Audiobook · read by volunteers
Cruise of the Snark
Jack London (1876–1916)
Read by Bryan Ness, Todd Lennon, Pam Burton, Roger Melin, Jim Allman, kayo · 18 chapters · 8 h 05
About the book
In 1907 Jack London, already famous as a novelist, decided to build his own ship and sail around the world. The Snark was small, the crew inexperienced, and the plan wildly ambitious, but London and his wife Charmian set out from California with high spirits. The Cruise of the Snark is his account of the voyage across the Pacific, from Hawaii to the islands of the South Seas. He tells the story with humour, honesty and pride, describing storms, navigation mistakes, island landscapes and encounters with people along the way. London’s lively descriptions of surfing, which he called a royal sport, helped to popularise it far beyond Hawaii. This is a cheerful and often surprising memoir of ambition, adventure and the pleasure of the open sea. It is a lively portrait of a restless, curious writer at sea.
Introduction
Jack London (1876–1916) was an American author best known for The Call of the Wild and White Fang. He wrote from experience as a sailor, prospector and journalist, and he became one of the most widely read writers of his generation. The Cruise of the Snark was published in 1913, several years after the voyage, which took place between 1907 and 1909. It combines travel writing with autobiography and a candid account of the problems of building and sailing a boat.
The eighteen chapters begin with a foreword and a discussion of the idea itself, then cover the preparations, the departure and the passage across the ocean. London does not hide the difficulties, including the health problems that eventually cut the voyage short, and the book is more interesting for it. He writes in an energetic, conversational voice and has a gift for turning a scene into a short story. Readers of adventure and travel narratives will find a likeable companion in the author.
The account is full of practical comedy, from the trials of building the boat to an inexperienced crew, and London’s willingness to laugh at himself makes the story human and warm. His descriptions of the sea and of the island coasts are among the best things in the book, and they still carry a thrill of adventure.
The 18 recordings, about 8.1 hours in all, are read by LibriVox volunteers. London’s chapters are self-contained enough to be heard separately, so the voyage can be taken one island or one mishap at a time, ideally somewhere with a view of the water.
Public domain
Jack London died in 1916: the work is in the public domain in Switzerland, more than 70 years after the author’s death.
The LibriVox volunteers dedicated this recording to the public domain.
Sources : LibriVox page · Files at the Internet Archive · Original text