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Before Adam
Written in 1906, Before Adam is a bit of a departure from London's other novels. Still an adventure novel, this one revolves around the dreams of a young boy, dreams that involve racial memories and the knowledge of his prior existence as a man-like creature named Big Tooth living in prehistoric times. "These are our ancestors, and their history is our history. Remember that as surely as we one day swung down out of the trees and walked upright, just as surely, on a far earlier day, did we crawl up out of the sea and achieve our first adventure on land."
Paperback
First published January 1, 1906
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About the author
Jack London
7,905 books7,810 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 - 30 of 455 reviews
April 24, 2019
"Geri dönüp baktığımda, yaşamlarımızın ve kaderlerimizin çok küçük rastlantılara dayandığını açıkça görebiliyorum."
London'ın her kitabı farklı bir tat.
⭐
London'ın her kitabı farklı bir tat.
⭐
September 16, 2023
- رواية تنتمي لفئة الخيال العلمي، ترتكز على بعض النظريات العلمية في انتقال الذاكرة عبر الجينات، حيث يسرد الكاتب أحلام شاب من القرن العشرين جرت في العصور الأولى للبشرية (وهذه الأحداث يمكن القراءة عنها في كتب التطور العديدة). فرّق الكاتب بين ثلاثة انواع للأسلاف، وبنى قصة ممتعة ومفيدة ويمكن تلخيصها لاحقاً وقراءتها للصغار.
- الترجمة تعجّ بالأخطاء اللغوية والمطبعية
،الغريزة مجرد عادة ادمجت في كياننا الوراثي، ويلاحظ بهذه المناسبة اننا في حلم السقوط المألوف جداً لك و لي و لنا جميعا، اننا لا نصل الى الاصطدام بالارض لأن هذا الاصطدام يحطم، واولئك الذين اصطدموا بالارض من اسلافنا اهل الشجر ماتوا على الفور و هذا هو السبب في اننا لا نصطدم ابدا في احلامنا
- الترجمة تعجّ بالأخطاء اللغوية والمطبعية
June 17, 2025
london, bu kısa hikâyede bizi zamanda geriye, insanlığın ilkel dönemine götürüyor. ana karakterimiz, geceleri rüyalarında ilkel çağlarda yaşayan yarı insan yarı maymun birinin yerine geçiyor. ağaç insanları arasında geçen bu hayatta, hem hayatta kalmaya hem de düşünmeye çalışıyor. en büyük düşmanıysa korku ve şiddetin vücut bulmuş hali, kızıl göz.
büyük diş'in ateş insanlarıyla karşılaşması, onun evrimde ilerlemeye dair sezgilerini harekete geçirse de ne onlara ait olabiliyor ne de kendi grubuna. kızıl göz’ü öldürünce her şey düzelecek sanıyoruz ancak öyle olmuyor. ne yazık ki, huzur değil de yalnızlık kalıyor elinde.
ve son satırlardaysa, o rüyalar sanki hâlâ içimizde bir yerlerde yaşıyor..
büyük diş'in ateş insanlarıyla karşılaşması, onun evrimde ilerlemeye dair sezgilerini harekete geçirse de ne onlara ait olabiliyor ne de kendi grubuna. kızıl göz’ü öldürünce her şey düzelecek sanıyoruz ancak öyle olmuyor. ne yazık ki, huzur değil de yalnızlık kalıyor elinde.
ve son satırlardaysa, o rüyalar sanki hâlâ içimizde bir yerlerde yaşıyor..
November 29, 2009
I happened on this one during a browse session at my local used book dealer. Since I remember loving
Call of the Wild
, this seemed a no-brainer to try. Furthermore, thanks to the first section of Arthur C. Clarke's
2001
, I was also anxious to see another fictional take on prehistoric humans. Both as a Jack London outing, and another dip into literature about prehistoric times, this book paid off.
Before Adam may not be as attractive a story as other Jack London fare. The content reads even more brutal. The protagonist also seems less sympathetic than Buck, the hero of Call of the Wild. The combined effect is a book that feels quite dark, even though it focuses on daytime danger.
The first person narrative provides a Poe-like feel, as we are taken into the protagonist's nightmarish memories of primitive time. Though the story contains an antagonist, a romance, and a sense of morality, the ape-like behavior makes it difficult to connect with the main characters. Nevertheless, I found myself grinning during the story's courtship chapter. Apparently females have been playing hard-to-get for eons.
Kudos to Mr. London for resisting the urge to humanize and prettify the subject material. Before Adam reads as a sincere effort to dramatize the best evolutionary theory of early-1900s. It makes the story, though harder to warm up to, more legitimate. If you've read other London, I recommend giving this one a read.
Before Adam may not be as attractive a story as other Jack London fare. The content reads even more brutal. The protagonist also seems less sympathetic than Buck, the hero of Call of the Wild. The combined effect is a book that feels quite dark, even though it focuses on daytime danger.
The first person narrative provides a Poe-like feel, as we are taken into the protagonist's nightmarish memories of primitive time. Though the story contains an antagonist, a romance, and a sense of morality, the ape-like behavior makes it difficult to connect with the main characters. Nevertheless, I found myself grinning during the story's courtship chapter. Apparently females have been playing hard-to-get for eons.
Kudos to Mr. London for resisting the urge to humanize and prettify the subject material. Before Adam reads as a sincere effort to dramatize the best evolutionary theory of early-1900s. It makes the story, though harder to warm up to, more legitimate. If you've read other London, I recommend giving this one a read.
December 29, 2018
Jack London’dan çok farklı bir uzun hikaye. Aslında “büyüklere masallar” formatında yazılmış, Darwin ve Evrim Kuramı’ndan etkilenerek kurguladığı bu kitap alıştığımız J. London’ı aratıyor. Beğenip beğenmemek değil mesele aslında, öykü sevimli ve rahat okunuyor ancak Jack London’nın o muhteşem doğa ve insan öykülerinden sonra pek zayıf kaçıyor.
August 17, 2021
"Erkeğin eşini öldürdüğü tek canlı türü insandır."
Kitabın anlatımı o kadar güzeldi ki sanki ben de oradaydım. Kızılgöz'ü elime bir geçirsem etlerini tırnaklarımla parça parça yolardım sanırım.
Bir sonraki Jack London durağı Martin Eden 🎉
Kitabın anlatımı o kadar güzeldi ki sanki ben de oradaydım. Kızılgöz'ü elime bir geçirsem etlerini tırnaklarımla parça parça yolardım sanırım.
Bir sonraki Jack London durağı Martin Eden 🎉
October 3, 2020
Today, more than a century after Jack London's passing in 1916, most people probably remember the San Francisco-born author for his books of rugged adventure, such as his third novel, "The Call of the Wild" (1903), his fifth, "The Sea-Wolf" (1904), and his seventh, "White Fang" (1906). Fewer will recall that amongst London's 23 novels, 21 short story collections, three memoirs, three plays, 22 books of nonfiction and 45 poems--all written during a life span of only 40 years--this most superhumanly prolific of authors also produced four books that must be classified as either fantasy or sci-fi. I have already written here of London's 13th novel, "The Scarlet Plague" (1912), a marvelous postapocalyptic meditation, but also out there are his ninth novel, "The Iron Heel" (1907), a dystopian affair, and his 18th, "The Star Rover" (1915), a sci-fi/fantasy hybrid. And then there is the novel in question, London's eighth, "Before Adam," which was released several months after "White Fang," and eight months after London's hometown was largely destroyed by a certain seismic event that you've probably heard of before. (London, fortunately, was by that time living on his 1,000-acre ranch in Glen Ellen, Sonoma County, north of the city.)
