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Klondike Tales
As a young man in the summer of 1897, Jack London joined the Klondike gold rush. From that seminal experience emerged these gripping, inimitable wilderness tales, which have endured as some of London’s best and most defining work. With remarkable insight and unflinching realism, London describes the punishing adversity that awaited men in the brutal, frozen expanses of the Yukon, and the extreme tactics these adventurers and travelers adopted to survive. As Van Wyck Brooks observed, “One felt that the stories had been somehow lived–that they were not merely observed–that the author was not telling tales but telling his life.”
This edition is unique to the Modern Library, featuring twenty-three carefully chosen stories from London’s three collected Northland volumes and his later Klondike tales. It also includes two maps of the region, and notes on the text.
This edition is unique to the Modern Library, featuring twenty-three carefully chosen stories from London’s three collected Northland volumes and his later Klondike tales. It also includes two maps of the region, and notes on the text.
304 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 1982
38 people are currently reading
519 people want to read
About the author
Jack London
7,631 books7,684 followersJohn Griffith Chaney, better known as Jack London, was an American novelist, journalist and activist. A pioneer of commercial fiction and American magazines, he was one of the first American authors to become an international celebrity and earn a large fortune from writing. He was also an innovator in the genre that would later become known as science fiction.
London was part of the radical literary group "The Crowd" in San Francisco and a passionate advocate of animal rights, workers’ rights and socialism. London wrote several works dealing with these topics, such as his dystopian novel The Iron Heel, his non-fiction exposé The People of the Abyss, War of the Classes, and Before Adam.
His most famous works include The Call of the Wild and White Fang, both set in Alaska and the Yukon during the Klondike Gold Rush, as well as the short stories "To Build a Fire", "An Odyssey of the North", and "Love of Life". He also wrote about the South Pacific in stories such as "The Pearls of Parlay" and "The Heathen".
London was part of the radical literary group "The Crowd" in San Francisco and a passionate advocate of animal rights, workers’ rights and socialism. London wrote several works dealing with these topics, such as his dystopian novel The Iron Heel, his non-fiction exposé The People of the Abyss, War of the Classes, and Before Adam.
His most famous works include The Call of the Wild and White Fang, both set in Alaska and the Yukon during the Klondike Gold Rush, as well as the short stories "To Build a Fire", "An Odyssey of the North", and "Love of Life". He also wrote about the South Pacific in stories such as "The Pearls of Parlay" and "The Heathen".
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
January 24, 2020
This is being updated gradually, as these days I tend to have a book of short stories on the go for a while, to read one occasionally, amongst full length novels.
I’ll review the best stories.
In A Far Country is the sort of story for which I chose this book, one of survival in the frozen wastes, enabling London to do what he is best at, make his characters suffer and work for even the most basic of needs. Carter Weatherbee, the protagonist, and a group of other men are traveling to the treacherous Yukon and, as winter takes a grip, must try and reach a small settlement there. They take a vote on whether they should wait for the ice to get thinner or if they should send a team of dogs with two men, and decide on the latter. These are two city men chasing their luck in Klondike gold-rush days. This is also a crime story, which isn’t a spoiler, but hopefully an enticement to read it, and it doesn’t huge guesswork to predict what happens, but the interest is in how it happens. As much as the criminal, London makes nature itself as much of a culprit. For me, this is London at his best, in those cold and unforgiving days of the Yukon.
It’s free online at https://www.artofmanliness.com/articl..., and a wonderful way to spend an hour.
To The Man On The Trail concerns a motley group of frontier men on Christmas Eve on the tail. Their celebration is interrupted by a stranger on a dog sled, who they later learn is fleeing from the law.
An Odyssey of the North features The Malamute Kid, who is from other of London's stories also, but here he really just plays the part of a listener, with his partner on his sled, Prince, as a another man, “He of the Otter Skins”(or Naass), on the point of hypothermia calls on them. Nass talks them through his world travels and how he got to the desperate situation he is now in. Wonderful, and at 30 pages, considerably larger than the rest of the stories in the book.
The Law Of Life Old Koskoosh appears to be accepting of the fact that he is going to die. He has been abandoned by his tribe due to the fact that he is old and unable to keep up with them. It’s a very powerful story of acceptance that is narrated in the third person by an unknown narrator which enables a gradual realisation of the theme of what it’s about.
