On this day...

Jack London, American novelist, was born in 1876. Born to a astrologist father, whose story could easily fill its own novel, and a mother who believed she could channel the spirit of an Indian chief, London's early life and adolescence was plagued with inconsistency, and indeed he landed in jail for a month on account of vagrancy. The next few years contained many experiences which would find their way into his later writings. Living as, alternatly, a hobo, sailor and goldminer, London contracted scurvy and was left with several disfigurements as well as a socialist sympathy. Thought to be one of the first American authors to have a profitable career solely from writing payments, London's real breakthrough into the literary market came with 'The Call of the Wild', for which the publishers paid him three cents per word. A century on, the adventure thriller, along with fellow adventure novel 'The Sea Wolf', remained highly popular novels, both inspiring numerous adaptations on both sides of the Atalntic. London endured several accusations of plagiarism during his lifetime, many of which appeared legitimate complaints. He died prematurely in 1916 at the age of 40.