In 1906, London was 30 years old and his life was already ¾ over. But what a lot of living he'd already put under his belt! By the time he was 20, the author had worked in a cannery, become an oyster pirate, served aboard a sealing schooner, worked in a jute mill and a power plant, and lived the life of a hobo. During his next decade, he participated in the Klondike Gold Rush and soon became a writer, gotten married, had two kids, gotten divorced, covered the Russo-Japanese War as a correspondent, worked as a sports reporter, and married again. (The 1943 film "Jack London" does a very poor job in telling the story of his remarkable life.) All of London's myriad experiences, of course, made for the perfect grist for his fictive mill, although "Before Adam" must be deemed solely a product of the imagination...aided a bit by what was known then in the field of evolutionary science. The novel originally appeared as a serial from 1906 - '07 in the pages of "Everybody's Magazine," and as a 215-page Macmillan Company hardcover shortly thereafter, featuring extensive interior artwork by Charles Livingston Bull. The edition that this reader was fortunate enough to acquire was the one from Bison Books, from 2000. This was the book's 10th incarnation, at least, with a good 10 more to follow, not counting electronic versions; the book, thus, should be a breeze to purchase today. But I do recommend this Bison edition, as it features not only Loren Eiseley's scholarly epilogue from Macmillan's 1962 edition, but also a most pleasant introduction by Dennis L. McKiernan, a detailed listing of the book's characters, original reviews from "The Atlantic Monthly" and "The New York Times," and one of the most helpful maps that I’ve even been pleased to peruse in a fantasy work...not to mention the 50 small pieces of art and eight large pieces by Bull that had graced the 1907 hardcover! A beautiful volume, really, with easy-to-read large type wrapping around those charming illustrations. But as to London's wonderful eighth novel itself:
It is told to us by a nameless, middle-aged narrator and details the dream experiences he has had since his youth. But perhaps "dream" is not the correct choice of word, because, as our narrator has only recently learned himself, these nighttime visions constitute, in actuality, a freakish ability that this one man possesses: to tap into the racial memory and witness the life of one of his distant forebears. Thus, from a series of nonconsecutive "dreams," which our narrator has arranged for us in a neat chronological format, we learn all about the protoman who our 20th century guide calls Big-Tooth, and who lived in the Mid-Pleistocene epoch of some 100,000 years ago. During the time of Big-Tooth, three very different types of primate predominated in his area (which, by internal evidence and the presence of rhinos, lions and elephants, the reader assumes to be what is now known as Western Africa). There were the Tree People, or what we would today call the gorillas, monkeys and apes; Big-Tooth's people, the Folk, bipedal men with apelike features who live in both trees and caves, possess the most rudimentary of tools, and are capable of making perhaps 40 sounds (the Folk have no names assigned to their individuals; "Big-Tooth" and all the other character names are inventions of our narrator); and the Fire People, the most advanced of the three races, who know not only how to use fire, but also bows and arrows and dugout canoes.
Big-Tooth's life, it seems, had changed radically at an early age, when his, uh, stepfather (or, at least, his mother's second mate, the Chatterer) had kicked him out of the family tree, causing the miserable youth to fend for himself. He had settled into the caves of the nearby Folk, where he'd befriended another youth, Lop-Ear, who remains his bosom buddy and cavemate throughout most of the tale. He'd also made an enemy of the fierce atavism called Red-Eye, a monstrous throwback who lives with the Folk despite terrorizing all the men and stealing and killing their women. During the course of the book, we witness the daily life of Big-Tooth, with all its sudden violence and easygoing days. We see him try to woo and win the affection of a shy and slightly more evolutionized woman dubbed the Swift One, defend himself against the hulking Red-Eye on several occasions, and fight off sabertooths, snakes and wild boars. In what is perhaps the book's most fascinating section, he and Lop-Ear somehow make it across the river near their caves, and set off on a journey of exploration into the unknown land beyond. Here, they encounter fierce Tree People and vast tracts of mountainous waste. During their return trek, they are unfortunate enough to find themselves in the vicinity of the Fire People themselves, after having had two serious run-ins with them previously. In the book's tragic conclusion, these Fire People, feeling the need to expand their turf, attack the Folk in their cave homes with smoke, fire and arrows, resulting in a months-long flight by the surviving Folk across a great swampland and a disastrous sojourn on the shore of a desolate, windswept beach. But this unfortunate diaspora is hardly the end of Big-Tooth and the Swift One’s time together....
In that 1907 review from the "Times" that I mentioned earlier, it is stated that "Jack London has performed a wonderful feat in so describing the lives and passions of these rudimentary beings," and this reader could not agree more. Indeed, one of the great accomplishments of "Before Adam" is that it makes us feel for these man apes to the degree that it does. How touching it is when we see Big-Tooth and Lop-Ear curled up together, arms wrapped around one another, in sleep. The passions and desires of the Folk are already recognizable and identifiable: the loneliness and fright that Big-Tooth experiences when evicted from his tree home; his jealousy when Lop-Ear marries his stepsister and he is evicted from his cave; his fear of the night, of the man-eating wildlife, and especially of the Fire People; his nameless aching for the Swift One. Without a single line of actual dialogue, London enables us to fully understand many of the differentiated members of the Folk; a significant achievement.
His book is simply but beautifully written, not to mention strangely credible. The Folk are a people of only limited mentality, to put it mildly, and London realistically depicts their small accomplishments. Thus, we witness Lop-Ear pause in a retreat before the Fire Men, to help Big-Tooth remove an arrow from his leg, in an early instance of selflessness and charity. We see their great discovery of how gourds can be used to convey water and berries; how vines can be tied around bundles of ferns to make a bed; how it is possible to use one's hands to paddle a log through water, and steer it; how, by locking legs, two men on two legs can effect a sort of catamaran. Midway through the book, Big-Tooth even captures a puppy and starts in on what might be man's first attempt at canine domestication...a failed project, after Lop-Ear slays the dog and the friends decide to eat it! Other convincing accomplishments that London gives us are the rudimentary language of the Folk, the tribe's discovery of ice, and, of course, the wonderful scene in which Big-Tooth and Lop-Ear discover fire by imitating the actions of the Fire Men, burning an entire district down in the process. Still, we see that the Folk are yet incapable of any real concerted cooperation or concentration. Even when forced with a grave crisis, the tribe is most likely to wind up having a "hee-hee council," banging sticks and capering about in play. They are an easily distracted lot, to say the least. But still, it is obvious to the reader where London's sympathies lie. Even though the Fire People have much more in common with 20th century man, London--as he did in "The Call of the Wild" and other stories--seems to indicate that he favors the more natural and primitive. Thus, the decimation of the Folk at the book's conclusion is felt to be a tragedy, and not a victory for Homo sapiens.
The author gives us any number of wonderful scenes in his novel, including the Folk's battle against a ravenous sabertooth; the first run-in with an aged but canny Fire Man; Big-Tooth's eventual victory over Red-Eye; that lengthy odyssey that Big-Tooth and Lop-Ear are compelled to undertake; an epic battle between Red-Eye, the Swift One, Big-Tooth, Folk member Big-Face...and another sabertooth; and that eventual, all-out attack by the Fire Men. London paces his tale marvelously, giving us a near flawless demonstration of storytelling skill. Actually, he makes only one misstep that I could detect: when he mentions, late in the book, that Big-Tooth and Lop-Ear had poked that first Fire Man with sticks, while remaining safely above him in the branches of a tree. In actuality, however, all they had done was chatter down at him. But this, of course, pales into insignificance when compared to the other wonderful accomplishments in this touching book. Around 40 years later, William Golding would pen a similar story in his 1955 novel "The Inheritors," which tells of a Neanderthal tribe being superseded by a more manlike group. But I don't recall being nearly as moved or as entertained by that later book, as compared to London's. In his introduction to the Bison edition, McKiernan calls "Before Adam" "a truly splendid fantasy," and again, I could not agree more. To quote somebody else, namely our narrator at the beginning of his tale, "Taking it all in all, a fairly coherent and interesting story that I am sure you will agree." And I cannot imagine any reader gainsaying him. This really is a splendid book. As for me, I see that Dover has also put out a book of Jack London's short stories dealing with the fantastic, entitled, uh, "Fantastic Tales," and that is where this reader will be headed next. Stay tuned....
(By the way, this review originally appeared on the FanLit website at http://www.fantasyliterature.com/ ... a most ideal destination for all fans of Jack London....)
In 1906, London was 30 years old and his life was already ¾ over. But what a lot of living he'd already put under his belt! By the time he was 20, the author had worked in a cannery, become an oyster pirate, served aboard a sealing schooner, worked in a jute mill and a power plant, and lived the life of a hobo. During his next decade, he participated in the Klondike Gold Rush and soon became a writer, gotten married, had two kids, gotten divorced, covered the Russo-Japanese War as a correspondent, worked as a sports reporter, and married again. (The 1943 film "Jack London" does a very poor job in telling the story of his remarkable life.) All of London's myriad experiences, of course, made for the perfect grist for his fictive mill, although "Before Adam" must be deemed solely a product of the imagination...aided a bit by what was known then in the field of evolutionary science. The novel originally appeared as a serial from 1906 - '07 in the pages of "Everybody's Magazine," and as a 215-page Macmillan Company hardcover shortly thereafter, featuring extensive interior artwork by Charles Livingston Bull. The edition that this reader was fortunate enough to acquire was the one from Bison Books, from 2000. This was the book's 10th incarnation, at least, with a good 10 more to follow, not counting electronic versions; the book, thus, should be a breeze to purchase today. But I do recommend this Bison edition, as it features not only Loren Eiseley's scholarly epilogue from Macmillan's 1962 edition, but also a most pleasant introduction by Dennis L. McKiernan, a detailed listing of the book's characters, original reviews from "The Atlantic Monthly" and "The New York Times," and one of the most helpful maps that I’ve even been pleased to peruse in a fantasy work...not to mention the 50 small pieces of art and eight large pieces by Bull that had graced the 1907 hardcover! A beautiful volume, really, with easy-to-read large type wrapping around those charming illustrations. But as to London's wonderful eighth novel itself:
It is told to us by a nameless, middle-aged narrator and details the dream experiences he has had since his youth. But perhaps "dream" is not the correct choice of word, because, as our narrator has only recently learned himself, these nighttime visions constitute, in actuality, a freakish ability that this one man possesses: to tap into the racial memory and witness the life of one of his distant forebears. Thus, from a series of nonconsecutive "dreams," which our narrator has arranged for us in a neat chronological format, we learn all about the protoman who our 20th century guide calls Big-Tooth, and who lived in the Mid-Pleistocene epoch of some 100,000 years ago. During the time of Big-Tooth, three very different types of primate predominated in his area (which, by internal evidence and the presence of rhinos, lions and elephants, the reader assumes to be what is now known as Western Africa). There were the Tree People, or what we would today call the gorillas, monkeys and apes; Big-Tooth's people, the Folk, bipedal men with apelike features who live in both trees and caves, possess the most rudimentary of tools, and are capable of making perhaps 40 sounds (the Folk have no names assigned to their individuals; "Big-Tooth" and all the other character names are inventions of our narrator); and the Fire People, the most advanced of the three races, who know not only how to use fire, but also bows and arrows and dugout canoes.