Li Wan, the Fair Li Wan is a young Indian woman of mysterious origins who has never seen a white man, and is arriving in the Klondike region to the madness of the gold-mining activity there. She tries to make friends with a couple of wealthy American women who are visiting the diggings and who are interested in her native dress, but her over-protective native husband is much less friendly, coming from a culture in which the husband dominates the wife, to an almost abusive level.
In the quite splendid The League Of The Old Men Imber, Of The Whitefish people, is a multiple murderer who has given himself up in his old age and his case is being heard in court. The question is not if the people he killed, or of the sentence he will receive, but of why he has given himself up. Some writing, like this, should be essential reading to all in positions of power dealing with issues of immigration.
In the courtroom a translator reads Imber’s statement and interviews him,
The clash of cultures becomes evident to all except the law-makers of the courtroom.
Its a wonderful piece of writing, one that etches it’s mark into the brain, never to be forgotten.
Love of Life This is the type of survival story that for me, epitomises Jack London; the days of the goldrush, and the Yukon wilderness descended on by men who had no clue about the shills they would need on the trail, and many perished... Abandoned by his mate after twisting an ankle on a river crossing, the unnamed prospector battles starvation and wolves, and appears doome. There's so much crammed into the 20 or so pages, as London works his magic , we have empathy for his plight, and are desperate to know how the saga ends. This is one of his very best.
To Build A Fire is the one of these stories I had read previously, some 40+ years ago, but it has never left me, such is it’s power.
It’s a tragic tale of arrogance and a gross under-estimation of the dangers of the wilds. A fable that all who take in the outdoors in any form, would be wise to read.
A man, along with his dog, has offered to source a logging route, and is returning to his mining camp where his friends had been waiting for him, knowing that once he gets there, there is the luxury of hot food and campfires. Prior to his journey though, an old-timer reminded that under no circumstance should one go alone into the Yukon wilderness.
Again, London’s skill is to fit so much into so few pages; the fire the man strives to build symbolising life, the themes of resilience, on the man’s part, and of arrogance and stubbornness to ignore the advice of the old man. Throughout also there is a sense of impending doom, and yet as well as the environmental being a hostile one, it has a rugged beauty and appeal.
London does not give the protagonist a name, referring to him simply as “the man” throughout the story. In doing this, London places him at an even greater distance from the reader within this deadly setting, isolating him even more in the bleak and hostile surroundings.
London writes wonderfully well about dogs. Without conflict or ambiguity, the dog’s character remains the same, it’s sneer almost laughing at the man’s attitude of false sense of superiority.
Not a London quote, but from Whymper, for the many who may feel they can disregard nature’s warnings..
I’ll review the best stories.
In A Far Country is the sort of story for which I chose this book, one of survival in the frozen wastes, enabling London to do what he is best at, make his characters suffer and work for even the most basic of needs. Carter Weatherbee, the protagonist, and a group of other men are traveling to the treacherous Yukon and, as winter takes a grip, must try and reach a small settlement there. They take a vote on whether they should wait for the ice to get thinner or if they should send a team of dogs with two men, and decide on the latter. These are two city men chasing their luck in Klondike gold-rush days. This is also a crime story, which isn’t a spoiler, but hopefully an enticement to read it, and it doesn’t huge guesswork to predict what happens, but the interest is in how it happens. As much as the criminal, London makes nature itself as much of a culprit. For me, this is London at his best, in those cold and unforgiving days of the Yukon.
It’s free online at https://www.artofmanliness.com/articl..., and a wonderful way to spend an hour.
To The Man On The Trail concerns a motley group of frontier men on Christmas Eve on the tail. Their celebration is interrupted by a stranger on a dog sled, who they later learn is fleeing from the law.
Malamute kid arose, cup in hand and glanced at the greased paper window, where the frost stood three inches thick. "a health to the man, on the trail this night, may his grub hold out, may his dogs keep their legs and his matches never misfire"
An Odyssey of the North features The Malamute Kid, who is from other of London's stories also, but here he really just plays the part of a listener, with his partner on his sled, Prince, as a another man, “He of the Otter Skins”(or Naass), on the point of hypothermia calls on them. Nass talks them through his world travels and how he got to the desperate situation he is now in. Wonderful, and at 30 pages, considerably larger than the rest of the stories in the book.
