The World of Jack London: Russ and Winnie Kingman

The Kingmans and Brewster T. Rooster

In 1941, while stationed at the Naval Air Station in Alameda, California, Russ met and married the girl of his dreams, Winifred (Winnie) Eileen Harris. Russ was 24 at the time and Winnie was 20. For the next fifty-two years, they were together, never spending more than a few days apart from each other. Russ first discovered the works of Jack London in the late 1960s and in the early 1970s he and Winnie opened, "The World of Jack London Bookstore" in the village of Glen Ellen, California.

Russ with Brewster, the pet rooster

There was a time when no trip to Jack London's Ranch in Glen Ellen, Ca. would have been complete without a visit to the Jack London Research Center and Bookstore and a visit with the Kingmans.

The Jack London Bookstore and Research Center contained an abundance of books by London, new and used. A number of London items were also on display, Jack and Charmian's typewriter for example.

The bookstore has closed, and the Jack London Research Center has moved to a new location: see details

Read how Russ Kingman got the Jack London bug
We also have an excellent biography of Russ and Winnie Kingman written by Harry James Cook Go read