12. Jack London, one of America's writers of adventure stories, was born in California in 1876. He was one of the first American authors that were famous worldwide and made a large amount of money from writing. During his life, London did many jobs. His broad (广泛) life experiences were good for his writing.
London loved to read. As a teenager, he spent many hours educating himself in the public library. He went to the University of California, Berkeley, but he stayed for only several months. Later, he left Berkeley. He thought Berkeley was "not lively enough", and wanted to do something more exciting.
London wrote stories about working people and the hard times they had in order to make a living. He knew their problems first-hand. He worked as a sailor, factory worker and gold prospector (探矿者), to name just a few of his many jobs.
Like many people of the time, London caught the Klondike Gold Rush Fever. In 1897, he headed for Alaska. He didn't find gold there, but he discovered something even more valuable. He discovered that people enjoyed listening to the stories he made up with his nice imagination. London made the workers laugh with story after story. Later, using his experiences during the Gold Rush, he created many more colorful stories.
Once London decided to be a writer, nothing could stop him. His goal was to write at least one thousand words every day. He refused to stop even when he was sick. In eighteen years, a lot of books and hundreds of articles came out. He was one of the best-selling and highest-paid writers of his day. Many people loved his books very much and considered him to be the best writer.