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Lot 119
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Jack London signed check & "The Cruise Of The Snark" original manuscript page.
Jack London signed check & "The Cruise Of The Snark" original manuscript page.
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Description:

London Jack 1876 - 1916

Jack London's "The Cruise Of The Snark" original manuscript page and signed check.

Signed check, 6.25" x 2.75", drawn on the bank The Central Bank of Oakland, California. Dated "July 6, 1905", and made payable to "C.J. Brainard" for "47.00", also written as "Forty-Seven". Signed by Jack London as "Jack London". Cancellation mark mid check, else near fine. Accompanied by a single typed page with the stamp "1st Rev" along top margin, which includes graphite scripted annotations and edits in the hand of Jack London of "To say the least, they were not enthusiastic, though never did Nakata show the white feather in the face of danger", which was incorporated into the final state. Page slightly grubby with professional repairs to several small intact tears, expected folds and small circular holes to right margin. Additionally included is a black and white photo with the hand scripted caption of "Typical coast scene - Solomons", 3.25" x 3.25".

An extremist, radical and searcher, Jack London was never destined to grow old. On November 22, 1916, London, author of "The Call of the Wild", died at age 40. His short life was controversial and contradictory. Offered here is both a signed check by him dated 1910, but more importantly his personal edits on a sheet, all of which ultimately were incorporated in the final published draft of his book, "The Cruise Of The Snark" - a non-fictional, illustrated book chronicling his sailing adventure in 1907 across the south Pacific. By this time, London had already published an extensive body of works including "The Call Of The Wild", "White Fang" and "The Sea Wolf", in addition to numerous other novels, plays, short stories and non-fiction pieces. But London's spirit persistently propelled him to personal achievement, that which is revealed in his book, "The Cruise Of the Snark", that which embodies his best loved quotes of:

"The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet."

Following the publication of London's two immensely successful novels that would became classics, "The Sea-Wolf" and "White Fang", Jack London began designing his own 45-foot sailboat, the "Snark". He reflects on his motivations to sail the South Pacific within the body of his book, and the reader suddenly is immersed in a better understanding of this famous author:

"The things I like constitute my set of values. The thing I like most of all is personal achievement, not achievement for the world's applause, but achievement for my own delight. It is the old "I did it! I did it! With my own hands I did it!" But personal achievement, with me, must be concrete. I'd rather win a water-fight in the swimming pool, or remain astride a horse that is trying to get out from under me, than write the great American novel. Each man to his liking. Some other fellow would prefer writing the great American novel to winning the water-fight or mastering the horse."

This lovely set includes a near fine signed check, a photo from his travels to the South Sea, and a draft page, which includes London's edits in his own hand, from "The Voyage Of The Snark", of which ultimately was included in the final published book, just before the end of Chapter XV. The final version shown below is virtually identical to the included review page and one can quickly see that he incorporated his edits into the final draft which was published. The edits are shown below:

"and troubled eyes, wearing safety-pins and clay-pipes in their slitted ears: and as for the rest, wearing nothing behind and less than that before. And I don't mind telling that that night, when everybody was asleep, I sneaked up on deck, looked out over the quiet scene, and gloated - yes, gloated - over my navigation.

CRUISING IN THE SOLOMONS

"Why not come along now?" said Captain Jansen to us, at Penduffryn, on the island of Guadalcanar.

Charmian and I looked at each other and debated silently for half a minute. Then we nodded our heads simultaneously. It is a way we have of making up our minds to do things; and a very good way it is when one has no temperamental tears to shed over the last tin-of condensed milk when it has capsized. (We are living on tinned goods these days, and since mind is rumoured to be an emanation of matter, our similes are naturally of the packing-house variety.)

"You'd better bring your revolvers along, and a couple of rifles," said Captain Jansen. "I've got five rifles aboard, though the one Mauser is without ammunition. Have you a few rounds to spare?"

We brought our rifles on board, several handfuls of Mauser cartridges, and Wada and Nakata, the Snark's cook and cabin-boy respectively. Wada and Nakata were in a bit of a funk. To say the least, they were not enthusiastic, though never did Nakata show the white feather in the face of danger. The Solomon Islands had not dealt kindly with them. In the first place, both had suffered from Solomon sores. So had the rest of us (at the time, I was nursing two fresh ones on a diet of corrosive sublimate); but the two Japanese had had more than their share. And the sores are not nice. They may be described as excessively active ulcers. A mosquito bite, a cut, or the slightest abrasion, serves for lodgment of the poison with which the air seems to be filled. Immediately the ulcer commences to eat. It eats in every direction, consuming skin and muscle with astounding rapidity. The pin-point ulcer of the first day is the size of a dime by the second day, and by the end of the week a silver dollar will not cover it.

Worse than the sores, the two Japanese had been afflicted with Solomon Island fever. Each had been down repeatedly with it, and in their weak, convalescent moments they were wont to huddle together on the portion of the Snark that happened to be nearest to faraway Japan, and to gaze yearningly in that direction.

But worst of all, they were now brought on board the Minota for a recruiting cruise along the savage coast of Malaita. Wada, who had the worse funk, was sure that he would never see Japan again, and with bleak, lack-lustre eyes he watched our rifles and ammunition going on board the Minota".

An incredible set which includes a sheet of this extraordinary author's personal edits. This may not be a draft page of "The Call Of The Wild", but for Jack London, this voyage was clearly more dear to his heart.

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