Big-Tooth's life, it seems, had changed radically at an early age, when his, uh, stepfather (or, at least, his mother's second mate, the Chatterer) had kicked him out of the family tree, causing the miserable youth to fend for himself. He had settled into the caves of the nearby Folk, where he'd befriended another youth, Lop-Ear, who remains his bosom buddy and cavemate throughout most of the tale. He'd also made an enemy of the fierce atavism called Red-Eye, a monstrous throwback who lives with the Folk despite terrorizing all the men and stealing and killing their women. During the course of the book, we witness the daily life of Big-Tooth, with all its sudden violence and easygoing days. We see him try to woo and win the affection of a shy and slightly more evolutionized woman dubbed the Swift One, defend himself against the hulking Red-Eye on several occasions, and fight off sabertooths, snakes and wild boars. In what is perhaps the book's most fascinating section, he and Lop-Ear somehow make it across the river near their caves, and set off on a journey of exploration into the unknown land beyond. Here, they encounter fierce Tree People and vast tracts of mountainous waste. During their return trek, they are unfortunate enough to find themselves in the vicinity of the Fire People themselves, after having had two serious run-ins with them previously. In the book's tragic conclusion, these Fire People, feeling the need to expand their turf, attack the Folk in their cave homes with smoke, fire and arrows, resulting in a months-long flight by the surviving Folk across a great swampland and a disastrous sojourn on the shore of a desolate, windswept beach. But this unfortunate diaspora is hardly the end of Big-Tooth and the Swift One’s time together....
In that 1907 review from the "Times" that I mentioned earlier, it is stated that "Jack London has performed a wonderful feat in so describing the lives and passions of these rudimentary beings," and this reader could not agree more. Indeed, one of the great accomplishments of "Before Adam" is that it makes us feel for these man apes to the degree that it does. How touching it is when we see Big-Tooth and Lop-Ear curled up together, arms wrapped around one another, in sleep. The passions and desires of the Folk are already recognizable and identifiable: the loneliness and fright that Big-Tooth experiences when evicted from his tree home; his jealousy when Lop-Ear marries his stepsister and he is evicted from his cave; his fear of the night, of the man-eating wildlife, and especially of the Fire People; his nameless aching for the Swift One. Without a single line of actual dialogue, London enables us to fully understand many of the differentiated members of the Folk; a significant achievement.
His book is simply but beautifully written, not to mention strangely credible. The Folk are a people of only limited mentality, to put it mildly, and London realistically depicts their small accomplishments. Thus, we witness Lop-Ear pause in a retreat before the Fire Men, to help Big-Tooth remove an arrow from his leg, in an early instance of selflessness and charity. We see their great discovery of how gourds can be used to convey water and berries; how vines can be tied around bundles of ferns to make a bed; how it is possible to use one's hands to paddle a log through water, and steer it; how, by locking legs, two men on two legs can effect a sort of catamaran. Midway through the book, Big-Tooth even captures a puppy and starts in on what might be man's first attempt at canine domestication...a failed project, after Lop-Ear slays the dog and the friends decide to eat it! Other convincing accomplishments that London gives us are the rudimentary language of the Folk, the tribe's discovery of ice, and, of course, the wonderful scene in which Big-Tooth and Lop-Ear discover fire by imitating the actions of the Fire Men, burning an entire district down in the process. Still, we see that the Folk are yet incapable of any real concerted cooperation or concentration. Even when forced with a grave crisis, the tribe is most likely to wind up having a "hee-hee council," banging sticks and capering about in play. They are an easily distracted lot, to say the least. But still, it is obvious to the reader where London's sympathies lie. Even though the Fire People have much more in common with 20th century man, London--as he did in "The Call of the Wild" and other stories--seems to indicate that he favors the more natural and primitive. Thus, the decimation of the Folk at the book's conclusion is felt to be a tragedy, and not a victory for Homo sapiens.
The author gives us any number of wonderful scenes in his novel, including the Folk's battle against a ravenous sabertooth; the first run-in with an aged but canny Fire Man; Big-Tooth's eventual victory over Red-Eye; that lengthy odyssey that Big-Tooth and Lop-Ear are compelled to undertake; an epic battle between Red-Eye, the Swift One, Big-Tooth, Folk member Big-Face...and another sabertooth; and that eventual, all-out attack by the Fire Men. London paces his tale marvelously, giving us a near flawless demonstration of storytelling skill. Actually, he makes only one misstep that I could detect: when he mentions, late in the book, that Big-Tooth and Lop-Ear had poked that first Fire Man with sticks, while remaining safely above him in the branches of a tree. In actuality, however, all they had done was chatter down at him. But this, of course, pales into insignificance when compared to the other wonderful accomplishments in this touching book. Around 40 years later, William Golding would pen a similar story in his 1955 novel "The Inheritors," which tells of a Neanderthal tribe being superseded by a more manlike group. But I don't recall being nearly as moved or as entertained by that later book, as compared to London's. In his introduction to the Bison edition, McKiernan calls "Before Adam" "a truly splendid fantasy," and again, I could not agree more. To quote somebody else, namely our narrator at the beginning of his tale, "Taking it all in all, a fairly coherent and interesting story that I am sure you will agree." And I cannot imagine any reader gainsaying him. This really is a splendid book. As for me, I see that Dover has also put out a book of Jack London's short stories dealing with the fantastic, entitled, uh, "Fantastic Tales," and that is where this reader will be headed next. Stay tuned....
(By the way, this review originally appeared on the FanLit website at http://www.fantasyliterature.com/ ... a most ideal destination for all fans of Jack London....)
July 13, 2016
Unexpectedly awesome. The entire thing is on libravox, which is how I listened to it. This is technically a work of science fiction, I suppose. Its premised on an idea of "genetic memory" which Im pretty sure is wholly discredited. The narrator has a genetically imprinted memory of his ancestors, particularly one ancestry: A prehuman ape. But its just a premise to get you into the real story. The story of that ape's life. Its fascinating to read a narration of such a life. The ape is born into a "tribe" of sorts, of apes who are somewhere in between tree dwellers and cave dwellers. There are other surrounding bands of apes with different levels of development. One is even more primitive, staying wholly in the forest, and another is pretty advanced, has tools including bows and arrows etc. Im not sure how anthropologically plausible this is, but its interesting anyway. Even if its not strictly accurate, you can envision very minor textual changes which would bring it in accordance with anthropological reality. Anyway, the ape as you might imagine has to deal with numerous challenges. Being hunted by other apes, and saber toothed cats, etc. There are problems of communication as language has not yet evolved. There are some apes which are asocial and try to kill or rape other apes. The narrator must make alliances with other apes, find a mate at some point, feed himself, avoid danger. The whole description of the mindset of being a prehuman though is what makes the book so fascinating though. Its really a trip.
June 2, 2021
Şaşırtıcı bir roman, Jack London'ın basit ama derin, anlattığı kusurlu evrim öncesi ataya karşın kusursuz kurgusu. Bir kez daha büyülendim. Sade dili ama en zoru kolayca anlatan tavrıyla bir klasik. Fantastik? Bilim kurgu? Vizyonuna, bakış açısına, hayal gücünün enginliğine şaşmamak lazım. Tadımlık, çok lezzetli bir hazine "Adem'den Önce"
January 24, 2026
I wanted to read Before Adam while Stephen Baxter’s Evolution was still fresh in my mind. Both books focus on who we were before we evolved into humans and both tell stories of those early times to illustrate our primitive nature. Evolution, however, is broader in scope spanning multiple of epoches. In contrast, Before Adam focuses on a single point in time. Its timeframe closely resembles Chapter 8 of Evolution, which took place 5 million years before the present.
