LONDON, Jack.

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

The People of the Abyss. First edition. The author wrote his first-hand account of life in the slums of London's East End after spending six weeks in Whitechapel in 1902. Laid in is a cheque drawn on the Central Bank of Oakland, dated 29 November 1904, signed by Jack London and made out to Public Opinion magazine.The abject poverty that the author witnessed in the British capital's slums affected London greatly. His friend, the author Upton Sinclair, commented that "for years afterwards, the memories of this stunted and depraved population haunted him beyond all peace" (reported in The Guardian). In the conclusion to People of the Abyss, London blames this deprivation on inept governance: "That the present management is incapable, there can be no discussion. It has drained the United Kingdom of its life-blood... The political machine known as the British Empire is running down" (pp. 313-314).

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