Bacteria and other microbial organisms, whether strange and new, or old and deadly, are the theme for this collection of thirteen short stories and one classic novel. Horror, crime, romance, science fiction ... a multitude of genres play host to these invisible organisms that so easily influence mankind. Age-old diseases like leprosy and cholera meet laboratory creations. And, of course, the search for new microbes rarely ends as trouble-free as the discoverers might dream.

John Barleycorn is an autobiographical novel by Jack London dealing with his enjoyment of and struggles with alcoholism. It was published in 1913. The title is taken from the British folksong "John Barleycorn".

Jack London continues his exploration of the savagery inherent in men and beasts alike in this companion novel to his earlier The Call of the Wild. White Fang provides a complementary narrative of a wild wolf-dog's ability to adapt to a domesticated existence. London's descriptions of the mindless brutality of nature are overshadowed only by his vivid depictions of the conscious brutality of human beings. White Fang explores the multitude of reasons that human beings might choose to justify their brutality and the redemption possible when they do not.

Set in the future, "The Iron Heel" describes a world in which the division between the classes has deepened, creating a powerful Oligarchy that retains control through terror. A manuscript by rebel Avis Everhard is recovered in an even more distant future, and analyzed by scholar Anthony Meredith. Published in 1908, Jack London's multi-layered narrative is an early example of the dystopian novel, and its vision of the future proved to be eerily prescient of the violence and fascism that marked the initial half of the 20th century.

Jack Londons White Fang was first serialized in Outing magazine. It is a story of Yukon Territory, Canada, during the Klondike Gold Rush at the end of the 19th-century, and details a wild wolfdogs journey to domestication. White Fang is a companion novel to Londons best-known work, The Call of the Wild, which concerns a kidnapped, domesticated dog turning into a wild animal.

Much of White Fang is written from the view-point of his canine character, enabling London to explore how animals view their world and how they view humans. This novel examines the violent world of wild animals and the...

Jack Londons The Call of the Wild is a novella taking place during the Klondike Gold Rush in the Yukon a place where strong sled dogs were in high demand. After Buck, a domesticated dog, is snatched from a ranch in California, he is sold into a brutal life as a sled dog. The Call of the Wild details Bucks struggle to adjust and survive the cruel treatment he receives from humans, other dogs, and nature. He eventually sheds the veneer of civilization altogether and relies on primordial instincts and the lessons he has learned to become a respected and feared leader in the wild.
The Call of the...

The Iron Heel is considered to be the one of the earliest of the modern dystopian novels. It chronicles the rise of an oligarchic tyranny in the United States and Jack Londons most explicit display of his socialist views. The Iron Heel stresses future changes in society and politics and is uncommon among Londons writings in being a first-person narrative of a woman protagonist.
The Iron Heel is based on the fictional "Everhard Manuscript" written by Avis. In addition, the novel has an introduction and series of footnotes written from the perspective of scholar Anthony Meredith. Meredith...