Jack London’s legacy lives on in little Richmond house

In a tiny home in Richmond’s Panhandle Annex lives a treasure trove of literary gems — letters, books of short stories and rare first editions of works by Jack London, a world-renowned author with deep Bay Area roots. The keeper of this goldmine is none other than London’s great-granddaughter, Tarnel Abbott, a Richmond resident for more than 32 years.

Abbott, 71, grew up hearing stories about her famous great-grandfather, who died in 1916 when he was only 40 years old. After London’s death, the estate went to his second wife, Charmian Kittredge, leaving London’s first wife, Elizabeth — Abbott’s great-grandmother — and her two daughters out of most of the inheritance, including royalties to London’s works. 

Despite that, Jack London’s daughters inherited some of their father’s books, furniture and the home where they grew up in Piedmont. But additionally, what many members of the family inherited was London’s penchant for social justice, a theme that reverberates throughout many of his novels, such as “The Iron Heel,” “People of the Abyss” and even “Call of the Wild.” 

“Jack London was a humanitarian and a socialist whose life’s work was about helping poor and working people to break free of the social pit, the abyss of poverty, which he came perilously close to in his own life,” said Abbott, in a recent interview at her home.

Carrying the torch of a famous relative can often be a burden, and Abbott’s other sisters have largely shied from the spotlight. Yet Abbott, who spent 22 years working as a librarian at the Richmond Public Library, has been more willing to be a public face of Jack London’s legacy. Over the years, she has given lectures and written articles about London’s life, and helped stage a play based on one of his books. In 2016, on the centennial of London’s death, Abbott was widely profiled by national and international media, and in 2020 she was brought to Hollywood to consult on Harrison Ford’s film version of “Call of the Wild.”

A lot of Abbott’s focus is not only preserving history but also correcting some misconceptions of London’s body of work, which centered around themes of poverty, oppression, revolution and the rise of fascism, many of which still resonate today. 

“His stories and novels can usually be read on several levels,” Abbott said. “‘The Call of the Wild’ is not just an adventure story about a dog but can be read as a metaphor for how the powerless are oppressed by the powerful, how love can overcome fear, and the imperative of joining the pack because the lone wolf — man or dog — does not survive.”

An advocate for the environment, better library access

In addition to her work maintaining an archive of London’s books and papers, Abbott is also a longtime activist who has been involved in many local and international causes. For years, she has pushed the state to do more to clean up former industrial sites along Richmond’s southern shoreline, such as the former AstraZeneca site where Stauffer Chemical Company manufactured and buried toxic waste from the manufacturing of pesticides and fertilizers. 

“The heavy toxics in the soil are migrating in plumes and contaminating our local waterways, including Stege Marsh, which flows into the bay,” Abbott said. A developer plans to build housing on the site, which Abbott and fellow activists with the Richmond Southshore Community Advisory Group oppose because they believe it’s a danger to human health. Instead, they want all of the contaminated soil removed and hauled away.

Abbott frequently speaks at Richmond City Council meetings and is very involved in her Panhandle Annex neighborhood.

“People here are friendly, diverse and love to garden, so we have some fabulous gardens,” she said.

At the height of the pandemic, Abbott and her neighbors pushed the Richmond Public Library to let users access the collection via phone or email, allow outside pickups, loan out internet hot spots and offer story time in outdoor spaces. “They finally implemented all of our suggestions, but it took a while,” Abbott said. 

When Abbott is not busy preserving Jack London’s archive or fighting for a variety of local causes, she paints outdoors and enjoys taking her dog Ruby for walks in Point Isabel and hanging out at Point Molate Beach Park, one of the only publicly accessible parts of Point Molate. 

Through it all, she’s guided by her great-grandfather’s vision for himself and the world, written by London shortly before his death:

“It is so simple a remedy, merely service. Not one ignoble thought or act is demanded of any one of all men and women in the world to make fair the world. The call is for nobility of thinking, nobility of doing. The call is for service, and such is the wholesomeness of it, he who serves all, best serves himself.”