One interesting fact about Before Adam was that Jack London was accused of plagiarism by Stanley Waterloo upon its publication in 1906. Waterloo published The Story of Ab: A Tale of the Time of the Cave Man in 1897 and claimed that Before Adam copied his work. Of course, London denied Waterloo’s allegation. In an open letter London indicated that Waterloo was effectively claiming that "when one man describes a sunset no other men are ever to describe sunsets..."
And here’s the thing, Chapter 8 of Evolution and Before Adam resemble each other in in many ways. As I pointed out in my thoughts on Evolution, there’s not much more that these primitive animals did in their ancient times beyond primitive animal stuff. If similarities exist between these two stories, as well as between Before Adam and The Story of Ab, its probably because they are all describing sunsets.
On its own, Before Adam is entertaining but not masterful. London includes a few bits of caveman humor that are more eye-rolling than funny, and he personifies his pre-human creatures more than he should. The plot is not complicated and his means of making the story possible speaks more to a psychological illness with his narrator than it does to plausibility.
In many ways, the motif of ancient pre-man is a dead end. The best of writing guidance suggests that writers should “write what they know,” but nobody knows these creatures. Therefore, it’s probably better to stick to scientific facts and learned opinions on the subject and let the wonders of our past arise from those.
An article reporting on the plagiarism accusation made by Waterloo regarding Before Adam...NY Times, 1906
One interesting fact about Before Adam was that Jack London was accused of plagiarism by Stanley Waterloo upon its publication in 1906. Waterloo published The Story of Ab: A Tale of the Time of the Cave Man in 1897 and claimed that Before Adam copied his work. Of course, London denied Waterloo’s allegation. In an open letter London indicated that Waterloo was effectively claiming that "when one man describes a sunset no other men are ever to describe sunsets..."
And here’s the thing, Chapter 8 of Evolution and Before Adam resemble each other in in many ways. As I pointed out in my thoughts on Evolution, there’s not much more that these primitive animals did in their ancient times beyond primitive animal stuff. If similarities exist between these two stories, as well as between Before Adam and The Story of Ab, its probably because they are all describing sunsets.
On its own, Before Adam is entertaining but not masterful. London includes a few bits of caveman humor that are more eye-rolling than funny, and he personifies his pre-human creatures more than he should. The plot is not complicated and his means of making the story possible speaks more to a psychological illness with his narrator than it does to plausibility.
In many ways, the motif of ancient pre-man is a dead end. The best of writing guidance suggests that writers should “write what they know,” but nobody knows these creatures. Therefore, it’s probably better to stick to scientific facts and learned opinions on the subject and let the wonders of our past arise from those.
An article reporting on the plagiarism accusation made by Waterloo regarding Before Adam...NY Times, 1906
March 26, 2019
Another on my 'London Bridge' personal challenge list, which explores a few London titles that do not focus on what we all think of his 'usual' topics. Here we learn the story of a young man who has had strange dreams ever since he can remember. Dreams about living in a long ago past era, living as a creature who was not an animal but also was not quite human.
"Oh, believe me, we were amazingly simple. But we did know a lot that is not known to-day. We could twitch our ears, prick them up and flatten them down at will. And we could scratch between our shoulders with ease. We could throw stones with our feet. I have done it many a time. And for that matter, I could keep my knees straight, bend forward from the hips, and touch, not the tips of my fingers, but the points of my elbows, to the ground."
The narrator is an adult, looking back and trying both to share and to make sense of what he feels is the life of his 'other self'.
"It is I, the modern, who look back across the centuries and weigh and analyze the emotions and motives of Big-Tooth, my other self. He did not bother to weigh and analyze. He was simplicity itself. He just lived events, without ever pondering why he lived them in his particular and often erratic way.
. . . And right often have I, the modern, been perturbed and vexed by the foolishness, illogic, obtuseness, and general all-round stupendous stupidity of myself, the primitive."
This was a creative way of imagining the life of what we might think of as some missing links. London 'peopled' his ancient world with the Folk (the narrator's group), the Tree People (the creatures just a rung below The Folk on the ladder), and the Fire People, who have already learned about fire as well as weapons such as bows and arrows.
I thought it was an entertaining story, and am impressed once again with one of my favorite authors! I wonder what the next title in my London Bridge will be about?
"Oh, believe me, we were amazingly simple. But we did know a lot that is not known to-day. We could twitch our ears, prick them up and flatten them down at will. And we could scratch between our shoulders with ease. We could throw stones with our feet. I have done it many a time. And for that matter, I could keep my knees straight, bend forward from the hips, and touch, not the tips of my fingers, but the points of my elbows, to the ground."
The narrator is an adult, looking back and trying both to share and to make sense of what he feels is the life of his 'other self'.
"It is I, the modern, who look back across the centuries and weigh and analyze the emotions and motives of Big-Tooth, my other self. He did not bother to weigh and analyze. He was simplicity itself. He just lived events, without ever pondering why he lived them in his particular and often erratic way.
. . . And right often have I, the modern, been perturbed and vexed by the foolishness, illogic, obtuseness, and general all-round stupendous stupidity of myself, the primitive."
This was a creative way of imagining the life of what we might think of as some missing links. London 'peopled' his ancient world with the Folk (the narrator's group), the Tree People (the creatures just a rung below The Folk on the ladder), and the Fire People, who have already learned about fire as well as weapons such as bows and arrows.
I thought it was an entertaining story, and am impressed once again with one of my favorite authors! I wonder what the next title in my London Bridge will be about?
May 17, 2017
Muhteşem bir kitaptı. Ben yere çakılanlardanım ama :) Sanırım benim atalarım düşüp sağ kurtulandan. Jack London böyle bir kitabı yazarak engin zekasını bir kez daha ortaya koymuş. Okumama vesile olan Bumin Varlı arkadaşıma bir kez daha teşekkürlerimi sunuyorum :)
May 10, 2021
Me cuesta encontrar las palabras para describir lo increíble que es este libro. Siento que escriba lo que escriba no voy a lograr hacerle justicia, pero haré el intento.
London toma una versión ficcionalizada de sí para empezar a escribir.
El personaje principal es él mismo, y desde su propia perspectiva nos cuenta sobre ciertos sueños que lo atormentaban cuando era pequeño y a los que recién en su juventud consiguió darles sentido. Él soñaba con seres de la prehistoria; seres que evolucionaron de los monos pero que no llegaban aún a ser humanos del todo. Valiéndose en la teoría de la reencarnación, London cuenta las vivencias de Diente Largo, su antiguo yo.
En esta ficción histórica vamos a ir aprendiendo sobre los Hombres de las Cavernas. Sabremos cómo veían al mundo, qué comían, cómo se relacionaban con otros seres, qué atisbos de humanidad o civilización existían desde entonces en ellos y, lo más importante, cómo fue su encuentro con los temibles Hombres del Fuego (el humano moderno u homo sapiens).
Lo más destacable de todo esto es el evidente trabajo de investigación que hizo el autor para escribir sobre (pre)historia y biología con conocimientos de causa. Así como se nota cuando alguien habla sin haberse informado previamente, se nota cuando hay un arduo laburo y sed de información, como ocurre aquí.
También es imposible mirar por encima de la asombrosa letra de London. Su narración es armoniosa, fluida y cautivadora. Te invita constantemente a seguir leyendo un capítulo más y acabás no queriendo soltar el libro hasta culminarlo. Es espectacular. Además, la narración consigue compenetrarte tanto en la historia que por momentos se te olvida que estás leyendo el testimonio de un hombre moderno sobre sus sueños. De repente te encontrás con pasajes que te hacen decir "¿pero cómo un ser prehistórico va a tener una visión tan hegemónica/contemporánea sobre esto?" y, como si te leyera la mente, London agrega inmediatamente después toda una explicación de que lo que acabás de leer es la visión de su "yo moderno" y no del antiguo, encargándose también de recordarte cuál es la verdadera voz del narrador. Impecable. Aplausos.
Por último, una mención de honor a la impactante carga filosófica que tiene el libro. London es un autorazo.
Definitivamente recomendadísimo.
London toma una versión ficcionalizada de sí para empezar a escribir.
El personaje principal es él mismo, y desde su propia perspectiva nos cuenta sobre ciertos sueños que lo atormentaban cuando era pequeño y a los que recién en su juventud consiguió darles sentido. Él soñaba con seres de la prehistoria; seres que evolucionaron de los monos pero que no llegaban aún a ser humanos del todo. Valiéndose en la teoría de la reencarnación, London cuenta las vivencias de Diente Largo, su antiguo yo.
En esta ficción histórica vamos a ir aprendiendo sobre los Hombres de las Cavernas. Sabremos cómo veían al mundo, qué comían, cómo se relacionaban con otros seres, qué atisbos de humanidad o civilización existían desde entonces en ellos y, lo más importante, cómo fue su encuentro con los temibles Hombres del Fuego (el humano moderno u homo sapiens).
