Today, January 12, is Jack London’s birthday. London (1876-1916) was one of Robert E. Howard’s favorite authors.

I confess, I haven’t read much London. I’m slightly familiar with White Fang and The Call of the Wild because they are so well known.

Of course, decades years ago, I read “To Build a Fire” in one of my high school English classes. I don’t recall which one, nor do I remember much about the story. From what I’ve seen, it’s the obligatory Jack London story to include in high school literature books.

I have read a couple of other Londond stories.

“A Relic of the Pliocene” concerns an encounter with a mammoth. It’s a good adventure story. It’s been quite a while since I read it. I’ll have to give it a reread.

The other story, which I read as a kid and have reread at least once, is “Moon Face”. The details of this one have stuck with me better, maybe because I read it while I was young and the story imprinted itself on my  memory.

One man hates another man. The hated man loves to fish using dynamite. So the man who hates him gets a dog, trains the dog to fetch sticks, then gives the dog to the man he hates. You can probably figure out the rest.

London isn’t a writer you hear a lot about these days. I think that’s a shame, but then I can say the same about a number of writers who have passed from the scene.

I can certainly see how Jack London’s works would have resonated with Robert E. Howard. London’s themes, as I understand them, deal  with man’s survival in a wilderness environment. I have been wantiing to read London, more than the little I have.

So, those of you out there who have read London, what do you reccommend? Where should I start? I’m open to suggestions of short stories or novels.