In 1899 -- the very same year Ehrich Weiss was breaking into big-time vaudeville -- Jack London began publishing a series of essays in the "Overland Monthly" based on his adventures in the Yukon ...

Episodes in the novelist's life: In 1890, young Jack London quits a cannery job to try oyster piracy. Later, he signs on for a sealing voyage, tries Yukon prospecting and a brief university career ...