The Sea-Wolf

"Surely there can be little in this world more awful than the spectacle of a strong man in the moment when he is utterly weak and broken." - Jack London, The Sea Wolf (1904)



The Sea Wolf (1904), published on the heels of Jack London's widely popular The Call of the Wild, sold out 40,000 copies in its first printing. Considered a psychological adventure novel, the story features literary critic Humphrey Van Weyden who survives a boating accident in San Francisco Bay and his ordeal with the captain of the schooner who rescues him, Wolf Larsen. The character of Wolf is based on a real-life sea captain with the story turning to ambition, mutiny, and courage as the plot unfolds. The novel has stood the test of time as the basis for film and TV adaptations.