In 1897, a 21-year-old unemployed Californian named Jack London borrowed funds so he could make his fortune in the Klondike. His life prior to the gold rush had been a story of toil and lean days. He knew how to pitch a tent, start a fire with minimal effort and how to go without either a fire or a blanket if circumstances required. He had lived in close quarters with sailors before the mast, tramps on the road and even convicts in jail. Though London set sail for the Klondike to accumulate gold rather than write about it, in the back of his mind lurked a resolve to become a writer. Everywhere he wandered, his alert intellect absorbed the experiences and observations he would later organise into mesmerising stories. Through his painstaking research and keen intellect, North offers new insight into London as a young man and the far-off land that inspired his fame.