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Love of Life
📘 A unique annotated edition of Love of Life by Jack London
Published by Mychkine Editions as part of the Will, Wilderness & Revolution series.
🖋️ A brand-new critical introduction on London’s life, survival themes, and literary style
🔍 7+ pages of original philosophy, symbolism, and existential parallels
🐺 An in-depth look at the dying wolf as a mirror of human instinct and fear
🎓 A complete study timeline, glossary, discussion questions, and FAQ
📚 Curated suggestions for further reading across London’s most impactful works
Perfect for students, lovers of naturalist fiction, and readers drawn to tales of raw endurance and inner strength.
❄️ About the Step into the frozen wilderness of the Canadian Arctic with Love of Life — Jack London’s most harrowing and poetic tale of survival. First published in 1907, this story strips existence to its rawest form.
A nameless man, abandoned and starving, crawls across a desolate landscape pursued by pain, madness — and a dying wolf.
More than a tale of adventure, Love of Life is a stark fable
❄️ Nature’s indifference
🔥 The flickering power of hope
🐺 The shifting line between predator and prey
💀 The life-or-death struggle for meaning and humanity
✅ Why this story still grips readers 🌍 Unflinching realism – London’s unmatched ability to portray the cruelty and beauty of the wild
💪 Universal theme – The will to survive, no matter the cost
📖 A literary triumph – Taut, brutal, symbolic — and timeless
🎒 Essential reading – For fans of naturalism, existentialism, and high-stakes fiction
👤 Pure London – Brutal, vivid, unforgettable
📚 Part of the Jack Will, Wilderness & Revolution series
💡 Explore more tinyurl.com/Mychkine-Editions
🎧 Also “Jack The Man Who Lived What He Wrote” – podcast & audio documentary
👉 Support independent publishing. Rediscover the classics with vision and voice.
Published by Mychkine Editions as part of the Will, Wilderness & Revolution series.
🖋️ A brand-new critical introduction on London’s life, survival themes, and literary style
🔍 7+ pages of original philosophy, symbolism, and existential parallels
🐺 An in-depth look at the dying wolf as a mirror of human instinct and fear
🎓 A complete study timeline, glossary, discussion questions, and FAQ
📚 Curated suggestions for further reading across London’s most impactful works
Perfect for students, lovers of naturalist fiction, and readers drawn to tales of raw endurance and inner strength.
❄️ About the Step into the frozen wilderness of the Canadian Arctic with Love of Life — Jack London’s most harrowing and poetic tale of survival. First published in 1907, this story strips existence to its rawest form.
A nameless man, abandoned and starving, crawls across a desolate landscape pursued by pain, madness — and a dying wolf.
More than a tale of adventure, Love of Life is a stark fable
❄️ Nature’s indifference
🔥 The flickering power of hope
🐺 The shifting line between predator and prey
💀 The life-or-death struggle for meaning and humanity
✅ Why this story still grips readers 🌍 Unflinching realism – London’s unmatched ability to portray the cruelty and beauty of the wild
💪 Universal theme – The will to survive, no matter the cost
📖 A literary triumph – Taut, brutal, symbolic — and timeless
🎒 Essential reading – For fans of naturalism, existentialism, and high-stakes fiction
👤 Pure London – Brutal, vivid, unforgettable
📚 Part of the Jack Will, Wilderness & Revolution series
💡 Explore more tinyurl.com/Mychkine-Editions
🎧 Also “Jack The Man Who Lived What He Wrote” – podcast & audio documentary
👉 Support independent publishing. Rediscover the classics with vision and voice.
15 pages, Unknown Binding
Published January 1, 1905
10 people are currently reading
190 people want to read
About the author
Jack London
7,710 books7,711 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
May 24, 2021
I had experienced this author first in his more famous book White Fang, I was outright impressed by the writing and story both. I still remember that story of the amazing wolfdog! I wanted to have more of the author but unfortunately, since then time has not been very favorable to read longer work. Last month I decided to turn to smaller fictional work of some authors especially for my French and Spanish creels (I have hung two such separate brown swaying creels on a peg in my room for my anticipating shorter reads) so that there should not remain a sense of repentance in me that I am not touching new authors and new regimes.
