Jack London 
The Valley of the Moon (Annotated) 

• This edition includes the following editor’s introduction: Jack London, an infinite passion for adventure that drove all his work

First published in 1913, “The Valley of the Moon” is a social novel by American writer Jack London with many autobiographical reflections.



“The Valley of the Moon” is an intriguing view into life in Northern California at the turn of the 19th century. A working-class couple, Billy and Saxon Roberts, leave their city life in Oakland behind to find a better life in the country, searching Central and Northern California for a suitable farmland to own. They visit an artist colony in Carmel before moving north to settle in the
Valley of the Moon.



The novel is notable for the scenes in which the proletarian hero enjoys fellowship with the artists’ colony in Carmel. It also reflects Jack London’s own life journey from Oakland to escape urban poverty that ended in his dream home in Glen Ellen, California.