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Donald French Collection of Jack London Periodicals and Ephemera: Finding Aid
645438  
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Collection Details
 
Table of contents What's This?
  • 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

    The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the Huntington Library's Online Catalog.  

    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.