Lo más destacable de todo esto es el evidente trabajo de investigación que hizo el autor para escribir sobre (pre)historia y biología con conocimientos de causa. Así como se nota cuando alguien habla sin haberse informado previamente, se nota cuando hay un arduo laburo y sed de información, como ocurre aquí.
También es imposible mirar por encima de la asombrosa letra de London. Su narración es armoniosa, fluida y cautivadora. Te invita constantemente a seguir leyendo un capítulo más y acabás no queriendo soltar el libro hasta culminarlo. Es espectacular. Además, la narración consigue compenetrarte tanto en la historia que por momentos se te olvida que estás leyendo el testimonio de un hombre moderno sobre sus sueños. De repente te encontrás con pasajes que te hacen decir "¿pero cómo un ser prehistórico va a tener una visión tan hegemónica/contemporánea sobre esto?" y, como si te leyera la mente, London agrega inmediatamente después toda una explicación de que lo que acabás de leer es la visión de su "yo moderno" y no del antiguo, encargándose también de recordarte cuál es la verdadera voz del narrador. Impecable. Aplausos.
Por último, una mención de honor a la impactante carga filosófica que tiene el libro. London es un autorazo.
Definitivamente recomendadísimo.
September 13, 2024
Mahir Ünsal Eriş ve Töre Sivrioğlu’nun yaptığı Geri Dönüyoruz podcastinin sanırım Taş Devri bölümünde Jack London’ın Adem’den Öncesi oldukça övülünce ben de merakla başladım kitaba. Podcastten önce okumuş olsam yine bu kadar sever miydim, bilemiyorum.
Tarihin o dönemlerine ilişkin bugün daha çok şey bilmemize karşın Jack London’ın kitabı yazdığı dönemde henüz hiç bilinmeyen ayrıntıları gerçeğe bu kadar yakın tasvir etmesi insanı şaşırtıyor. Kitabı okuduğum 2 gün, milyonlarca yıl önce yaşamış insanımsı atamız bana eşlik etti sanki.
Tarihin o dönemlerine ilişkin bugün daha çok şey bilmemize karşın Jack London’ın kitabı yazdığı dönemde henüz hiç bilinmeyen ayrıntıları gerçeğe bu kadar yakın tasvir etmesi insanı şaşırtıyor. Kitabı okuduğum 2 gün, milyonlarca yıl önce yaşamış insanımsı atamız bana eşlik etti sanki.
January 15, 2018
Jack London, a writter well known by his great tales of south seas and about the gold rush in Alaska with tales as To Light a Fire or Law of Life is a forefather of several genres : the postapocaliptic, with the novel The Scarlet Plague ,the utopian distopian with The Iron Heel and this rather unclassifiable Before Adam,written in 1907 when few was known about human evolution.
This novel has curious similarities with two later novels,The Shadow Out of Time by Lovecraft Witten in 1934,where a man dreams of a previous ancient life in other body, and with the Inheritors by William Golding written in 1955 where is described the extinction of the Neantherthals at hand of the Homo Sapiens,with this one the novel by London has stronger similarities.
This novel by London tells the dreams of a previous life preserved in the brain as innate recalls of the life and fight of a inferior race of hominids that in this fight become near extinct with the superior race that know the bow ,the arrow and the fire.
The inferior hominide have not a developed language and its comunication is by mean of signs and intuitive.
A very interesting novel with the added value that i think that is the first novel written about the subject of human evolution trough several stages of hominids and the social life and comunication of them,all in the proces of abandon the trees and take the land.
This novel has curious similarities with two later novels,The Shadow Out of Time by Lovecraft Witten in 1934,where a man dreams of a previous ancient life in other body, and with the Inheritors by William Golding written in 1955 where is described the extinction of the Neantherthals at hand of the Homo Sapiens,with this one the novel by London has stronger similarities.
This novel by London tells the dreams of a previous life preserved in the brain as innate recalls of the life and fight of a inferior race of hominids that in this fight become near extinct with the superior race that know the bow ,the arrow and the fire.
The inferior hominide have not a developed language and its comunication is by mean of signs and intuitive.
A very interesting novel with the added value that i think that is the first novel written about the subject of human evolution trough several stages of hominids and the social life and comunication of them,all in the proces of abandon the trees and take the land.
September 14, 2020
Jack Londun’un evrimi hayal gücüyle harmanladığı tek solukta okunan keyifli kitabı.
Bireysel yaşamdan halk yaşamına,
Ağaç insanında ateş insanına,
‘Carcar’layandan kelimelerle konuşana
kadar üç farklı insan tipinin aynı ortamda buluştuğu yaratıcı bir kurgu.
İlkellerin genel özellikleri olan düşünememe, konuşamama, üretememe gibi şeyler o kadar doğallığında anlatılmış ki eksikliklerine dair ne hüzün ne sancı ne de bir acı hissi var ediyor:
“Aklına gelen fikrin ışığı titreyerek söndü.”
O zaman için tek korku karanlık ve karanlığın sakinleri olan yırtıcılara karşı:
“Muhtemelen karanlığın gerçek sakinlerine karşı duyulan bu korkudan, zaman içinde geçekdışı sakinlere duyulan korku gelişecek, görünmeyen sağlam ve güçlü dünyada doruğa çıkacaktı. Hayal gücü geliştikçe ölüm korkusu da artacak, sonunda Halk bu korkuyu karanlığa yansıtacak ve onu ruhlarla dolduracaktı.”
Aynı yaratıcılık ilkel insandan moderne uzanan rüyalar serüveninde de karşımıza çıkıyor ve baştan sona bütünleyici bir anlatımla bu eser ortaya çıkıyor.
Bireysel yaşamdan halk yaşamına,
Ağaç insanında ateş insanına,
‘Carcar’layandan kelimelerle konuşana
kadar üç farklı insan tipinin aynı ortamda buluştuğu yaratıcı bir kurgu.
İlkellerin genel özellikleri olan düşünememe, konuşamama, üretememe gibi şeyler o kadar doğallığında anlatılmış ki eksikliklerine dair ne hüzün ne sancı ne de bir acı hissi var ediyor:
“Aklına gelen fikrin ışığı titreyerek söndü.”
O zaman için tek korku karanlık ve karanlığın sakinleri olan yırtıcılara karşı:
“Muhtemelen karanlığın gerçek sakinlerine karşı duyulan bu korkudan, zaman içinde geçekdışı sakinlere duyulan korku gelişecek, görünmeyen sağlam ve güçlü dünyada doruğa çıkacaktı. Hayal gücü geliştikçe ölüm korkusu da artacak, sonunda Halk bu korkuyu karanlığa yansıtacak ve onu ruhlarla dolduracaktı.”
Aynı yaratıcılık ilkel insandan moderne uzanan rüyalar serüveninde de karşımıza çıkıyor ve baştan sona bütünleyici bir anlatımla bu eser ortaya çıkıyor.
December 9, 2018
An interesting first hand account of what it was like to live in the 'stone-age'. London uses the dreams of a boy who remembers this past life, but does it pretty well. The story is told pretty completely without a lot of waking up & messing about in the present day. The racial memory idea isn't one I care for too much, but this was well done.
The story isn't complete & better for that. A lot of boring parts are left out & some questions are left to our imagination. Better still, he has 3 species of 'humans', some more advanced than others, & has limited breeding between them.
This isn't a heroic saga. The main character is quite typical of his kind & for the day. He tells us how they'd rather run than fight since life was hard & any wound could wind up killing them.
It was interesting rather than illuminating, though. An interesting what-if.
The story isn't complete & better for that. A lot of boring parts are left out & some questions are left to our imagination. Better still, he has 3 species of 'humans', some more advanced than others, & has limited breeding between them.
This isn't a heroic saga. The main character is quite typical of his kind & for the day. He tells us how they'd rather run than fight since life was hard & any wound could wind up killing them.
It was interesting rather than illuminating, though. An interesting what-if.
June 24, 2017
Adem'den Önce'yi okurken, öncelikle böyle bir kitabı yazma fikrinin çok ilginç olduğunu düşündüğümü hatırlıyorum. Bana göre oldukça yaratıcıydı ve aynı zamanda hayal gücümü çalıştırmamı sağlayan da bir kitap oldu. "Yarı- insan" olma halinin ve o zamanki koşulların müthiş bir ustalıkla ve sürükleyici bir dille anlatıldığını söyleyebilirim. Okurken tekrar eden şekillerde "Acaba yazarın kafasında yazma fikri nasıl oluştu, süreç nasıl ilerledi?" diye düşünüp durdum. Diğer taraftan, bildiğimiz anlamda modern bir insan olan anlatıcının anlatımına odaklanmaya çalıştım sürekli; o dönemi, koşulları ve var olan yaratık ve yarı insanların hareketlerini düzgün bir şekilde anlayabilmek için. Bunun sebebi dönemin oldukça dikkat çekici olmasıydı. Anlaşılacak bir dilin, düşünmeyi sağlayacak bir beynin henüz gelişmemiş olduğu, yaşayanların ortak hareket etmeyi bilmedikleri, bu nedenle türlü zorluklarla karşılaştıkları bir dönem...Aslında bence bir nevi "yaşama mücadelesi" dönemi. Konuya ilgi duyan herkesin yaşamlarının bir döneminde tanışması gereken bir kitap Adem'den Önce.
