Jack London: No Mentor But Myself ed. by Dale L. Walker (review)

258 Western American Literature Once in Mitchell’s world, however, the reader tends to grasp how the story will turn out, judging by the ironies established early on in the col­ lection. These stories often work as simple almost knockabout tales, but it’s the few which concentrate more on the characters and not on the ironic humor of narrative (like “Teachers,” “Luck” and “Give Me Your Answer, Do”) that stay in the mind longest. PETER STEVENS, University of Windsor, Ontario Jack London: No Mentor But Myself. Edited by Dale L. Walker. (Port Washington, New York: Kennikat, 1979. 197 pages, $15.00.) “In the main I am self educated,” wrote a twenty-four-year-old Jack London in 1900 to the publisher of his first book, The Son of the Wolf. [I] “have had no mentor but myself,” he continued, and briefly outlined his struggle to learn the “tricks” of the publishing business — of discovering just what editors wanted for their publications. Dale Walker has been a London devotee and scholar for almost thirty years, and what he has assembled in No Mentor But Myself is a remark­ able collection of Jack London’s thoughts on writing and writers them­ selves. There are articles and essays on the craft of writing, a selection of book reviews, including London’s praise for such classics as Frank Norris’ The Octopus, and Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle, prefaces to books, and almost everything imaginable relevant to the subject of writing. This is a first-hand look at a writer’s honest and forthright opinions on his craft. W'e see London as a disciplined professional who seldom waited for inspiration before he put his pen to paper. He believed in four factors necessary for literary success — good health, hard work, a philo­ sophy of life, and sincerity. Together, the selections form an in-depth expression of London’s experiences in the writing “game.” Walker has arranged the entries chron­ ologically, beginning with London’s early philosophy of life published in 1899, and has preceded each entry with brief, but cogent comments. London, always generous and thoughtful to others, became a literary mentor himself. During the height of his career, he received countless let­ ters and unsolicited manuscripts from unknown and aspiring writers seek­ ing help and advice. He seldom failed to respond to their requests. “Dear Lad,” he wrote to a young hopeful, “I’m talking to you straight from the shoulder. . . . There’s only one way to make a beginning and that is to Reviews 259 begin; and begin with hard work, and patience, prepared for all the dis­ appointments that were Martin Eden’s before he succeeded — which were mine before I succeeded. . . . ” London often drew heavily upon his own experiences for his work, and there are excerpts from Martin Eden and John Barleycorn, two auto­ biographical works in which he wrote candidly and passionately about the frustrations, heartbreaks, and rewards of writing for a livelihood. If you haven’t read them, Walker’s selections from the books are enough to make you hasten a trip to the local library. The collection also contains a broad and perceptive foreword by How­ ard Lachtman, who has three books in the making on London. Dr. Lachtman shows the unfamiliar side of the Jack London persona; he strips away much of the myth surrounding the man and offers a candid look at a writer who has all too often been dismissed or overlooked by critics of American literature. Interest in London has increased markedly since the publication of a volume of letters in 1965, and Dale Walker’s jewel of an anthology is a welcome addition to a steady stream of serious works on London that have appeared since that time. The reading public is finally beginning to realize that London was much more than a skillful writer of yams about howling wolf-dogs in the frozen wilderness of the Klondike and nautical adventures on the open seas. SAL NOTO, Cupertino, California From Hopalong to Hud: Thoughts on Western Fiction. By C. L. Sonnichsen . (College Station and London: Texas A & M University Press, 1978. 201 pages, $9.95.) From Hopalong to Hud: Thoughts on Western...