The Law Of Life Old Koskoosh appears to be accepting of the fact that he is going to die. He has been abandoned by his tribe due to the fact that he is old and unable to keep up with them. It’s a very powerful story of acceptance that is narrated in the third person by an unknown narrator which enables a gradual realisation of the theme of what it’s about.
Li Wan, the Fair Li Wan is a young Indian woman of mysterious origins who has never seen a white man, and is arriving in the Klondike region to the madness of the gold-mining activity there. She tries to make friends with a couple of wealthy American women who are visiting the diggings and who are interested in her native dress, but her over-protective native husband is much less friendly, coming from a culture in which the husband dominates the wife, to an almost abusive level.
In the quite splendid The League Of The Old Men Imber, Of The Whitefish people, is a multiple murderer who has given himself up in his old age and his case is being heard in court. The question is not if the people he killed, or of the sentence he will receive, but of why he has given himself up. Some writing, like this, should be essential reading to all in positions of power dealing with issues of immigration.
In the courtroom a translator reads Imber’s statement and interviews him,
The courtroom listened stolidly to each unadorned little tragedy, as Imber paused to remember.
“First, there was the man who came over the Ice Mountains, it’s cunning traps made of iron, who sought the beaver of the Whitefish. Him, I slew. And there were three men seeking gold on the Whitefish long ago. Them also Inslew, and left them to the wolverines. And at Five Fingers there was a man with a raft and much meat.”
The clash of cultures becomes evident to all except the law-makers of the courtroom.
“The best of our young men and women had gone away with the white men to wander on the trail and river to far places. And the young women came back old and broken, or they came back not at all. And the young men came back to sit by our fires for a time, full of ill speech and rough ways, drinking evil drinks and gambling through long nights and day, with a great unrest always in their hearts. And they were without honor and respect, jeering old time customs and laughing in the faces of the chiefs and the shamans..
Its a wonderful piece of writing, one that etches it’s mark into the brain, never to be forgotten.
Love of Life This is the type of survival story that for me, epitomises Jack London; the days of the goldrush, and the Yukon wilderness descended on by men who had no clue about the shills they would need on the trail, and many perished... Abandoned by his mate after twisting an ankle on a river crossing, the unnamed prospector battles starvation and wolves, and appears doome. There's so much crammed into the 20 or so pages, as London works his magic , we have empathy for his plight, and are desperate to know how the saga ends. This is one of his very best.
To Build A Fire is the one of these stories I had read previously, some 40+ years ago, but it has never left me, such is it’s power.
It’s a tragic tale of arrogance and a gross under-estimation of the dangers of the wilds. A fable that all who take in the outdoors in any form, would be wise to read.
A man, along with his dog, has offered to source a logging route, and is returning to his mining camp where his friends had been waiting for him, knowing that once he gets there, there is the luxury of hot food and campfires. Prior to his journey though, an old-timer reminded that under no circumstance should one go alone into the Yukon wilderness.
Again, London’s skill is to fit so much into so few pages; the fire the man strives to build symbolising life, the themes of resilience, on the man’s part, and of arrogance and stubbornness to ignore the advice of the old man. Throughout also there is a sense of impending doom, and yet as well as the environmental being a hostile one, it has a rugged beauty and appeal.
London does not give the protagonist a name, referring to him simply as “the man” throughout the story. In doing this, London places him at an even greater distance from the reader within this deadly setting, isolating him even more in the bleak and hostile surroundings.
London writes wonderfully well about dogs. Without conflict or ambiguity, the dog’s character remains the same, it’s sneer almost laughing at the man’s attitude of false sense of superiority.
Not a London quote, but from Whymper, for the many who may feel they can disregard nature’s warnings..
Climb if you will,
but remember that courage and strength
are nought without prudence,
and that a momentary negligence
may destroy the happiness of a lifetime.
Do nothing in haste;
look well to each step;
and from the beginning
think what may be the end.
April 21, 2021
These stories—many of which I've read before—really holds up.
