The Works Of Jack London, South Sea Tales (Sacramento Library Withdrawal), 1911 📚🏝️🚢

This volume is an early 20th Century Authorized Edition of South Sea Tales by Jack London, a foundational collection of his stories set in the Pacific.

Published in 1911 by The Review of Reviews Company, this book is a verifiable artifact from the golden age of American subscription publishing.

Its significance is tied to its unique history: the book was withdrawn from the collection of the Sacramento Public Library. This $\mathbf{114\text{-year-old}}$ library stamp provides an authentic and unique chain of ownership from the author's home state of California. This volume is a ** strategic investment** for the collector interested in the documented history of American public reading culture.

2. About the Artwork/Book/Object📖✍️✨

South Sea Tales contains eight short stories that showcase London's raw, uncompromising vision of human and cultural contact in the Pacific Islands. These narratives delve into social Darwinism and colonial conflict, with stories like "The Heathen," and "The Terrible Solomons," which reveal the brutal realities of the island trade.

The book is part of a larger, highly successful Authorized Edition set of London’s complete works. Its utilitarian brown cloth binding is typical of the early 20th Century subscription model, designed for durability and a consistent appearance on a collector's shelf. The printing quality is high, reflecting the prestige of the initial copyright holder, The Macmillan Company.

3. About the Author✍️🏛️

Jack London (1876–1916) was an American icon whose life was as dramatic as his fiction. A dedicated socialist and adventurer, he was driven by a deep commitment to the American Naturalist movement.

His work, including this 1911 collection, is fundamentally shaped by his experiences during his Pacific voyage aboard the Snark from 1907 to 1909. These stories are a direct literary record of his encounters with the brutal dynamics of the colonial era. London's global influence and his status as a major figure in the history of California literature elevate the value of any surviving edition.

4. Historical/Political Era Context🌍🕰️📜

The book was published in 1911, a pivotal year in the Progressive Era and the eve of World War I. This period saw the height of American expansion and an increased national awareness of imperialism in the Pacific.

London's stories directly addressed the social and racial tensions inherent in this expansion, offering a critical lens on American and European colonial practices. The book's popularity reflects the American public’s fascination with exotic, non-domestic narratives, especially those infused with the Darwinian themes of struggle and survival that defined the intellectual discourse of the early 20th Century.

5. The Ideal Collector💡🧐🏛️

This volume is an essential component for a curator of California Literary History and American Public Libraries. The book’s value is rooted in its demonstrable history of public use and the geographic connection to the author.

It is an ideal acquisition for the collector who seeks items with a verifiable, human history that documents the path of literature through American institutions. This book belongs in a collection focused on the circulation of popular American classics during the early 20th Century.

6. Value & Rarity💎✨🏛️

The item is 114 years old (published in 1911) and has survived decades of circulation in a public library. The rarity is low in a textual sense, but its market value is supported by the book's status as a library withdrawal with a clear, historic Sacramento Public Library stamp.

This is a material artifact whose value is based on the author’s stature and the unique story of its documented service in a public collection. The library stamp and binding wear confirm its long, functional life.

7. Condition🔎📚✨

This is a transparent and factual condition report based on direct visual analysis.

• Positive Qualities:

  • The binding cloth is generally clean for a former library book, with minimal external discoloration.

  • The gilt lettering on the spine is still clearly legible and relatively bright.

  • The interior pages are free of major foxing or moisture damage.

  • The Sacramento Public Library stamp is fully intact and clear.

• Imperfections:

  • The front cover page is loose from the binding at the hinge, a material defect common to highly circulated library books.

  • The spine shows heavy rubbing at the head and tail, and the cloth is slightly frayed.

  • The corners are moderately bumped and worn.

  • The book contains minor cosmetic glue residue on the front pastedown, typical of a former library pocket removal.

8. Fun Facts & Unique Features🤓📜🤩

• London’s voyage on the Snark, which inspired this collection, was originally intended to be a seven-year circumnavigation of the globe, but it was cut short due to financial and health problems.

• The Review of Reviews Company often marketed these sets using an installment plan, making complete collections of authors like London accessible to a broader middle-class audience.

• The stories in this volume, such as “Mauki,” are noted for their unflinching depiction of racial and cultural clashes, a hallmark of the Naturalist school of writing.

• The Sacramento Public Library stamp ties this copy directly to the central region of London’s home state of California, adding a regional element of collectible interest.

9. Supporting Information🏷️📦💰

• Title: The Works Of Jack London: South Sea Tales

• Author/Maker: Jack London

• Year: 1911 (Published October, Reprinted November 1911)

• Publisher/Foundry: The Review of Reviews Company (Authorized Edition)

• Place of Origin: New York, USA

• Format/Binding: Cloth, Hardcover, Subscription Set Volume

• Edition: Authorized Edition, Second State

• Rarity: Collectible Library Withdrawal

• Handwritten Inscriptions (Verbatim Transcription):

  • No handwritten inscriptions are present. The only mark of ownership is the official library stamp.