March 21, 2019
Gece vardiyası ❤️
April 28, 2021
Ademden Önce, Jack London'un en sevdiğim eserlerinden biri oldu. Yazarı zaten çok sevdiğimi milyon kere söylemişimdir ama bu kitap okurken en çok keyif aldıklarımdan biriydi👌🏻 Kitabı @kfenomeni ile birlikte okuduk, biyolojiyi pek sevmediği için onun çok keyif aldığı bir kitap olmadı ama evrim, türler ve biyoloji ile ilgiliyseniz bu kitabı kesinlikle öneririm😊
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Ademden Önce, modern bir Amerikalı çocuğun rüyalarında kendini tarih öncesi bir çağda yaşayan Kocadiş isimli bir ara tür olarak görmesini anlatıyor. O çağda yaşayan üç insan türünden biri olan Kocadiş'in (bu üç insan türünden biri muhtemelen homosapiens yani biziz) hayatı ve hayatta kalma mücadelesini okuyoruz.
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Levent Cinemre eseri muazzam çevirmiş, özellikle sonundaki notlarına eklediği araştırmalar ve bilgiler kitaba bambaşka bir gözle bakmamızı sağlıyor.
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Kitap boyunca London'un dehasına, öngörüsüne bir kez daha hayran oldum. Yazar Kızıl Veba'da bende geleceğe bakıp gelmiş etkisi uyandırmıştı, Ademden Önce'de ise geçmişe gidip gelmiş etkisi uyandırdı. Çünkü, hikayede London'un anlattığı olaylar gerçekten de neredeyse tamamen oldu fakat, London'un zamanında bunlar henüz bilinmiyordu. Neandertal insanı, Homo Erectus fosilleri henüz bulunmamıştı ve Homosapiens' in kendi türü hariç diğer insan türlerini yok ettiği de bilinmiyordu. London'un bu kitabı yazmış olması bana hala imkansız gibi geliyor.
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Evrim, türler ve genel olarak biyolojiye çok meraklı biri olarak kitabı okurken yer yer çok eğlendim, güldüm yer yer de dehşete düştüm. Türümüzün yıkıcılığı ilk çağlardan bugüne temelde hep aynı...
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Naçizane fikrimce Ademden Önce müthiş bir deha barındıran, muazzam bir kısa roman👌🏻 Özellikle konusuna meraklıysanız çok keyif alacağınızı düşünüyor, canı gönülden tavsiye ediyorum.
▪️
Ademden Önce, modern bir Amerikalı çocuğun rüyalarında kendini tarih öncesi bir çağda yaşayan Kocadiş isimli bir ara tür olarak görmesini anlatıyor. O çağda yaşayan üç insan türünden biri olan Kocadiş'in (bu üç insan türünden biri muhtemelen homosapiens yani biziz) hayatı ve hayatta kalma mücadelesini okuyoruz.
▪️
Levent Cinemre eseri muazzam çevirmiş, özellikle sonundaki notlarına eklediği araştırmalar ve bilgiler kitaba bambaşka bir gözle bakmamızı sağlıyor.
▪️
Kitap boyunca London'un dehasına, öngörüsüne bir kez daha hayran oldum. Yazar Kızıl Veba'da bende geleceğe bakıp gelmiş etkisi uyandırmıştı, Ademden Önce'de ise geçmişe gidip gelmiş etkisi uyandırdı. Çünkü, hikayede London'un anlattığı olaylar gerçekten de neredeyse tamamen oldu fakat, London'un zamanında bunlar henüz bilinmiyordu. Neandertal insanı, Homo Erectus fosilleri henüz bulunmamıştı ve Homosapiens' in kendi türü hariç diğer insan türlerini yok ettiği de bilinmiyordu. London'un bu kitabı yazmış olması bana hala imkansız gibi geliyor.
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Evrim, türler ve genel olarak biyolojiye çok meraklı biri olarak kitabı okurken yer yer çok eğlendim, güldüm yer yer de dehşete düştüm. Türümüzün yıkıcılığı ilk çağlardan bugüne temelde hep aynı...
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Naçizane fikrimce Ademden Önce müthiş bir deha barındıran, muazzam bir kısa roman👌🏻 Özellikle konusuna meraklıysanız çok keyif alacağınızı düşünüyor, canı gönülden tavsiye ediyorum.
January 16, 2022
7.5/10.
This short novel is about a caveman, Big-Tooth, and his experiences roughly 100,000 years ago. He is a member of a tribe called the "Folk" (Völk?), whose members are evolutionarily between ape and man. The Fire People, an adjacent tribe, is an expansionist and technologically advanced group, having bows and arrows, fire, and a less ape-like facial structure.
A major theme of this book is that only the fittest and most evolutionary advanced tribe will succeed. Big-Tooth makes technological discoveries which allow him to better evade wild animals, such as saber-tooth tigers, as well as to gather resources more effectively. Only through Big-Tooth's learned ability to swim and to use wooden rafts does he escape danger. The Fire Peoples' physiological superiority (leading to technological superiority) leads to their dominance and near total destruction of the Folk. Through their ethnocentric and groupish behaviors, they work together to launch an all-out missile and fire assault on the Folk's homelands. This assault was necessary because of their population increase. This reveals a key point about human history: the strongest in spirit and technology will militarily and territorially dominate weaker groups. The wars fought between the two would often happen because of population increase, thereby straining the carrying capacity of any given territory and creating a need for territorial expansion — expansion into other tribes' lands.
London also shows how the mixture of tribes leads to internal conflict. Red-Eye, a hairier, agressive and more ape-like Folk member (although later revealed to be born of the more primitive Tree People), is feared throughout the tribe. Nobody likes his unseemly dominance, but no one has the strength to resist. Because the Folk are individualistic, there is no spectator-filled event where Red-Eye vies for dominance vis-a-vis Big-Tooth. Despite the lack of such a publicized conflict, there is a constant and blood-thirsty contest between the two, thereby disunifying the Folk even more. Sexual conflicts increase the tension, when Red-Eye (a notorious wife killer) attempts to capture Big-Tooth's wife from him. Red-Eye is enamored with the more evolutionarily advanced Swift One because she was originally from the Fire People tribe. A great and ruthless struggle goes on between Big-Tooth and Red-Eye, with Big-Tooth eventually winning, but not without lifetime injuries to show for his marital battle. Does this scenario — aggressive and ruthless Red-Eye lustful for the noble, advanced Swift One — sound familiar to you? Perhaps modern commercials could give you a clue?
Overall, I appreciate London's incorporation of heredity into his novel. He makes it clear that the differences between the three tribes — Tree People, Folk, and Fire People in worst-to-best order — are inescapable and passed down due to heredity. In the evolutionary environment of Man, the weak did not survive, simply because of the massive threats of predation and tribal warfare. Yet the Tree People of today are doing just fine, being subsidized by the welfare state — given free food, free housing, tens of thousands of "stimulus" money, and a nice monetary benefit for every child. When we apply London's principle to today, we get a genetic dystopia: the slow degradation of the initial, founding stock of the West; a gene pool which now produces takers instead of creators; and a state-sponsored intelligence lowering machine for the pious virtue of Equality. O, how we truly our "at our wit's end".
This short novel is about a caveman, Big-Tooth, and his experiences roughly 100,000 years ago. He is a member of a tribe called the "Folk" (Völk?), whose members are evolutionarily between ape and man. The Fire People, an adjacent tribe, is an expansionist and technologically advanced group, having bows and arrows, fire, and a less ape-like facial structure.
A major theme of this book is that only the fittest and most evolutionary advanced tribe will succeed. Big-Tooth makes technological discoveries which allow him to better evade wild animals, such as saber-tooth tigers, as well as to gather resources more effectively. Only through Big-Tooth's learned ability to swim and to use wooden rafts does he escape danger. The Fire Peoples' physiological superiority (leading to technological superiority) leads to their dominance and near total destruction of the Folk. Through their ethnocentric and groupish behaviors, they work together to launch an all-out missile and fire assault on the Folk's homelands. This assault was necessary because of their population increase. This reveals a key point about human history: the strongest in spirit and technology will militarily and territorially dominate weaker groups. The wars fought between the two would often happen because of population increase, thereby straining the carrying capacity of any given territory and creating a need for territorial expansion — expansion into other tribes' lands.
