"Thoroughly documented and cogently argued, Author Under Sail heralds a departure from all scholars who thought they knew about Jack London and promises a wealth of new directions in London scholarship."-S. M. Nuernberg, Choice "[Author Under Sail] is indispensable for Jack London scholars."-Anita Duneer, Studies in American Naturalism "In his ground breaking and comprehensive biography of Jack London, Author Under Sail: The Imagination of Jack London, Jay Williams approaches London's writing life in a way that no other biographer or scholar has previously endeavored."-Iris Dunkle, Journal of Popular Culture “A stunning new story of the authorial development that undergirds Jack London’s prolific fiction and nonfiction. This book offers a far richer U.S. socio-literary vein than any mined to date by critics and researchers of London’s life and career. Jay Williams, what’s more, presents a new model of close reading, not a formalist plea for artistic unity but a showcase of literary-critical focal power. For admirers of Jack London, for students of American literature, and for historians of the book, Author Under Sail is a must.”-Cecelia Tichi, author of ExposÉs and Excess: Muckraking in America, 1900/2000 “Author Under Sail offers a paradigm-shifting approach to Jack London studies. . . . Williams has the gift of explaining complex ideas in straightforward, clear language and is also a storyteller adept at tracing the human connections behind the texts and shaping them into an engrossing tale. Author Under Sail will become an indispensable source for all serious London scholars.”-Chris Gair, author of Complicity and Resistance in Jack London’s Novels: From Naturalism to Nature
