Jack London. Typed Letter SIGNED, 1910, on Socialism

Jack London. Typed Letter SIGNED, large 4to, [Sonoma, California] Dec. 22, 1910. To "Comrade Tuck," London references his writings commenting on the fact that he hadn't lectured in a while and suggesting he organize a talk around his answer to Kipling's attack on Socialism. In part, "Do you remember Kipling's attack in parable upon Socialism? The Bee-Hive parable?... I have written a reply to it, in the form of a parable. It has been refused by practically every magazine... soon to be published by HAMPTON'S MAGAZINE... entitled THE STRENGTH OF THE STRONG." Signed in a large hand, "Jack London." "The Strength of the Strong" was published in "Hampton's Magazine," Volume 26, March 1911 and later published in book form by Macmillan in 1914. Kipling's attack on socialism, in the form of a political parable about bees, was first published in "Collier's Weekly" in the United Stated on November 28,1908, under the title, "The Mother Hive," and in the United Kingdom as the "Adventures of Melissa," for "Windsor Magazine," December 1908. In his parable, Kipling argued for the need to recognize socialism as an attack against the future of the British Empire and defend against such false progressive ideas. Slightly faded with margin tear to one fold at top not affecting text and two small holes at intersection of vertical and horizontal folds slightly affecting one word. Jack London was a socialist and member of the radical literary group ‘The Crowd' in San Francisco, supporting worker's rights and unionization. He became a socialist in 1894 and wove his political perspective into his writings and lectures. Our letter to H.C. Tuck gives evidence to London's political orientation. Referred to here as "Comrade Tuck," Tuck was a socialist leader, editor, and State Secretary of the Socialist Party of California. In 1910-11, Tuck was arrested for libel, having printed some apparently libelous material in various newspaper articles. In 1910, the year he wrote our letter to Tuck, London's "Burning Daylight," as well as "Revolution and Other Essays," "Lost Face," and "Theft: A Play in Four Acts" were all published. That same year saw the birth of his daughter and her untimely death just 36 hours later. It was also in 1910 that London purchased the Kohler & Frohling ranch. I. Autograph