London also shows how the mixture of tribes leads to internal conflict. Red-Eye, a hairier, agressive and more ape-like Folk member (although later revealed to be born of the more primitive Tree People), is feared throughout the tribe. Nobody likes his unseemly dominance, but no one has the strength to resist. Because the Folk are individualistic, there is no spectator-filled event where Red-Eye vies for dominance vis-a-vis Big-Tooth. Despite the lack of such a publicized conflict, there is a constant and blood-thirsty contest between the two, thereby disunifying the Folk even more. Sexual conflicts increase the tension, when Red-Eye (a notorious wife killer) attempts to capture Big-Tooth's wife from him. Red-Eye is enamored with the more evolutionarily advanced Swift One because she was originally from the Fire People tribe. A great and ruthless struggle goes on between Big-Tooth and Red-Eye, with Big-Tooth eventually winning, but not without lifetime injuries to show for his marital battle. Does this scenario — aggressive and ruthless Red-Eye lustful for the noble, advanced Swift One — sound familiar to you? Perhaps modern commercials could give you a clue?
Overall, I appreciate London's incorporation of heredity into his novel. He makes it clear that the differences between the three tribes — Tree People, Folk, and Fire People in worst-to-best order — are inescapable and passed down due to heredity. In the evolutionary environment of Man, the weak did not survive, simply because of the massive threats of predation and tribal warfare. Yet the Tree People of today are doing just fine, being subsidized by the welfare state — given free food, free housing, tens of thousands of "stimulus" money, and a nice monetary benefit for every child. When we apply London's principle to today, we get a genetic dystopia: the slow degradation of the initial, founding stock of the West; a gene pool which now produces takers instead of creators; and a state-sponsored intelligence lowering machine for the pious virtue of Equality. O, how we truly our "at our wit's end".
December 16, 2021
Jack London is best known for his tales of Gold Rush Yukon and Alaska but also wrote several that might be termed science fiction. “Before Adam” is one of these. In this book he takes the few fragments of what we knew in 1909 of human prehistory, hunting and gathering peoples and the mythical “knowledge” of primate behavior and weaves them into a story of our prehistory seen through the eyes of someone in that year who dreams of the life of a pre-language Homo something-or-other.
London was inspired by the ideas of Darwin, plus recent discoveries of Neanderthals in Europe and possibly of the Java finds of Eugen Dubois in the preceding decade. Science was just beginning to open our door into the human past by direct archeological findings of human fossils as well as their tools and bones of now-extinct animals.
Now that we know so much more of our prehistoric past reading what might have passed as science over a hundred years ago is fascinating, especially scoring hits and misses of London’s imagination versus what we know today. Hits: Life in trees as well as on the ground of the earliest ancestors. Surprise hit: Presence of different hominid lines living at the same time (our Homo erectus and more primitive Homo naledi alive at the same time). Misses: Archery in earliest humans who also made fire; bows and arrows appear very late in human history. Also, ascribing altruistic behavior to humans alone; it is present in so many other species including monkeys and apes. Last, London also collapses different levels of our 5 million-year history into a single generation.
All-in-all, London’s guesses are pretty good, given the knowledge at hand in 1909. He melds these suppositions into the story of Big-Tooth, Red-Eye, The Swift One, all survivors of a world riddled with dangers from many directions. A dangerous, treacherous physical, animal and social world that has so many villains it is difficult to choose which is the worst, but also the story of family, romantic and friendship ties which make life tolerable, even today. The book is a curious but interesting read – a view into not only a prehistoric world, but the world of 1909.
London was inspired by the ideas of Darwin, plus recent discoveries of Neanderthals in Europe and possibly of the Java finds of Eugen Dubois in the preceding decade. Science was just beginning to open our door into the human past by direct archeological findings of human fossils as well as their tools and bones of now-extinct animals.
Now that we know so much more of our prehistoric past reading what might have passed as science over a hundred years ago is fascinating, especially scoring hits and misses of London’s imagination versus what we know today. Hits: Life in trees as well as on the ground of the earliest ancestors. Surprise hit: Presence of different hominid lines living at the same time (our Homo erectus and more primitive Homo naledi alive at the same time). Misses: Archery in earliest humans who also made fire; bows and arrows appear very late in human history. Also, ascribing altruistic behavior to humans alone; it is present in so many other species including monkeys and apes. Last, London also collapses different levels of our 5 million-year history into a single generation.
All-in-all, London’s guesses are pretty good, given the knowledge at hand in 1909. He melds these suppositions into the story of Big-Tooth, Red-Eye, The Swift One, all survivors of a world riddled with dangers from many directions. A dangerous, treacherous physical, animal and social world that has so many villains it is difficult to choose which is the worst, but also the story of family, romantic and friendship ties which make life tolerable, even today. The book is a curious but interesting read – a view into not only a prehistoric world, but the world of 1909.
January 16, 2026
The back-cover blurb tells the story here, where our narrator is a modern man relating the tales of the life he led in his dreams as a pre-human in the Pleistocene age. We are briefly informed that he believes he is remembering a past life as a being called Big Tooth.
This short novel has all the action London is known for and I couldn’t put it down.
Big Tooth comes across other groups of pre-humans, some more developed and some less developed intellectually than he. The story covers most of Big Tooth’s lifespan, from childhood through his later mating and having children of his own.
Bloody and violent fun with some surprising insight into how the not-yet-humans might have lived on the earth. Evolutionary theory was a big topic in London’s time and this novel would have been fascinating to read back then. Still is.
This short novel has all the action London is known for and I couldn’t put it down.
Big Tooth comes across other groups of pre-humans, some more developed and some less developed intellectually than he. The story covers most of Big Tooth’s lifespan, from childhood through his later mating and having children of his own.
Bloody and violent fun with some surprising insight into how the not-yet-humans might have lived on the earth. Evolutionary theory was a big topic in London’s time and this novel would have been fascinating to read back then. Still is.
September 30, 2018
Διαβάζοντας τα βιβλία του Λόντον ο αναγνώστης δεν μπορεί παρά να αντιληφθεί το έντονο ενδιαφέρον του συγγραφέα τόσο για την εξελιχθηκή πορεία του ανθρώπου αλλά και για τις φυλετικές διαφορές στην διάρκεια τής (θεωρίες που σήμερα μπορεί να είναι αμφιλεγόμενες). Τόσο στο "Call of the wild" όσο και σε βιβλία όπως το "Burning daylight" ή το "The star rover" ("Κάλεσμα της άγριας φύσης", "Το φλογερό φως της ημέρας" και "Ο ταξιδιώτης του ουρανού" σε Ελληνικές μεταφράσεις) είναι εμφανής η πεποίθηση του Λόντον ότι όχι μόνο ζούμε την μία ζωή μετά την άλλη (μέσο των επιγόνων μας) αλλά και ότι μεταφέρουμε μνήμες, πεποιθήσεις και ένστικτα άλλων εποχών (στο εν λόγω βιβλίο ο Λόντον μιλάει για αταβισμό αλλά από όσο νομίζω ο όριος χρησιμοποιείται κυρίως για γενετικά χαρακτηριστικά ενώ η χρήση του για θέματα συμπεριφορών είναι μεταφορική αν γνωρίζει κάποιος καλύτερα ας με διορθώσει).
Αντίστοιχα στην συγκεκριμένη νουβέλα ο Λόντον ανακαλεί μνήμες από την πρώϊμη εποχή του ανθρώπου, τον πόλεμο με τα πιο εξελιγμένα είδη και τις πρώτες προσπάθειες δημιουργίας σύγχρονής κοινωνικής συμπεριφοράς. Άκρως ενδιαφέρον ανάγνωσμα που παρά το μικρό μέγεθος του και την έλλειψη στοιχειώδους πλοκής κρατάει το ενδιαφέρον του αναγνώστη λόγω της αληθοφανής αυθεντικής πρόζας του Λόντον. Προτείνεται σε συνδιασμό με το "The inheritors" (Ελληνικά "Οι κληρονόμοι") του William Golding https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
Αντίστοιχα στην συγκεκριμένη νουβέλα ο Λόντον ανακαλεί μνήμες από την πρώϊμη εποχή του ανθρώπου, τον πόλεμο με τα πιο εξελιγμένα είδη και τις πρώτες προσπάθειες δημιουργίας σύγχρονής κοινωνικής συμπεριφοράς. Άκρως ενδιαφέρον ανάγνωσμα που παρά το μικρό μέγεθος του και την έλλειψη στοιχειώδους πλοκής κρατάει το ενδιαφέρον του αναγνώστη λόγω της αληθοφανής αυθεντικής πρόζας του Λόντον. Προτείνεται σε συνδιασμό με το "The inheritors" (Ελληνικά "Οι κληρονόμοι") του William Golding https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
December 30, 2021
Un racconto che sembra essere quasi un lavoro preparatorio per quel capolavoro che è Il vagabondo delle stelle. Si può vivere una vita parallela durante il sonno? Il nostro mondo onirico può potenzialmente farci rivivere vite passate anche di secoli fa?
