Jack and Charmian in Hawaii

Wakiki Beach in 1915
(Click photo for closeup)

December 16, 1915, Jack and Charmian sailed aboard the Matsonia and arrived in Hilo on December 22, 1915.

Jack spent three-fourths of the remainder of his life in the Islands, hoping that the climate and easygoing life would help him regain his health. Here he found a near paradise. Life was quiet, and serene, but full of friendliness and enjoyment.

Daily Life in Hawaii

The two dog books Jerry of the Islands and Michael, Brother of Jerry kept Jack on his thousand-word-a-day schedule. Though the entertainment he had enjoyed so much in the past was still available, he was no longer interested in surfing or doing anything that required much energy. Daily life in the pretty cottage on Beach Walk was spent much like the days on the ranch. After his writing stint Jack usually put on his favorite blue kimono, carried a long box of reading material and cigarettes, and set out for the Outrigger Club.

Charmian and Jack spent most of their afternoons there, lying on the shady sand, reading aloud, napping, and talking with friends and passersby. Later in the day they would swim leisurely out beyond the breakers and back.

These were happy hours of closeness. Those who question their love relationship through the years should read the inscriptions in the books Jack gave Charmian. On July 16, 1915, he received his copies of The Scarlet Plague and wrote this inscription in the copy he handed Charmian:

My Mate-Woman:

And here, in blessed Hawaii eight years after our voyage here in our own speck boat, we find ourselves, not merely again, but more bound to each other than then or ever.

Source: Kingman, Russ. A Pictorial Life of Jack London. (Crown 1979)

Coloring by Zackel's Old Photo Restorations