Jack London was an American writer, journalist and social activist born in 1876 in San Francisco, California. Considered a key figure in American literature, London performed many jobs, among which seal hunter and insurance agent, before starting his writing career in Canada. Soon he became one of the most famous, prolific, and well paid writers of his times. Some of his most famous works include The Call of the Wind and White Fang, as well as the short stories "To Build a Fire, "An Odyssey of the North", and "Love of Life".

Alessia Tagliaventi is a scholar of photographic history and editor of Contrasto. She has curated several photography books and catalogues. She is author of critical essays for numerous publications, among those My brother's keeper: Documentary Photographers and Human Rights, Master Photographers, Shadows of War, and Photoshow. She also teaches courses in the history of photography.

Davide Sapienza is an Italian writer, translator and journalist. He's a contributor in the Corriere della Sera. Since 2000, he has been dedicating himself to narrative forms strictly bound to the themes of the journey, of the path of progress, of the Earth. Among his most famous works, Camminando (2014) La musica della neve (2011), Scrivere la natura (2012), I Diari di Rubha Hunish (2014), and La valle di Ognidove (2013).

Preface................................................................................. 7

Jack London, "I would rather live". Davide Sapienza....................................... 9

The People of the Abyss.................................................................37

The Russo-Japanese War................................................................71

The San Francisco Earthquake. The Story of an Eyewitness ............................. 115

The Cruise of the Snark............................................................... 147

Biography ........................................................................... 193