Here, on the eve of his first great triumphs-the Atlantic's publication of "An Odyssey of the North" (January, 1900) and Houghton Mifflin's publication of his first book, The Son of the Wolf (April, 1900)-Jack London sounds some familiar notes of advice to the aspiring writer: develop a philosophy of life, put a stamp of "self" on your work, have something to say, use your time wisely, learn how to read, how to absorb and discard.