One hundred years ago today, Jack London died in Sonoma County, Calif., at the age of 40. He was famous for novels, like the “The Call of the Wild,” which were based on his adventures, trekking through the Klondike or sailing the South Pacific. He was the archetype of the macho writer — before Ernest Hemingway — having been, among other things, a Socialist, a hobo, a sailor, a war correspondent and an oyster pirate.

“They would steal the oysters that other people had caught,” his great-granddaughter Tarnel Abbott said. “It was rough. He could have been killed anytime during those escapades. His boat eventually was ransacked and burned. He had to give that life up and straighten out.”

Although he went on to become a prolific writer, he was also an avid photographer. “Jack London: The Paths Men Take,” a new book by Contrasto, offers a glimpse into his photography, with pictures from London, Japan, China, Korea, post-earthquake San Francisco, and the South Pacific, published alongside excerpts from his books.

[read the rest at the link above]