Lot 223

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Lot 223
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Jack London, "The Cruise of the Snark" Annotated Manuscript & Signed Check
Jack London, "The Cruise of the Snark" Annotated Manuscript & Signed Check
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Description:

Jack London, "The Cruise of the Snark" Annotated Manuscript & Signed Check

The lot consists of a 3pp first revision typed manuscript of "The Cruise of the Snark" with 60+ handwritten edits/words in Jack London's hand; along with a signed check dating from the era of the construction of the 'Snark'. In the spring of 1907, Jack London (1876-1916), along with his wife Charmian (1871-1955) and a small crew, set out for a modern maritime adventure aboard the Snark, their 45' long custom built sailboat. Over the next two years, the Londons would sail west and south across the Pacific Ocean, exploring Hawaii, the Solomon Islands, Fiji, Tahiti, Australia, and other tropical locales.

London later recounted his travel experiences in a non-fiction illustrated account called "The Cruise of the Snark," published by The Macmillan Company in New York in 1911. These typed manuscript galleys correspond to pages 220-231 of London's final first edition of "The Cruise of the Snark." This excerpt, which includes most of Chapter XIII: "Stone-Fishing of Bora Bora," describes highlights of the Londons' experience in the Society Islands and Bora Bora. The travelers were particularly impressed by Polynesian hospitality, which entailed flower-garlanded ceremonial processions and ritualistic gift-giving.

The galley proofs are oversized, measuring 9.25" x 12" on average overall, and have generously sized margins to accommodate handwritten author's edits. The pages are in very good condition, with expected folds and weathering. A few closed tears, small holes, and isolated pin rust marks do not affect the text. A clerk's checklist pinned to the first page dated May 5, 1911 lists the book's working title as "Snark."

London's edits throughout the manuscript are in pencil and blue pen. Throughout, London has drawn arrows pointing to text blocks where he wished corresponding illustrations to appear. On the second page, London has noted a spelling mistake involving "fish." On page three, London has inserted an "a," removed the word "Captain," and noted that the inhabitants of Bora Bora are called Bora Borans. Other possibly publisher's edits in red are found throughout.

London hand-inscribed captions to 7 remarkable black and white photographs that would become Illustration 67, "In a double-canoe paddled by a dozen strapping Amazons," Illustration 69, "The Polynesian barge in which we were to ride," Illustration 70, "The stone-thrower," Illustration 71, "Flower-crowned maidens, hand in hand and two by two," and Illustration 72, "The leader of the drive signaling his commands," Illustration 73, "The circle began to contract," and Illustration 74, "The palisade of legs."

The manuscript pages correspond to the following published text found in "The Cruise of the Snark":

"--of all sizes from minnows to sharks, and that the captured fish would boil up and upon the very sand of the beach.

It is a most successful method of fishing, while its nature is more that of an outing festival, rather than of a prosaic, food-getting task.  Such fishing parties take place about once a month at Bora Bora, and it is a custom that has descended from old time.  The man who originated it is not remembered.  They always did this thing.  But one cannot help wondering about that forgotten savage of the long ago, into whose mind first flashed this scheme of easy fishing, of catching huge quantities of fish without hook, or net, or spear.  One thing about him we can know: he was a radical.  And we can be sure that he was considered feather-brained and anarchistic by his conservative tribesmen.  His difficulty was much greater than that of the modern inventor, who has to convince in advance only one or two capitalists.  That early inventor had to convince his whole tribe in advance, for without the co-operation of the whole tribe the device could not be tested.  One can well imagine the nightly pow-wow-ings in that primitive island world, when he called his comrades antiquated moss-backs, and they called him a fool, a freak, and a crank, and charged him with having come from Kansas.  Heaven alone knows at what cost of grey hairs and expletives he must finally have succeeded in winning over a sufficient number to give his idea a trial.  At any rate, the experiment succeeded.  It stood the test of truth—it worked!  And thereafter, we can be confident, there was no man to be found who did not know all along that it was going to work.

Our good friends, Tehei and Bihaura, who were giving the fishing in our honour, had promised to come for us.  We were down below when the call came from on deck that they were coming.  We dashed up the companionway, to be overwhelmed by the sight of the Polynesian barge in which we were to ride.  It was a long double canoe, the canoes lashed together by timbers with an interval of water between, and the whole decorated with flowers and golden grasses.  A dozen flower-crowned Amazons were at the paddles, while at the stern of each canoe was a strapping steersman.  All were garlanded with gold and crimson and orange flowers, while each wore about the hips a scarlet pareu.  There were flowers everywhere, flowers, flowers, flowers, without out end.  The whole thing was an orgy of colour.  On the platform forward resting on the bows of the canoes, Tehei and Bihaura were dancing.  All voices were raised in a wild song or greeting. Three times they circled the Snark before coming alongside to take Charmian and me on board.  Then it was away for the fishing-grounds, a five-mile paddle dead to windward. “Everybody is jolly in Bora Bora,” is the saying throughout the Society Islands, and we certainly found everybody jolly.  Canoe songs, shark songs, and fishing songs were sung to the dipping of the paddles, all joining in on the swinging choruses.  Once in a while the cry Mao! was raised, whereupon all strained like mad at the paddles.  Mao is shark, and when the deep-sea tigers appear, the natives paddle for dear life for the shore, knowing full well the danger they run of having their frail canoes overturned and of being devoured.  Of course, in our case there were no sharks, but the cry of mao was used to incite them to paddle with as much energy as if a shark were really after them. “Hoé!  Hoé!” was another cry that made us foam through the water.