So remembering my forgotten promise made to myself to read more of Jack London, I picked up this single story. I was well pleased with the decision. It made a mark and recalled my lost memories of The White Fang.
This story begins with two men staggering through the icy cold milky water, heavily burdened with a blanket pack strapped to their shoulders and head straps pressed across the forehead, a rifle too with them. the water squirting out under their feet with every step as they are making their way from muskeg to muskeg. One man, who is walking behind seems faint and reels then almost falling and losing his strength to move on. He calls out to the man making his way ahead of him,
I say, Bill! I have sprained my ankle.
The man named Bill does not look around. The other man makes a pleading cry of a strong man in life-threatening distress.
Bill!
Bill doesn't look back and moving ahead passes over the crest and disappears. cowering in the midst
of such overwhelming force of milky water crushing and pressing upon him, this man gathers strength and tries to reach to bank with an optimistic mindset that he will find Bill there and that Bill has not deserted him.
This story is of some icy cold swamps of North America. The stream in which he was stood was the feeder of Coppermine river, to the south of which was the Great Bear Lake.
I could easily understand here that it's going to be another tale of the favorite themes of the author that is SURVIVAL in most adverse natural conditions. And indeed it turned out to be one. These guys
were in search of wealth, putting their lives in danger.
Jack London's mastery in depicting such a story of survival and fight against hunger and cold weather condition is commendable. His writing is ingenious and quite fanciful. I liked this story and his writing in shorter form is as alluring as I first found in his novel. His short stories were received with critical acclaim, I think he deserved it.
So remembering my forgotten promise made to myself to read more of Jack London, I picked up this single story. I was well pleased with the decision. It made a mark and recalled my lost memories of The White Fang.
This story begins with two men staggering through the icy cold milky water, heavily burdened with a blanket pack strapped to their shoulders and head straps pressed across the forehead, a rifle too with them. the water squirting out under their feet with every step as they are making their way from muskeg to muskeg. One man, who is walking behind seems faint and reels then almost falling and losing his strength to move on. He calls out to the man making his way ahead of him,
I say, Bill! I have sprained my ankle.
The man named Bill does not look around. The other man makes a pleading cry of a strong man in life-threatening distress.
Bill!
Bill doesn't look back and moving ahead passes over the crest and disappears. cowering in the midst
of such overwhelming force of milky water crushing and pressing upon him, this man gathers strength and tries to reach to bank with an optimistic mindset that he will find Bill there and that Bill has not deserted him.
This story is of some icy cold swamps of North America. The stream in which he was stood was the feeder of Coppermine river, to the south of which was the Great Bear Lake.
I could easily understand here that it's going to be another tale of the favorite themes of the author that is SURVIVAL in most adverse natural conditions. And indeed it turned out to be one. These guys
were in search of wealth, putting their lives in danger.
Jack London's mastery in depicting such a story of survival and fight against hunger and cold weather condition is commendable. His writing is ingenious and quite fanciful. I liked this story and his writing in shorter form is as alluring as I first found in his novel. His short stories were received with critical acclaim, I think he deserved it.
July 13, 2024
Quite Good.
This was quite good, but not going to review it.
For the moment at least.
It’s public domain. You can find it HERE.
-----------------------------------------------
PERSONAL NOTE :
[1900] [20p] [Classics] [3.5] [Conditional Recommendable]
-----------------------------------------------
★★★★☆ Too Much Gold and Other Stories <--
★★★☆☆ El hombre de la cicatriz y otras narraciones
-----------------------------------------------
Bastante Bien.
Esto estuvo bastante bien, pero no voy a reseñarlo.
Al menos por ahora.
Es dominio público, lo pueden encontrar ACA.
-----------------------------------------------
NOTA PERSONAL :
[1900] [20p] [Clásicos] [3.5] [Recomendable Condicional]
-----------------------------------------------
This was quite good, but not going to review it.
For the moment at least.
It’s public domain. You can find it HERE.
-----------------------------------------------
PERSONAL NOTE :
[1900] [20p] [Classics] [3.5] [Conditional Recommendable]
-----------------------------------------------
★★★★☆ Too Much Gold and Other Stories <--
★★★☆☆ El hombre de la cicatriz y otras narraciones
-----------------------------------------------
Bastante Bien.
