15 h 51 minAudiobook15 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · 389 pagesHardcover · 6 × 9 in · 389 pagesAbout this book
What if learning your way into a better life leaves you unsure where you belong?
Martin Eden, a young sailor from Oakland, enters the Morse family's house and finds a world of books and privilege. Drawn to Ruth Morse, a university student, he sets out to become worthy of her. With almost no schooling, he studies grammar, reads hungrily, and decides to earn his living by writing.
But determination does not pay the rent. Rejection and poverty press on Martin while Ruth hopes he will choose a steady, respectable job. The poet Russ Brissenden recognizes his talent but challenges his beliefs. Jack London follows Martin's restless thoughts as love, class, and creative ambition pull him toward competing ideas of a worthy life.
What you’ll discover
- A sailor among books Enter the Morse home with Martin and feel his hunger for an unfamiliar world.
- Love across class lines Watch Ruth's affection meet expectations that Martin cannot easily reconcile with his ambitions.
- The work behind writing Follow the reading, stubborn effort, and rejection behind Martin's dream of living by his pen.
- Generosity without wealth Meet Maria Silva, whose kindness offers a contrast to judgments based on wages and status.
- The price of ambition Explore what happens when one goal becomes the measure of a whole life.
Is it for you?
This book suits anyone who has worked to improve their life by learning, and anyone who likes a serious story about class, art, and ambition. It may be less suited to readers who want a light plot or a gentle, hopeful mood.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A rough sailor enters a house of books
- Love becomes a reason to learn
- Martin decides to become a writer
- Poverty, rejection, and the people around him
- Ruth and Martin move toward and apart from each other
- Brissenden shows Martin another kind of mind
- What the story is really about: class and worth
- What Martin wants and what he becomes
- How London tells the story
Who’s who
- Martin EdenA strong young sailor from Oakland who teaches himself to read and write widely, hoping to win Ruth and a place as a writer.
- Ruth MorseA refined university student who helps Martin with grammar and loves him, yet expects him to take a respectable, steady job.
- Russ BrissendenA sharp, bitter poet in poor health who recognizes Martin's talent and challenges his beliefs without softness.
- Maria SilvaMartin's poor Portuguese landlady, a hard-working widow with children, who shows him generosity despite having very little herself.
- GertrudeMartin's older sister, worn by hard work, who loves her brother but lives in the narrow world of her husband.
- Bernard HigginbothamGertrude's husband, a small shopkeeper who measures a man only by his wages and sees Martin's writing as foolish idleness.
- Arthur MorseRuth's brother, a student whom Martin helps in a fight, which brings Martin into the Morse home.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 15 h 51 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 15 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in, 389 pages: 13,95 USD when you start free, 19,95 USD on its own.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in, 389 pages: 20,95 USD when you start free, 26,95 USD on its own.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
eBooks and audiobooks open right away. Download EPUB or PDF, or send the book to your Kindle. Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout.
How it works · 60-day guarantee
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, for the whole household.
- We remind you first. We email you 7 days before your first payment. Then your first year is 50% off: 0,14 USD a day, then 0,27 USD a day, never raised. Or 0,66 USD a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
60-day money-back guarantee. If the library is not for you, ask within 60 days of your first payment and we refund it in full.
25 languages, side by side
Read and hear Martin Eden in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Read it side by side
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- The whole household
Starts right away, on any device
Read free60-day money-back guaranteeRenews every yearCancel anytimeHow it works
Language: Italiano
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 9
A rough sailor enters a house of books
The story opens with Martin Eden, a young working sailor of about twenty-one, who has just done a kind thing. He has helped a student named Arthur Morse in a street fight, and Arthur invites him home to dinner. Martin follows him to a large house in Oakland and feels clumsy at once. He rolls his shoulders as he walks, afraid he will knock something over.
Inside, he sees a piano, paintings, and shelves of books. He is a strong man who has sailed around the world, fought, and worked hard, but he has never stood in a room like this. He meets the family. Mr. and Mrs. Morse are polite and careful with him. Then he meets Arthur's sister, Ruth.
Renews every year · Cancel anytime
The author
Jack London
1876–1916 · American novelist and journalist
Jack London (1876–1916) was an American author, journalist and social activist. He was born in San Francisco and lived in California. He wrote novels, short stories and essays. His novels include The Call of the Wild (1903), The Sea-Wolf (1904), White Fang (1906) and Martin Eden (1909). He died in California.
Free gifts
580 USD in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, for the whole household. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
170 USDFREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
120 USDFREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
60 USDFREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
60 USDFREE - The whole householdUp to 5 readers
170 USDFREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
More by Jack London
All 24 books
Free
Free
More like this
Free
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
Questions about Martin Eden
Can I read it free?
Yes. The beginning, from the first page to the end of chapter 1, and the first 5 minutes of the audiobook are free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 90 days, with the eBook to keep. After that, your first year is 50% off. You also get 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy just the printed book?
Yes. The paperback costs 19,95 USD on its own. Start free and you pay the cost of printing: 13,95 USD for this paperback, and any other book at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print.
Can my family read too?
Yes. The whole household reads and listens: up to 5 readers, each with their own shelf and their own place in every book.
What if it is not for me?
Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. If you have paid and the library is not for you, ask within 60 days of your first payment and we refund it in full.
What is Martin Eden about?
It is about a poor young sailor in Oakland who educates himself to win the love of a refined woman and to become a writer. The novel follows his hard work, his poverty, and his changing view of success.
Is Martin Eden based on Jack London's life?
Partly. London, like Martin, came from a poor family, taught himself through reading, and faced many rejections before he sold his writing. But the novel is fiction, and London shaped Martin as a warning about the cost of success.
Who is Ruth Morse in Martin Eden?
Ruth is a university student from a prosperous Oakland family. Martin meets her through her brother, falls deeply in love, and sets out to improve himself so that he may become worthy of her.
Popular in classics
See all
Free
Free
Free
