Jack London, one of America’s major writers of adventure tales, was born in California in 1876. During his life, London worked at many jobs. His broad life experiences became the background of his writing. London loved reading. As a teenager, he spent many hours educating himself at the public library. He attended college at the University of California, Berkeley, but he stayed there for only six months. He thought Berkeley was “not lively enough” and wanted to do something more exciting. London wrote stories about working people and the hard times they had making a living. He knew their problems first-hand.He worked as a sailor, factory employee, and railroad worker, to name just a few of his many job. Like many people of the time, London caught the gold rush fever. In 1897, he headed for Alaska.He didn’t find gold, but he discovered something more valuable. He discovered that people enjoyed listening to the stories he made up with his vivid imagination. London entertained people with story after story. Later, using his experiences during the gold rush, he created many more colorful stories. London resolved to live a full and exciting life. He once said that he would rather be a shooting star than a sleepy and permanent planet. Each day , he pushed himself. Once London determined that he was going to be a writer, nothing could stop him. His goal was to write at least one thousand words every day. He refused to stop even when he was sick. In eighteen years , the writer published fifty-one books and hundreds of articles. Many people considered him to be one of the best writers.