September 9, 2008
Jack London writes brutal, naturalist fiction with themes of race, the amorality of nature, and the law of survival. There are stories of people just dying from cold, - total black metal, heh heh. People never get me when I say that some of the most horrific things I've read come from Jack London, but there ya go, they've just read Call of the Wild.
Examples -->
Like in the story "Wisdom of the Trail", Sitka absorbs the values of the White Race. He is in love with Mrs. Eppingwell. He executes two of his Indian race for stealing a mouthful of flour, even as they were starving while taking care of the incapable Mr. Eppingwell. As Sitka shoots them, he hears Mrs. Eppingwell shooting another of the Indian guides. Hell!
In The Gods of His Fathers, Baptise the Red hates the Church for indirectly killing his wife and daughter. He had lived among the whites but recently returned to his people. When Hay Stockard and his wife set camp nearby, Baptiste warns them to leave. Things get worse when a missionary joins them. Renounce the church and you can pass freely, says Baptiste. The missionary cowardly follows this direcive, but Hay says he cannot renounce the God of the White Man, the God of His Fathers, and so sacrifices himself to their spears.
There is bullshit racial supremacy stuff, too, in my opinion. In The Son of the Wolf, Scruff, aka the Wolf, wants to take Zarinska from her tribe, and the tribe oppose this because the whites are taking all their good women. The Wolf wins in a knife duel, and kills a shaman who interferes. The theme seems to be 'don't mess with the White Man, for his race is supreme.' Whatever.
In a Far Country is freaking hilarious: the two main characters are declared "incapable" by their party and left alone in a cabin in the dead of Winter. They go crazy and kill one another. Who needs Sartre's No Exit when you've got a story like this?
Examples -->
Like in the story "Wisdom of the Trail", Sitka absorbs the values of the White Race. He is in love with Mrs. Eppingwell. He executes two of his Indian race for stealing a mouthful of flour, even as they were starving while taking care of the incapable Mr. Eppingwell. As Sitka shoots them, he hears Mrs. Eppingwell shooting another of the Indian guides. Hell!
In The Gods of His Fathers, Baptise the Red hates the Church for indirectly killing his wife and daughter. He had lived among the whites but recently returned to his people. When Hay Stockard and his wife set camp nearby, Baptiste warns them to leave. Things get worse when a missionary joins them. Renounce the church and you can pass freely, says Baptiste. The missionary cowardly follows this direcive, but Hay says he cannot renounce the God of the White Man, the God of His Fathers, and so sacrifices himself to their spears.
There is bullshit racial supremacy stuff, too, in my opinion. In The Son of the Wolf, Scruff, aka the Wolf, wants to take Zarinska from her tribe, and the tribe oppose this because the whites are taking all their good women. The Wolf wins in a knife duel, and kills a shaman who interferes. The theme seems to be 'don't mess with the White Man, for his race is supreme.' Whatever.
In a Far Country is freaking hilarious: the two main characters are declared "incapable" by their party and left alone in a cabin in the dead of Winter. They go crazy and kill one another. Who needs Sartre's No Exit when you've got a story like this?
March 24, 2016
Forgot how much I enjoyed London and why. Also forgot how brutal and morbid he is.
March 25, 2024
The rampant and completely unexamined white supremacy in this book far outweighed any critical value for me
August 9, 2018
Oh, Jack, such pretty prose but so much sexist and racist crap wrapped in it for any kind enjoyment. Particularly gross and baffling are the instances of women of color marrying white men in these stories because white men treat them better (???) than any man they knew ever did. Okay, sure. If only you stuck to the dogs.
March 4, 2021
Fascinating stories about survival, endurance, and the cruel indifference of nature. The settings in the remote and brutal North is compelling and keeps the pages turning. Many of the stories are gritty and brutal and fit well in the harsh setting where they take place. All in all one of my favorite collections of short stories.
March 23, 2019
This was an absolute slog. The only reason I didn’t give in one star is because of the rare short story that was an absolute excellent description of the North. London is able to capture the desolation, trials, and challenges of a territory sparsely populated and unrelenting. I could feel the sensations of numbing cold and helpless hunger.
