Almost entirely unknown to modern readers, 'Burning Daylight’ was one of the best selling books of 1910 and it was Jack London’s best selling book while he was alive.
’Burning Daylight’ takes place in the Yukon Territory in 1893. The main character, Elam Harnish, nicknamed 'Burning Daylight’ was the most successful entrepreneur of the Alaskan Gold Rush. The story of the main character was partially based upon the life of Oakland entrepreneur 'Borax’ Smith. Bringing his fortunes to the States he is cheated out of it by a crowd of money kings, and recovers it only at the muzzle of his gun. Embarking on a new life in California, he makes another fortune by underhanded means . . . only to find his corrupt life suddenly turned around by the love of a woman.
No other writer before or since has been able to capture the awe-inspiring ferocity of the Western American landscape like Jack London. This fictionalized account of the Yukon gold rush offers painstakingly researched historical insights and plenty of fast-paced action.