Questo è il tema centrale del racconto.
Non sappiamo se sia una narrazione autobiografica ma qui Jack ci parla dei sogni vividi e coscienti di un bambino che vive durante la notte in un’epoca fatta risalire a prima della comparsa dell’uomo, come noi lo conosciamo.
Ominidi a caccia di prede, che non hanno ancora scoperto il fuoco, perché il fuoco è il pericolo e porta la morte, che vivono o sugli alberi o nelle caverne, che non sanno esprimersi a parole se non attraverso suoni gutturali, versi e grugniti, che non hanno sentore di esseri soprannaturali ma solo della minaccia costante delle fiere e delle belve della foresta.
Jack London come al solito si rivela un maestro della narrazione. Sia sotto forma di romanzo che di racconto e la sua maestria sta anche nel trattare temi profondi e importanti. Non abbiamo qui solo l’avventura ma quasi un piccolo trattato, a mò di racconto, su antropologia, atavismo, storia antica, filosofia della specie, scienze naturali... c’è qualcosa di cui non è in grado di parlare London? Dopo sedici letture dell’autore non sono ancora in grado di dirlo ma credo che la risposta sia scontata: no.
Grande Jack.
Questo è il tema centrale del racconto.
Non sappiamo se sia una narrazione autobiografica ma qui Jack ci parla dei sogni vividi e coscienti di un bambino che vive durante la notte in un’epoca fatta risalire a prima della comparsa dell’uomo, come noi lo conosciamo.
Ominidi a caccia di prede, che non hanno ancora scoperto il fuoco, perché il fuoco è il pericolo e porta la morte, che vivono o sugli alberi o nelle caverne, che non sanno esprimersi a parole se non attraverso suoni gutturali, versi e grugniti, che non hanno sentore di esseri soprannaturali ma solo della minaccia costante delle fiere e delle belve della foresta.
Jack London come al solito si rivela un maestro della narrazione. Sia sotto forma di romanzo che di racconto e la sua maestria sta anche nel trattare temi profondi e importanti. Non abbiamo qui solo l’avventura ma quasi un piccolo trattato, a mò di racconto, su antropologia, atavismo, storia antica, filosofia della specie, scienze naturali... c’è qualcosa di cui non è in grado di parlare London? Dopo sedici letture dell’autore non sono ancora in grado di dirlo ma credo che la risposta sia scontata: no.
Grande Jack.
October 10, 2023
Evrim konusunu kurgu içerisinde bu kadar heyecanlı anlatmak Jack Landon'ın büyük yeteneğini gösteriyor.
Diğer kitaplarında da olduğu gibi düş gücü zamanın ötesine geçmiş. O dönem bilinmeyenler ancak günümüzde doğruluğu kanıtlanan bilgiler Jack Landon'ın kurgusunda yer alıyor. Elbette tamamen uyuşması beklenemez. Bu kitap günümüzde evrim konusunu merak edenlere ışık tutabilecek niteliktedir.
İnsanın evrimleşmesine değinmekle birlikte geçmişten günümüze insanlığın davranışlarını da başarılı bir şekilde aktarmış.
Mutlaka okunması gereken kitap olduğunu düşünüyorum. Eğer evrim konusuna merakınız varsa bilimsel kitapların öncesinde bu kitabı okuyabilirsiniz. Jack Landon tüm kitaplarında olduğu gibi bu kitabında da insanı araştırmaya sevk ediyor.
Diğer kitaplarında da olduğu gibi düş gücü zamanın ötesine geçmiş. O dönem bilinmeyenler ancak günümüzde doğruluğu kanıtlanan bilgiler Jack Landon'ın kurgusunda yer alıyor. Elbette tamamen uyuşması beklenemez. Bu kitap günümüzde evrim konusunu merak edenlere ışık tutabilecek niteliktedir.
İnsanın evrimleşmesine değinmekle birlikte geçmişten günümüze insanlığın davranışlarını da başarılı bir şekilde aktarmış.
Mutlaka okunması gereken kitap olduğunu düşünüyorum. Eğer evrim konusuna merakınız varsa bilimsel kitapların öncesinde bu kitabı okuyabilirsiniz. Jack Landon tüm kitaplarında olduğu gibi bu kitabında da insanı araştırmaya sevk ediyor.
August 12, 2016
Klasiklerin kapaklarının 'klasik' olmak zorunda olmadığını düşünenlerin elinden çıkma kapak tasarımıyla Jack London'ın harrika hayal dünyasının şahane birlikteliği. Epey heyecanlanarak okudum, hatta geç okuduğum bir metin olduğunu da düşünüyorum, oldukça ufuk açıcı bir metin. Martin Eden, hayatımda çok ciddi bir değişimin tetikleyicisiyken Âdem’den Önce de yeni bir kapı araladı algımda.
January 19, 2026
A boy, middle class and privileged, is given to dreaming/ nightmaring. These include dreams of a primeval ancestor, Big Tooth.
In his choice of title for the book, Jack London would not appear to be a creationist.
In his choice of title for the book, Jack London would not appear to be a creationist.
December 27, 2008
I have an earlier edition. Not one of London's best but it is pretty decent.
Read
November 14, 2020حسنا .. أختتم تحدي هذا العام بهذا الكتاب ..
بتُ كثيرا في الآونة الأخيرة أتحين الكتب الأجنبية نسبة إلى مترجميها وهذا الكتاب تحديدا اقتنيته من أجل التعرف على المترجمة الشابة رغد قاسم التي هي اصلا تمتهن مهنة علمية بعيدة عن القلم .
ربما لو طالعت هذه الرواية قبل قشرة الجوز و اللامتناهي في راحة اليد لاستلطفتها قليلا ! مع أنني والله لا أقارن لكن احيانا تفرض المقارنة نفسها بافكارنا كي نستدل على وقع مانطالع ..
التعبير الشامي الذي استخدمته قبلاً " ماحبيتها " أنهيتها بصعوبة ولم يصلني أبدا افكار المقدمة الرائعة من المترجمة ( وهي افضل مافي الكتاب بالنسبة لي إضافة للنبذة عن جاك لندن بقلمها أيضا )
اتفق مع فايز بوجود أخطاء تحريرية مختلفة مابين اللغة والطباعة ، مع ذلك أجد المترجمة قلما واعدا في هذا المجال ، متوقعة لها ترجمات قادمة أكثر وأفضل .
# يحكم المرء على زمن الحديث عبر السياق . تحدثنا عن ملموسات فحسب لأننا فكرنا بالملموس فقط . اعتمدنا أيضا وبشكل كبير على الايماء حتى ابسط أشكال التجريد كان يفوق قدرتنا على التفكير ولو حدث أن فكر الواحد منا بفكرة مجردة لشق عليه إيصالها إلى رفاقه .إذ لم يكن ثمة أصوات تصفها وقد بجهد المرء نفسه في فكرة ثم يجتهد ليتجاوز حدود مفرداته ويبتكر أصواتا جديدة لفكرته .....
بتُ كثيرا في الآونة الأخيرة أتحين الكتب الأجنبية نسبة إلى مترجميها وهذا الكتاب تحديدا اقتنيته من أجل التعرف على المترجمة الشابة رغد قاسم التي هي اصلا تمتهن مهنة علمية بعيدة عن القلم .
ربما لو طالعت هذه الرواية قبل قشرة الجوز و اللامتناهي في راحة اليد لاستلطفتها قليلا ! مع أنني والله لا أقارن لكن احيانا تفرض المقارنة نفسها بافكارنا كي نستدل على وقع مانطالع ..
التعبير الشامي الذي استخدمته قبلاً " ماحبيتها " أنهيتها بصعوبة ولم يصلني أبدا افكار المقدمة الرائعة من المترجمة ( وهي افضل مافي الكتاب بالنسبة لي إضافة للنبذة عن جاك لندن بقلمها أيضا )
اتفق مع فايز بوجود أخطاء تحريرية مختلفة مابين اللغة والطباعة ، مع ذلك أجد المترجمة قلما واعدا في هذا المجال ، متوقعة لها ترجمات قادمة أكثر وأفضل .
# يحكم المرء على زمن الحديث عبر السياق . تحدثنا عن ملموسات فحسب لأننا فكرنا بالملموس فقط . اعتمدنا أيضا وبشكل كبير على الايماء حتى ابسط أشكال التجريد كان يفوق قدرتنا على التفكير ولو حدث أن فكر الواحد منا بفكرة مجردة لشق عليه إيصالها إلى رفاقه .إذ لم يكن ثمة أصوات تصفها وقد بجهد المرء نفسه في فكرة ثم يجتهد ليتجاوز حدود مفرداته ويبتكر أصواتا جديدة لفكرته .....
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