Esto estuvo bastante bien, pero no voy a reseñarlo.
Al menos por ahora.
Es dominio público, lo pueden encontrar ACA.
-----------------------------------------------
NOTA PERSONAL :
[1900] [20p] [Clásicos] [3.5] [Recomendable Condicional]
-----------------------------------------------
July 11, 2016
Belə bir hekayə yazan yazıçının intihar etməsi.
May 18, 2013
До последнего! Во что бы то ни стало! Главное одно единственное - выжить!!!
Сильная история и хороший пример настоящей мужественности для сильных духом людей.
Сильная история и хороший пример настоящей мужественности для сильных духом людей.
June 5, 2016
Hay que leer estos relatos de Jack London cuando este lloviendo o nevando, cuando haga mucho frío, cuando la vida se este pareciéndose a la muerte.
No importa el lugar donde pares de leer para comer o ir a dormir, siempre dejarás al borde la muerte a alguien en el relato, siempre tendrás un dolor en el cuerpo por leer dolores en otros cuerpos. Es raro.
Relatos blancos, fríos, en paisajes que sacan lo peor a los humanos, todo por el oro, todo por buscar, encontrar y luego hacer el camino de regreso para a la civilización para vender el maldito oro...
Alaska, los perros, las cabañas solitarias, los que huyen, los que mueren. Eso es, y no solo es eso.
Y sin embargo quería vivir. Era una tontería morirse después de todo lo que había tenido que soportar. El destino le exigía demasiado.
No importa el lugar donde pares de leer para comer o ir a dormir, siempre dejarás al borde la muerte a alguien en el relato, siempre tendrás un dolor en el cuerpo por leer dolores en otros cuerpos. Es raro.
Estaba oprimido por la carga y el tormento de esa cosa llamada vida y todavía más por el temor a la muerte. La suya era la alegría y el instinto de la muerte todavía no les ha llegado.
Relatos blancos, fríos, en paisajes que sacan lo peor a los humanos, todo por el oro, todo por buscar, encontrar y luego hacer el camino de regreso para a la civilización para vender el maldito oro...
Tienen mucho dinero, dinero sin fin y lo gastan como si fuera agua.
Alaska, los perros, las cabañas solitarias, los que huyen, los que mueren. Eso es, y no solo es eso.
Hubo una luz muy intensa, lo vi claro y supe que un hombre no debe vivir por el dinero sino por felicidad que ningún hombre pueda dar o comprar o vender y que está más allá de todo el valor de todo el dinero del mundo.
August 21, 2016
Pero el hombre blanco dice la verdad de distintas maneras. Hoy dice la verdad de una manera, mañana la dice de otra y no hay quien lo entienda a él ni cómo actúa.
Ni ¿por qué sale en busca de tesoros imaginados?, ¿por qué pelea y mata al compañero que lo sustentara en el peligro?, ¿por qué hiere a los perros que lo llevaran velozmente a encontrar un cobijo?. ¿por qué? Por apego al oro, por defensa del ego, por miedo a la muerte y amor a la vida.
Ocho historias contando lo peor y lo mejor del ser humano, todas suceden en las sabanas heladas y hostiles de Alaska dónde hombres insensatos corren tras fortunas y venganzas, y corren y corren y matan y se hieren y se mueren, y nunca llegan a ninguna parte. Al fondo de la naturaleza humana, tal vez si, allá donde escarbo London para contárnoslo y hacernos sentir una desolación que podemos confundir con frío.
Porque cada invierno el sol deja la tierra en la oscuridad y al año siguiente un sol nuevo regresa para que los hombres se calienten otra vez y se miren a la cara.
Ni ¿por qué sale en busca de tesoros imaginados?, ¿por qué pelea y mata al compañero que lo sustentara en el peligro?, ¿por qué hiere a los perros que lo llevaran velozmente a encontrar un cobijo?. ¿por qué? Por apego al oro, por defensa del ego, por miedo a la muerte y amor a la vida.
