Jack London, photographer
(Book)

Includes bibliographical references and index.

"Jack London (1876-1916) remains one of the most widely read American writers, known for his naturalist fiction, socialist novels and essays, journalism, and the many adventures that he shared with the world. London was also an accomplished photographer, producing nearly twelve thousand photographs during his lifetime. Jack London, Photographer, the first book devoted to London's photography, reveals a vital dimension of his artistry, barely known until now. London's subjects included such peoples as the ragged homeless of London's East End and the freezing refugees of the Russo-Japanese War. On assignment for the Hearst Syndicate, Collier's, and other magazines, London made photographs of San Francisco in ruins after the 1906 earthquake and fire and, during his voyage aboard the Snark, produced humane images of the South Sea islanders that contrasted dramatically with the period's stereotypical portraits of indigenous peoples. In 1914 he documented the U.S. invasion of Veracruz during the Mexican Revolution. Although some of the images were used in newspaper and magazine stories and in his books The People of the Abyss and The Cruise of the Snark, the majority have remained unpublished until prior to this volume. The volume's more than two hundred photographs were printed from the original negatives in the California State Parks collection and from the original photographs in albums at the Huntington Library. They are reproduced here as duotones from silver gelatin prints. The general and chapter introductions place London's photographs in the context of his writings and his times"--P. [2] of dust jacket.