细节
LONDON, JACK. Autograph letter signed to "Dear Mr. Revision Editor" (of the magazine Youth's Companion), Oakland, 5 February 1902, 4 pages, 4to, on the rectos of four sheets, with two holograph revisions, London's name and address stamped at top of first page, some slight wrinkling.
ON HIS CELEBRATED STORY "TO BUILD A FIRE"
London's much-anthologized story of a man alone in the Yukon wilderness freezing to death when he is unable "to build a fire" first appeared in Youth's Companion in the 29 May 1902 issue; in was later collected in his book Lost Face, 1910. Here London writes to the magazine's copy editor defending vital aspects of his story. "In reply to questions will state (I) -- At go off, Vincent took matches from inside pocket. It does not matter what he does with matches during first several attempts to build fire -- not until he leaves that place and starts along the trail. Then insert, page 6, after 'the frost had beaten him. His hands were worthless.', the following: 'but he had the foresight to drop the bunch of matches into his wide-mouthed outside pocket. Then, in dispair [sic], he slipped on his mittens and started to run up the trail,' etc. etc.
"(II) Take my word for it, that a man simply cannot build a fire with heavy Klondike mittens on his hands. I have seen hundreds of such fires built in cold weather, and I never even saw a man attempt to build one fire with mittened hands. It is impossible...But the point with Vincent is that his wet feet are freezing. Had he not wet his feet, he could have simply kept right on traveling and never exposed his hands at all. But traveling or not, his feet were freezing all the time. It is an old Alaskan tragedy, this fire-building. They have traced a man, from his first careful attempt at a fire to his last wild & feeble attempt, & then found his stiff body -- and this has been done more than once. You see, the time element must be considered. At such low temperature flesh freezes quickly. The fire also must be built quickly...In this connection, however, at top of page 5, after 'waited the match,' you might insert: 'It is impossible to build a fire with heavy Alaskan mittens on one's hands; so Vincent bared his, gathered a sufficient number of twigs...etc.' ...It is impossible to strike a sulphur match & cherish the slow-growing flame thereof with such [Klondike] mittens on one's hands. To attempted it...would be to cause a healthy conflagration, wide-spread burns & much smoke -- three things which would effectively put a quietus on the fire. I hope I have explained."
London ends by asking about payment: "By the way. The 'Companion' has always been prompt in paying. 'To Build a Fire,' was sent about the middle of December. I now learn from you that the story is already in make-up. This leads me to fear that check for same had probably gone astray, as I have received no word from the Corresponding Editor. Will you please ask him to look into the matter?..."
London's suggested insertions appear not to be present in the collected (non-periodical) text of the story (where, also, the protagonist is unnamed). Not in Letters, ed. K. Hendricks & I. Shepard, and possibly unpublished. (Maxwell)
ON HIS CELEBRATED STORY "TO BUILD A FIRE"
London's much-anthologized story of a man alone in the Yukon wilderness freezing to death when he is unable "to build a fire" first appeared in Youth's Companion in the 29 May 1902 issue; in was later collected in his book Lost Face, 1910. Here London writes to the magazine's copy editor defending vital aspects of his story. "In reply to questions will state (I) -- At go off, Vincent took matches from inside pocket. It does not matter what he does with matches during first several attempts to build fire -- not until he leaves that place and starts along the trail. Then insert, page 6, after 'the frost had beaten him. His hands were worthless.', the following: 'but he had the foresight to drop the bunch of matches into his wide-mouthed outside pocket. Then, in dispair [sic], he slipped on his mittens and started to run up the trail,' etc. etc.
"(II) Take my word for it, that a man simply cannot build a fire with heavy Klondike mittens on his hands. I have seen hundreds of such fires built in cold weather, and I never even saw a man attempt to build one fire with mittened hands. It is impossible...But the point with Vincent is that his wet feet are freezing. Had he not wet his feet, he could have simply kept right on traveling and never exposed his hands at all. But traveling or not, his feet were freezing all the time. It is an old Alaskan tragedy, this fire-building. They have traced a man, from his first careful attempt at a fire to his last wild & feeble attempt, & then found his stiff body -- and this has been done more than once. You see, the time element must be considered. At such low temperature flesh freezes quickly. The fire also must be built quickly...In this connection, however, at top of page 5, after 'waited the match,' you might insert: 'It is impossible to build a fire with heavy Alaskan mittens on one's hands; so Vincent bared his, gathered a sufficient number of twigs...etc.' ...It is impossible to strike a sulphur match & cherish the slow-growing flame thereof with such [Klondike] mittens on one's hands. To attempted it...would be to cause a healthy conflagration, wide-spread burns & much smoke -- three things which would effectively put a quietus on the fire. I hope I have explained."
London ends by asking about payment: "By the way. The 'Companion' has always been prompt in paying. 'To Build a Fire,' was sent about the middle of December. I now learn from you that the story is already in make-up. This leads me to fear that check for same had probably gone astray, as I have received no word from the Corresponding Editor. Will you please ask him to look into the matter?..."
London's suggested insertions appear not to be present in the collected (non-periodical) text of the story (where, also, the protagonist is unnamed). Not in Letters, ed. K. Hendricks & I. Shepard, and possibly unpublished. (Maxwell)