Jack London was an American author, born in 1876 and died at the age of forty from uremia poisoning, in 1916. Throughout his life of London his novels and short stories have had an impact on American authors and their literature. London began one of his many careers by writing, at twenty-one, his first story, Two Gold Bricks, published in Owl Magazine. Some of the novels and short stories for which he is recognized include: The Call of the Wild, White Fang, Building a Fire, and Sea Wolf. Jack London's most read short story, To Build a Fire, is the best example of London's use of man versus nature and his naturalistic stories. It also emulates what London experienced in the Yukon Territory. To Build a Fire is about a man traveling in the arctic climate trying to survive. John Griffith Chaney, widely known as Jack London, born in San Francisco, California, was born into a wealthy environment. His mother, Flora Wellman, was very ill throughout much of London's youth, so he was raised in childhood by a former slave, Virginia Prentiss (Stasz). London established his infatuation with reading when he discovered an old, torn book on the side of the road, called Signa. The novel had many missing pages, but that didn't stop London from imagining the outcome in many different scenarios (Streissguth 1). He attended school until the eighth grade, but later returned to high school at nineteen. London received much of his education by frequenting public libraries. As a teenager, he performed various hard jobs such as: catching poachers, sealing ships, and even joined Kelly's army. His writing life began approximately in 1893, when he wrote Two Gold Bricks. He spent the winter of 1897 in the Yukon, a westward-flowing North American river... middle of paper... son to stop and recognize the well-being and life of wildlife. He also had an impact on society by informing people about what life was like for people who lived and traveled through the wild part of the world. Looking at London's works, you can see his emotional and literary progress through the characters in his stories and their attitude towards the environment. In conclusion, throughout London's life her novels and short stories had an impact on American authors and their literature with her perspective point of view gained from experiences. London's influences included: Social Darwinism, Nietzsche and Marx. He was a literary naturalist, which led him to write more than fifty novels and more than a thousand articles. And Jack London's most commonly read short story, To Build a Fire, is the best example of London's use of man versus nature and his naturalistic stories..