Jack London was an American novelist and short-story writer whose best-known works depict elemental struggles for survival. London's life was tragically short but packed with episode and adventure. In John Barleycorn, he records his early hardships in Oakland, his experiences as an oyster pirate, deep-sea sealer, hobo, Yukon goldminer, student, drop-out, and - ultimately - best-selling author.... Read More
Stephen King has been writing from an early age. When in school, he wrote stories based on movies he had seen recently and sold them to his friends. This was not popular among his teachers, and he was forced to return his profits when this was discovered. The stories were copied using a mimeo machine that his brother David used to copy a newspaper, Dave's Rag, which he self-published. Dave's Ra... Read More