Overview of the Collection
Access
Administrative Information
Biographical Note
Scope and Content
Related materials in the Huntington Library
Arrangement
Indexing Terms
Overview of the Collection
Title: Donald French Collection of Jack London Periodicals and Ephemera
Dates (inclusive): 1897-1976
Bulk dates: 1899-1921
Collection Number: 645438
Collector:
French, Donald, collector
Extent:
151 items in 31 boxes
Repository:
The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens.
Rare Books Department
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Phone: (626) 405-2191
Email: reference@huntington.org
URL: http://www.huntington.org
Abstract: This collection consists chiefly of magazines containing the first appearances of works by American author and journalist
Jack London (1876-1916),
best known for his fiction about California, Alaska, and the Pacific.
The collection includes 130 periodicals with London's short stories, serialized versions of his novels, and essays, with the
bulk dating from the
late 1890s to the 1910s. In addition, there are 20 pieces of ephemera and miscellaneous printed items about London's work
and life, including materials
prepared by London enthusiasts through the 1970s.
Language: English.
Note:
Finding aid last updated on May 20, 2015.
Access
Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, contact Reader
Services.
Administrative Information
Publication Rights
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material,
nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for
identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Donald French Collection of Jack London Periodicals and Ephemera, The Huntington Library, San Marino,
California.
Provenance
120 items were received as the gift of Donald French, January 2008.
32 items were received as the gift of Donald French, April 2015.
The items in the second gift consisted of
Black Cat (1899, December 1900, March 1906);
Bookman (June 1914);
Boys' Life (December 1976);
Cosmopolitan (March 1906, June 1906, July 1906, August 1906, September 1918);
Independent (November 5, 1903);
International Socialist Review (August 1909);
Overland Monthly (January 1899, February 1899, April 1899,
May 1899, June 1899, July 1900, May 1917);
The Owl (September 1897);
Pearson's Magazine (September 1902);
Smart Set (October-November 1900);
Comrade (March 1903);
Saturday Evening Post (June 20, 1903,
June 27, 1903, July 4, 1903, July 11, 1903, July 18, 1903, December 25, 1976);
Sunday Magazine of the New York Tribune (November 4, 1906);
Youth's Companion (November 29, 1900); and
Famous Fantastic Mysteries (February 1949).
Removed or Separated Material
One item from the January 2008 gift, a photocopy of London's story in the September 1897 issue of
The Owl, was disposed of following
the acquisition of the original issue in the second donation.
Biographical Note
Jack London (1876-1916) was an American author and journalist best known for his fiction about California, Alaska, and the
Pacific.
London published his first story, "Typhoon Off the Coast of Japan," in 1893, and,
by the late 1890s, London's stories were appearing regularly in American magazines. London's first book,
A Son of the Wolf,
was published in 1900, and his novel
The Call of the Wild, which became one of the most internationally popular works by an
American, was published in 1903.
An autodidact, London directed his thirst for knowledge toward several passions, including
sailing, ranching, and photography; he also became interested in socialism and joined the Socialist Labor Party in April 1896.
He traveled
widely, to Hawaii and throughout the South Pacific, through California, Oregon, Nevada, to Korea
during the Russo-Japanese War, Mexico during the Mexican Civil War, and London, England, experiences that are reflected in
his writing and his photographs.
London died on November 22, 1916.
Scope and Content
This collection consists chiefly of magazines containing the first appearances of works by American author Jack London. The
collection includes
130 periodicals with
London's short stories, serialized versions of his novels, and essays, with the bulk dating from the late 1890s to the 1910s.
In addition, there are 20 pieces of ephemera and
miscellaneous printed items about London's work and life, including materials prepared by London enthusiasts through the 1970s.
The items were compiled by Donald French, a collector
of Jack London materials in Northern California.
Periodicals
Most of the periodicals contain the first appearances in print of stories by London, and the earliest item in this collection
is the September 1897 issue of
The Owl
containing the story "Two Gold Bricks," followed by 1899 issues of
Overland Monthly and
The Black Cat. More than
thirty periodical titles are represented including
Century,
Cosmopolitan,
McClure's Magazine,
Overland Monthly,
The Saturday Evening Post, and the
Youth's Companion.
Among the serialized versions of his works included in this collection are:
-
Before Adam (in 4 issues of
Everybody's Magazine, 1906-1907)
-
The Call of the Wild (in 5 issues of
The Saturday Evening Post, 1903)
-
John Barleycorn (in 6 issues of
The Saturday Evening Post, 1913; lacks Part 4)
-
The Little Lady of the Big House (in 5 issues of
Cosmopolitan, 1915)
-
Planchette (in 3 issues of
Cosmopolitan, 1906-1907)
-
The Sea-Wolf (2 issues of
The Century, 1904; containing parts 6 and 8 only)
-
Seven Tales of the Fish Patrol (in 6 issues of
The Youth's Companion, 1905; lacks part 1)
-
Smoke Bellew (in 4 issues of
Cosmopolitan, 1911-1912)
There are also essays about socialism by London in
The Comrade: An Illustrated Socialist Monthly,
The Independent, and
The
International Socialist Review.
In addition, there are some writings about London, including biographical writings by London's second wife Charmian London
in
The Century (1921)
and Rose Wilder Lane in
Sunset (1917).
Ephemera
The 20 pieces of ephemera include pamphlets and printed material related to London's life and work that were primarily produced
by London enthusiasts, dating from 1901 to 1976, including a United Artists movie poster for the 1943 film "Jack London" and
some later publications of his work, such as a
1951 comic book version of
The Sea Wolf.
Related materials in the Huntington Library
Arrangement
This collection is arranged in 2 series:
- Periodicals
- Small-size periodicals (Boxes 1-20)
- Large-size periodicals (Boxes 21-29)
- Ephemera and miscellaneous
- Small-size ephemera and miscellaneous (Box 30)
- Large-size ephemera and miscellaneous (Box 31)
Within each series, items are grouped broadly by size, and then alphabetically by title.
Indexing Terms
Subjects
London, Jack, 1876-1916.
London, Jack, 1876-1916 -- Periodicals.
Forms/Genres
Ephemera.
Magazines (periodicals)
Periodicals.
Contributors
London, Jack, 1876-1916.
Lane, Rose Wilder, 1886-1968.
London, Charmian.