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Audiobook edition · 9 h 2 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What happens when a writer builds a boat and trusts a largely untrained crew to cross the Pacific?
In The Cruise of the Snark, Jack London turns a dream of sailing around the world into a frank account of adventure and mishap. His wife Charmian joins him aboard the small ketch, along with friends and hired hands. Most know little about the sea. Ahead lie open water, unfamiliar islands, and the daily work of keeping their boat going.
From San Francisco Bay, the voyage leads to Hawaii, the Marquesas, Tahiti, and the Solomon Islands. London describes riding waves at Waikiki, visiting a leper colony, and reaching the valley of Typee, known through Herman Melville. Storms, ruined engines, bad plumbing, and illness test the dream. His casual, funny voice keeps the hardships close and the story moving.
What you’ll discover
- A dream under sail Follow London's wish to build his own boat and write his way around the world.
- An unlikely sailing crew Meet Charmian and companions whose enthusiasm comes with little experience of the sea.
- Hawaii beyond the horizon Share London's delight in Waikiki and his descriptions of riding waves on boards.
- The work behind adventure Discover the hard routines, repairs, and discomforts that sit beside the island discoveries.
- Humor when plans fail Enjoy a storyteller who reports ignorance and mishaps as frankly as moments of wonder.
Who will love it
Readers who love true adventure, sea stories and the South Pacific, and who enjoy a witty narrator laughing at his own mistakes.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Pleasure becomes a reason to sail
- The sea tests every promise
- Navigation need not remain a mystery
- Surfing teaches London to yield
- People matter more than fearful stories
- The crater exceeds its measurements
- Typee changes a boyhood dream
- Generosity gives the voyage its warmth
- Pride travels beside curiosity and humor
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The Cruise of the Snark
by Jack London · 1911
Jack London and his wife Charmian sail a leaky, overpriced ketch from San Francisco toward the South Seas.
Medium level5–10 hours to read2 languages
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In short
What would make a man build a forty-three-foot boat, borrow money for it, and sail to the South Seas with his wife and a crew of amateurs? Jack London answers in the first pages of The Cruise of the Snark.
The Cruise of the Snark at a glance
- Reading time
- About 5 h 15 min4 h 10 min fast, 6 h 15 min slow
- Length
- 74,700 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1911by Jack London
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
He sails because he likes it
London opens in a swimming pool at Glen Ellen, California. He and his friend Roscoe talk about small boats and Captain Slocum, who sailed round the world. They joke that they should do it, and then the joke turns serious. Charmian says it is too good to be true.
His reasoning is bold. The last word in any argument, he says, is I like. What he likes most is a hard thing done with his own hands, for his own delight and not for applause.
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Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1911
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 5 h 50 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
London, Jack. The Cruise of the Snark. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-cruise-of-the-snark.
London, J. (2026). The cruise of the Snark. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-cruise-of-the-snark (Original work published 1911)
London, Jack. The Cruise of the Snark. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-cruise-of-the-snark.
@book{london2026cruise,
author = {London, Jack},
title = {The Cruise of the Snark},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-cruise-of-the-snark},
note = {First published 1911}
}
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What is The Cruise of the Snark about?
It is Jack London's account of sailing the ketch Snark from San Francisco into the South Pacific with his wife Charmian. It covers Hawaii, the Marquesas, Tahiti, Fiji and the Solomon Islands, with scenes of surfing, storms, island customs and sickness.
Is The Cruise of the Snark a true story?
Yes, it is a travel memoir based on the voyage London made with his wife and a small crew, beginning in April 1907. The afterword bears the date 1911, and the Snark’s voyage lasted roughly two years.
Why is the boat called the Snark?
London says they chose the name because they could not think of any other. He adds that this is for anyone who might suspect something occult in it. The name carries no hidden meaning.
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.
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