Ocho historias contando lo peor y lo mejor del ser humano, todas suceden en las sabanas heladas y hostiles de Alaska dónde hombres insensatos corren tras fortunas y venganzas, y corren y corren y matan y se hieren y se mueren, y nunca llegan a ninguna parte. Al fondo de la naturaleza humana, tal vez si, allá donde escarbo London para contárnoslo y hacernos sentir una desolación que podemos confundir con frío.
Porque cada invierno el sol deja la tierra en la oscuridad y al año siguiente un sol nuevo regresa para que los hombres se calienten otra vez y se miren a la cara.
October 16, 2017
Этот рассказ не оставляет ничего после себя. Самое удивительное, что сам автор показывает это стремление выжить с физиологической точки зрения, во многом описывая путь в беспамятстве, на автопилоте. Это дает честь человеческому организму, его невероятной стойкосте и желанию выбраться. Вот только то, что герой пережил никогда не канет в лету. Он так и останется "поврежденным", в какой-то степени сломленным. Именно это и ужасает больше всего. Спасенный человек...вот только как вернуть в него саму жизнь?
June 4, 2025
Երբ մոտ 30 րոպե ազատ ժամանակ ունես՝ օրինակ ավտոբուսում կամ սպասելիս, բայց մոտդ գիրք չկա կամ կա, բայց չես ուզում կարդալ, կարելի է կարճ և հետաքրքիր մի բան ընտրել, հեռախոսով կամ քինդլով կարդալու համար։ Ջեք Լոնդոնի պատմվածքները լավ տարբերակ են՝ պարզ, արագ ընթերցվող և շատ գեղեցիկ։
January 10, 2026
This is one of those stories that leaves the body slightly tense after reading, as if the muscles have been quietly bracing themselves without permission.
Jack London strips narrative down to survival, and what emerges is not heroism but endurance in its rawest, least romantic form. There is no nobility here—only persistence.
What struck me immediately was how impersonal the suffering feels. London doesn’t sentimentalize pain or elevate it into meaning. Hunger, cold, exhaustion—these are not metaphors so much as facts.
Reading it, I felt my own abstract ideas about “willpower” dissolve into something embarrassingly thin. Survival is not resolve; it’s instinct grinding forward.
The man’s abandonment by his companion is almost secondary to the landscape’s indifference. Nature is not cruel; it simply does not notice. That neutrality is what makes the struggle so stark.
There is no antagonist to blame, no moral lesson to extract. Only distance, time, and depletion.
What stayed with me was the way consciousness narrows. London renders thought itself as something that erodes under pressure. Memory fades. Language collapses into sensation. Reading this felt like watching the human mind retreat into its most primitive architecture.
The encounter with the wolf is unforgettable—not because it’s dramatic, but because it mirrors the man’s condition.
Predator and prey become interchangeable. Hunger equalises them. I found this moment deeply unsettling. It refuses the comfort of human exceptionalism.
“Love of Life” left me with a new respect for fragility—not as weakness, but as fact. Survival here isn’t triumphant.
It’s accidental, almost reluctant. And that may be London’s most disturbing insight: life continues not because it is meaningful, but because it can.
Most recommended.
Jack London strips narrative down to survival, and what emerges is not heroism but endurance in its rawest, least romantic form. There is no nobility here—only persistence.
What struck me immediately was how impersonal the suffering feels. London doesn’t sentimentalize pain or elevate it into meaning. Hunger, cold, exhaustion—these are not metaphors so much as facts.
Reading it, I felt my own abstract ideas about “willpower” dissolve into something embarrassingly thin. Survival is not resolve; it’s instinct grinding forward.
The man’s abandonment by his companion is almost secondary to the landscape’s indifference. Nature is not cruel; it simply does not notice. That neutrality is what makes the struggle so stark.
There is no antagonist to blame, no moral lesson to extract. Only distance, time, and depletion.
What stayed with me was the way consciousness narrows. London renders thought itself as something that erodes under pressure. Memory fades. Language collapses into sensation. Reading this felt like watching the human mind retreat into its most primitive architecture.
The encounter with the wolf is unforgettable—not because it’s dramatic, but because it mirrors the man’s condition.
