John Barleycorn
by Jack London
BOOK COVER
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* John Barleycorn is an autobiographical novel by Jack London dealing with his enjoyment of drinking and struggles with alcoholism.
* The title is taken from the British folksong "John Barleycorn".
Heinold's First and Last Chance was Jack's to-go place. Opened in 1884, (and still going strong today!), by Johnny Heinold as J. M. Heinold’s Saloon. Later, Jack London’s wife, Charmian London, wrote that Jack adopted the “two-faced pseudonym” First & Last Chance “by reason of its accommodating relation to comers as well as goers,” travelers across the drawbridge to Alameda, and passengers from the ferries calling at the Oakland Municipal Wharf. As the years wore on, many servicemen left for overseas from the Port of Oakland, and the First & Last Chance tradition stuck. The name of the saloon was officially changed to Heinold’s First and Last Chance Saloon.
