The Sea-Wolf by Jack London (Ex-Library), Circa 1930s 📚⚓️🚢

This volume of The Sea-Wolf by Jack London is a top-shelf documentary artifact of American literary and library history.

The book is an authenticated edition from Grosset & Dunlap and features a powerful non-replicable institutional Provenance from a California Joint Union High School.

Its value is secured by the verifiable circulation records and its function as a tangible record of the reading habits of students in Reedley, California, in 1948.

2. About the Artwork/Book/Object 📖✍️✨ The Sea-Wolf is Jack London's seminal work of philosophical and nautical fiction, narrating the brutal life of literary critic Humphrey Van Weyden after he is rescued by the savage captain, Wolf Larsen. The novel is a stark exploration of Darwinian principles, individualism, and moral philosophy.

The binding is a distinctive maroon cloth with a large, black silhouette illustration of the title character on the cover . The inclusion of the original Date Due slip documents the active life of the book within a school library system, making its history highly specific and localized.

3. About the Artist/Author/Maker ✍️🏛️ Jack London (1876–1916) was one of the world's most famous and highest-paid authors of the early 20th century. His novels, such as The Call of the Wild, defined the American adventure and frontier spirit, often blending thrilling narratives with complex social commentary and evolutionary themes.

This reprint was published by Grosset & Dunlap, the major firm specializing in producing affordable, quality editions of bestsellers, ensuring London’s work reached every segment of the American population.

4. Historical/Political Era Context 🌍🕰️📜 The original novel was published in 1904. This reprint, circulating in the 1940s, functioned as foundational reading for a generation of students in the post-World War II era.

The Date Due stamp of February 1948 anchors this copy to the precise period when America was experiencing its Post-War Boom and intensifying its high school and college enrollments (G.I. Bill). The embossed stamp from the Reedley, California, Joint Union High School documents the book’s role in the official curriculum of a specific regional educational institution.

5. The Ideal Collector 💡🧐🏛️ This volume is an essential acquisition for a curator of California Educational History and American Nautical Fiction.

It is ideally suited for a collector who specializes in documented Ex-Library copies that contain verifiable circulation records. The explicit stamp of the Reedley, California, school district provides a clear non-replicable chain of institutional ownership that is the primary asset of this volume.

6. Value & Rarity 💎✨🏛️ This book is a reprint edition of a canonical novel. The volume is approximately 80 to 90 years old (reprint date).

Its scarcity is low as a reprint. However, the value is significantly elevated by its strong Provenance Premium. The embossed library stamp and dated circulation slips from 1948 provide non-replicable documentation of its specific institutional use in California, commanding a premium from collectors of Americana and library history.

7. Condition 🔎📚✨ The physical condition has been assessed directly from the provided high-resolution photography. The book is deemed to be in Fair to Good Antique Condition, with heavy evidence of institutional use.

• Binding: Bound in original publisher's cloth with pictorial stamping on the cover . The spine cloth is faded and shows minor fraying.

• Ex-Library Marks: Features a deeply embossed circular stamp on the title page verifying its source: JOINT UNION HIGH SCHOOL AND JUNIOR COLLEGE LIBRARY REEDLEY CALIF..

• Circulation History: Contains original Date Due slips stamped FEB 9 '48 and FEB 2 4 '48.

• Internal Marks: Contains library catalog codes (F L84s) and accession numbers.

• Wear: The text block shows heavy toning and handling wear appropriate for a textbook.

8. Fun Facts & Unique Features 🤓📜🤩

• The Name of the Ship: The vessel on which the action unfolds is the Ghost, a sealing schooner, reflecting London’s deep knowledge of Pacific maritime life.

• Reedley's Location: Reedley is located in the Central Valley of California, an area focused on agriculture and irrigation, making this book a specific artifact of the educational culture of that regional economy.

• The Wolf Larsen Archetype: Captain Wolf Larsen, the novel’s antagonist, became an archetypal figure in literature, embodying Nietzschean philosophy and ruthless individualism.

• The Dual Library: The embossed mark notes both a High School and Junior College Library, indicating the institution served a broad educational function in the community.

9. Supporting Information 🏷️📦💰

• Object Type: Vintage Novel (Ex-Library Provenance Copy)

• Author: Jack London

• Title: The Sea-Wolf

• Year/Period: Circa 1930s/40s (Grosset & Dunlap Reprint)

• Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap

• Place of Origin: New York

• Format/Binding: Publisher’s Pictorial Cloth

• Edition/Rarity: Reprint Edition (California Institutional Provenance)

• Transcription of Embossed Stamp (Verbatim): JOINT UNION HIGH SCHOOL AND JUNIOR COLLEGE LIBRARY REEDLEY CALIF.

• Transcription of Checkout Dates: FEB 9 '48 / FEB 2 4 '48