Jack London 
A Daughter of the Snows 

Published in 1902, this was London's first novel. It features a strong female character, Frona Welse, a wealthy young Stanford graduate who turns her back on society and forges a new life for herself in the wilds of the Yukon. The book failed at the time, due to the public's inability to connect with a female character who was neither atop a pedestal nor in the kitchen.