage itself. These entertaining pieces, collected together into the book he called The Cruise of the Snark, reveal London's indefatigable spirit and love of adventure at sea and among the Pacific islands. This edition also includes London's delightful sea pieces "That Dead Men Rise Up Never" and "The Joy of Small-Boat Sailing."
For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Hawthorn
Australia
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Dimensions
Height: 197 mm
Width: 129 mm
Thickness: 16 mm
Weight
308 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-14-243773-5 (9780142437735)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Persons
Jack London, born John Griffith Chaney on January 12, 1876, in San Francisco, California, was an American novelist, journalist, and activist. He is considered a pioneer of commercial fiction and a key figure in the rise of American magazines. London became one of the first American authors to achieve international fame and wealth through his writing. His works, which often explored themes of survival, individualism, and nature, were heavily influenced by thinkers like Friedrich Nietzsche, Charles Darwin, and Karl Marx. London married twice; his first wife was Elizabeth Maddern, whom he married in 1900 and divorced in 1904, and his second wife was Charmian London, whom he married in 1905 and remained with until his death. He had two daughters, Joan and Becky London. Jack London's adventurous spirit was reflected in his personal life, as well as in his writing, where he drew from his own experiences, including his time in the Klondike and his travels around the world. He passed away at the age of 40 on November 22, 1916, in Glen Ellen, California.
Content
The Cruise of the SnarkIntroduction: The Romance of Yachting; or, The Private History of a Voyage That Failed
Suggestions for Further Reading
A Note on the Texts
The Cruise Of The Snark
Notes
Appendices
From Martin Johnson: Through the South Seas with Jack London
From Charmian Kittredge London: The Log of the Snark
Jack London: "That Dead Men Rise Up Never"
Jack London: "The Joy of Small-Boat Sailing"