HOWEVER, London was also extremely racist. As a historian I know that we can’t always judge people from the past by the standards of our time. That being said, the strategies used in far too many of these short stories were upsetting. London prétends to know the thoughts of the First Nations of the North. The number of times he outlined First Nations women’s feelings of luck at getting to be with white men, or how the First Nations looked up to the white men to learn anything. I just can’t. There are far too many excellent books from this time and those more modern that don’t do this, to consider picking up more London anytime in the near future.
You should’ve stuck to dogs, London.
HOWEVER, London was also extremely racist. As a historian I know that we can’t always judge people from the past by the standards of our time. That being said, the strategies used in far too many of these short stories were upsetting. London prétends to know the thoughts of the First Nations of the North. The number of times he outlined First Nations women’s feelings of luck at getting to be with white men, or how the First Nations looked up to the white men to learn anything. I just can’t. There are far too many excellent books from this time and those more modern that don’t do this, to consider picking up more London anytime in the near future.
You should’ve stuck to dogs, London.
May 29, 2017
Jack London needs no introduction. Nor do his tales need any review. Having read THE CALL OF THE WILD and WHITE FANG as a kid, I wanted to read some more tales of the north. KLONDIKE TALES filled that desire admirably. However, if you have the misfortune to pick up “The Modern Library” edition, absolutely do not read the introduction by Gary Kinder. Instead of analyzing London’s writing style, his influences, or London’s life & times, Kinder summarizes a few of the stories. Complete spoilers. What a jerk! Has Kinder never read an introduction? Didn’t an editor send him a polite rejection notice? Google reports that Kinder authored “the true crime classic.” His introduction to KLONDIKE TALES is a crime in itself.
May 14, 2023
I found the short stories in "Klondike Tales" by Jack London hard to rate. There are a few stories, such as "To Build a Fire" which are among the best short stories ever written. But the overall quality of the stories is very uneven, with a few that I wouldn't have thought worthy of this collection. And, as others have noted, London's ideas and opinions are badly dated. As an Alaskan, I'm glad I read this collection. London's names and places are most familiar, but he doesn't get every fact correct (a very minor detail). At any rate, he's a part of the '98 Gold Rush story and history, so his writing is important. I'm neutral on recommending his writing.
July 22, 2025
Excelente selección de relatos de London, con Klondike como lugar común. Se distinguen todos y cada uno con su particular tono: algunos crueles, otros existenciales, cómicos, bellos, esperanzadores o hasta suicidas. Para todos los gustos , con un nivel de detalle que solo alguien con la experiencia personal y recolectada de London puede brindarnos con su pluma prodigiosa. Un deleite la lectura que te lleva al ambiente hostil y único donde todo transcurre
May 9, 2023
I hated most of these stories. Not because they were written poorly. On the contrary, Jack London wrote perfectly and put me right in the cold and icy and barren land. The stories, however, are brutal and horrific and without hope. My moms uncles were in Alaska during the 1890’s and I just can’t imagine this life. Glad I did not have to try it along with them and I’m glad they made it back.
January 6, 2024
Finished, completed, done even. This book had some lovely short stories particularly the ones about people alone in the Yukon. Romance stories were sort of weird though and sometimes repetitive.
November 17, 2024
I just really miss the Arctic I guess.
The racism was pretty rough tho.
The racism was pretty rough tho.
August 2, 2025
Love these. Like reading science fiction almost.
July 29, 2009
So far so good. I've read some of these and remain impressed with Jack London's writing. If you've liked his novels, this is a great collection of shorter pieces. For me, Jack London provides a chance to head north to places I've never been. Here is life out on a harsh, frozen frontier. Make up some hot chocolate, lean back in a comfortable chair, and enjoy.
August 16, 2012
London doesn't hit every single time here, but his batting average is pretty damn high. Love of Life has got to be one of the best short stories I've ever read (there's also a story called The Apostate, is Michael Gira a fan?). Talented craftsman (think Flannery O'Connor), unique and original subject matter.
August 17, 2008
Jack London was a racist lunatic but I still love him.
January 10, 2015
Some stories were very good, some were repetitious. In retrospect I'm having trouble distinguishing one story from another but they were written by Jack London so it's good reading.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews