The People of the Abyss

"Then arises the third and inexorable question: If Civilisation has increased the producing power of the average man, why has it not bettered the lot of the average man? There can be one answer only-MISMANAGEMENT." - Jack London, The People of the Abyss (1903)



The People of the Abyss (1903) documents Jack London's firsthand account of his time in London's East End living among the poor working class in 1902. He spent time in the workhouses, on the streets, and with a poor family in their home to accurately depict the slum conditions. The term "the people of the abyss" was later used by authors H. G. Wells and George Orwell. This edition includes 80 original illustrations from photographs and is a must-read for lovers of Jack London as well as turn-of-the-century England.