Jack London on Adventure

"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," writes Jack London, accurately proclaiming the very ingredients of his full, passionate lifestyle. Bearing a name that is now synonymous with adventure, London seemed to fear nothing, constantly stretching his comfortable limits - composing his classic short stories at one thousand words every morning, sailing across the Pacific Ocean on voyages both for pleasure and profit, horseback riding, continual entertaining at home in Glen Ellen, California, barroom socializing and debating, marrying twice, frequent lecturing, and operating a ranch - all with about four or five hours of sleep a night to make it possible. Rising from the low-income factory-worker community of West Oakland, California, London's romantic writings on adventure found at sea, or in Alaska, or in the fields and factories of California appealed to the everyman - millions of readers around the