On the platform Tehei and Bihaura danced, accompanied by songs and choruses or by rhythmic hand-clappings.  At other times a musical knocking of the paddles against the sides of the canoes marked the accent.  A young girl dropped her paddle, leaped to the platform, and danced a hula, in the midst of which, still dancing, she swayed and bent, and imprinted on our cheeks the kiss of welcome.  Some of the songs, or himines, were religious, and they were especially beautiful, the deep basses of the men mingling with the altos and thin sopranos of the women and forming a combination of sound that irresistibly reminded one of an organ.  In fact, “kanaka organ” is the scoffer’s description of the himine.  On the other hand, some of the chants or ballads were very barbaric, having come down from pre-Christian times.

And so, singing, dancing, paddling, these joyous Polynesians took us to the fishing.  The gendarme, who is the French ruler of Bora Bora, accompanied us with his family in a double canoe of his own, paddled by his prisoners; for not only is he gendarme and ruler, but he is jailer as well, and in this jolly land when anybody goes fishing, all go fishing.  A score of single canoes, with outriggers, paddled along with us.  Around a point a big sailing-canoe appeared, running beautifully before the wind as it bore down to greet us.  Balancing precariously on the outrigger, three young men saluted us with a wild rolling of drums.

The next point, half a mile farther on, brought us to the place of meeting.  Here the launch, which had been brought along by Warren and Martin, attracted much attention.  The Bora Borans could not see what made it go.  The canoes were drawn upon the sand, and all hands went ashore to drink cocoanuts and sing and dance.  Here our numbers were added to by many who arrived on foot from near-by dwellings, and a pretty sight it was to see the flower-crowned maidens, hand in hand and two by two, arriving along the sands.

“They usually make a big catch,” Allicot, a half-caste trader, told us.  “At the finish the water is fairly alive with fish.  It is lots of fun.  Of course you know all the fish will be yours.”

“All?” I groaned, for already the Snark was loaded down with lavish presents, by the canoe-load, of fruits, vegetables, pigs, and chickens.

“Yes, every last fish,” Allicot answered.  “You see, when the surround is completed, you, being the guest of honour, must take a harpoon and impale the first one.  It is the custom.  Then everybody goes in with their hands and throws the catch out on the sand.  There will be a mountain of them.  Then one of the chiefs will make a speech in which he presents you with the whole kit and boodle.  But you don’t have to take them all.  You get up and make a speech, selecting what fish you want for yourself and presenting all the rest back again.  Then everybody says you are very generous.”

“But what would be the result if I kept the whole present?” I asked.

“It has never happened,” was the answer.  “It is the custom to give and give back again.”

The native minister started with a prayer for success in the fishing, and all heads were bared.  Next, the chief fishermen told off the canoes and allotted them their places.  Then it was into the canoes and away.  No women, however, came along, with the exception of Bihaura and Charmian.  In the old days even they would have been tabooed.  The women remained behind to wade out into the water and form the palisade of legs.

The big double canoe was left on the beech, and we went in the launch.  Half the canoes paddled off to leeward, while we, with the other half, headed to windward a mile and a half, until the end of our line was in touch with the reef.  The leader of the drive occupied a canoe midway in our line.  He stood erect, a fine figure of an old man, holding a flag in his hand.  He directed the taking of positions and the forming of the two lines by blowing on a conch.  When all was ready, he waved his flag to the right.  With a single splash the throwers in every canoe on that side struck the water with their stones.  While they were hauling them back—a matter of a moment, for the stones scarcely sank beneath the surface—the flag waved to the left, and with admirable precision every stone on that side struck the water.  So it went, back and forth, right and left; with every wave of the flag a long line of concussion smote the lagoon.  At the same time the paddles drove the canoes forward and what was being done in our line was being done in the opposing line of canoes a mile and more away."

In addition to the hand-corrected manuscript is an unnumbered check inscribed overall and signed “Jack London” on the payee line. Issued from the Central Bank of Oakland, California on June 2, 1905 in the amount of $2.25 payable to “Youth's Companion.” The plain cream check is stamped in blue, teal, and purple recto and verso, and bears a y-shaped cancellation mark at center. In very good to near fine condition, with a little loss and paper remnants adhered to the lower left corner. Check measures 6.5" x 2.875". This check was issued to the Perry Mason Company, publishers of "Youth's Companion." This extremely popular juvenile magazine was published in Boston between 1827-1929. Although its original audience was children, it expanded its readership after the 1890s by featuring the work of established authors like Jack London, Emily Dickinson, and Mark Twain. London published his "Seven Tales of the Fish Patrol", maritime adventures in short story format, in "Youth's Companion" between March-May 1905.

Jack London grew up in Oakland, California. He attended elementary school through high school there, and studied at a local waterfront bar named Heinold's First and Last Saloon; the proprietor later lent him tuition money to attend Berkeley. London wrote dozens of poems, short stories, essays, and novels over a prolific career curtailed by chronic ill-health. With income generated from adventure classics like "Call of the Wild" (1903) and "White Fang" (1906), London was able to purchase a ranch on Mount Sonoma in Glen Ellen, California called Beauty Ranch, or the Ranch of Good Intentions, and oufit the 'Snark' for its world cruise.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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