Predator and prey become interchangeable. Hunger equalises them. I found this moment deeply unsettling. It refuses the comfort of human exceptionalism.
“Love of Life” left me with a new respect for fragility—not as weakness, but as fact. Survival here isn’t triumphant.
It’s accidental, almost reluctant. And that may be London’s most disturbing insight: life continues not because it is meaningful, but because it can.
Most recommended.
December 18, 2025
I read this when I was down bad from LOS, slouching towards utopia, dragging my mind, my spirit and at times my body towards the salvation that is to get my case to flow. I needed a good dose of the love of life because I was not getting it anymore from LOS and I was clinging on … this story was very good.
I had read ‘The call of the wild’ as a small boy (and I think ‘White fang’ as well? Or both? I do not remember) and thus I have zero recollection of London’s vivid, and, at times, grotesque, depictions of frosty nature. And so this story was a great reminder of my childhood.
I also read this in between my LOS lags and it served as a great filler to keep my mind from screeching.
I had read ‘The call of the wild’ as a small boy (and I think ‘White fang’ as well? Or both? I do not remember) and thus I have zero recollection of London’s vivid, and, at times, grotesque, depictions of frosty nature. And so this story was a great reminder of my childhood.
I also read this in between my LOS lags and it served as a great filler to keep my mind from screeching.
December 23, 2025
The title tricked me completely, I expected another kind of story or maybe I tricked myself.
This is the second short story I've read of Jack London. I have to mention that the way he narrated it, was excellent to be immersed in the story. But I think it was not the moment for me to read it as I read the other story days before so I found it quite similar and I didn't feel surprised or excited while reading it.
Maybe in the far future I will change this review.
This is the second short story I've read of Jack London. I have to mention that the way he narrated it, was excellent to be immersed in the story. But I think it was not the moment for me to read it as I read the other story days before so I found it quite similar and I didn't feel surprised or excited while reading it.
Maybe in the far future I will change this review.
July 4, 2023
I am on a quest to find a story, that my teacher was reading when I was in 6th grade that included a guy killing a bear and climbing inside of it to keep warm, this was not it.
If my world literature teacher ever sees this - they are in such cold climate because of the Gold Rush. They might been a part of Klondike Gold Rush. We can see that because the main character and Bill have lumps of gold, which they probably just got and did not have the possibility to treat it.
Anyway, this was a very interesting story about how far a man can push himself to survive. The man vs wolf walk was very interesting, especially for me, as my phone was threatening to die in the last page of the story. Love Jack London, just wish he was not racist as most of the people at that time.
If my world literature teacher ever sees this - they are in such cold climate because of the Gold Rush. They might been a part of Klondike Gold Rush. We can see that because the main character and Bill have lumps of gold, which they probably just got and did not have the possibility to treat it.
Anyway, this was a very interesting story about how far a man can push himself to survive. The man vs wolf walk was very interesting, especially for me, as my phone was threatening to die in the last page of the story. Love Jack London, just wish he was not racist as most of the people at that time.
February 23, 2023
"Seria una locura morir después de todo lo que había soportado. El destino le exigía demasiado. Y aun muriendo se resistía a morir.
Quizá fuera una completa locura, pero al borde mismo de la muerte se atrevía a desafiarla y se negaba a perecer"
Quizá fuera una completa locura, pero al borde mismo de la muerte se atrevía a desafiarla y se negaba a perecer"
March 26, 2017
This story really displays the true meaning of survival and the struggle to survive in the cold weather and hunger. Jack London is an amazing author !
May 19, 2019
El amor a la vida
Muy buena historia sobre la sobrevivencia del hombre. Lo terminas de leer en una sentada. Te atrapa. Apasionante como se aferra el hombre a la vida
Muy buena historia sobre la sobrevivencia del hombre. Lo terminas de leer en una sentada. Te atrapa. Apasionante como se aferra el hombre a la vida
October 30, 2019
Ugh, depressing.
February 2, 2024
Відмінна оповідка, варта потраченого часу
December 2, 2024
Фігня повна. Жах. Читати було противно. Це все що я можу сказати про цю книгу
June 10, 2025
Головний персонаж засильно хотів жити, не зважаючи на всю безвихідь.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews