Sisson, James E.

James E. Sisson III, 1917-1986, of Vernon, Alabama, began studies in 1960 at the University of California, Berkeley, with Professor James D. Hart, and began his research on Jack London in 1970. Sisson's contributions to the field of Jack London scholarship were impressive, and Jack London scholars around the world respected his work. He collected and published various of London's writings, and complied several London bibliographies. Sisson regularly published pamphlets, articles, and reviews on Jack London in newsletters and newspapers, and reviewed almost every London work published since 1960. A tireless worker and advocate on behalf of London scholarship, he assisted many other researchers with grants and materials.

From the description of James E. Sisson papers, circa 1950-1986. (University of California, Berkeley). WorldCat record id: 214302961

James Edward Sisson III was born August 16, 1916 in Vernon, Alabama to Daniel W. and Susie Brown Sisson. Sisson graduated from Lamar County High School as valedictorian in 1935, and a year later enrolled in Florence State College. In 1939 Sisson graduated with at B.A., and worked for two years as a teacher in Jackson County, Alabama. After the Japanese attack of Pearl Harbor, Sisson served in the US Army from 1941 to 1945 as a cryptographic technician in the Signal Intelligence Unit, in both New Guinea and the Philippines. Once the war had ended, Sisson enrolled at Auburn University, Alabama to study English and by 1947 Sisson had earned a second B.A. and a M.A. Thereafter, Sisson taught at Mississippi State University and Georgia Tech before enrolling in Duke University in 1953 to further his studies. During this time Sisson was diagnosed as having both tuberculosis and a form of skin cancer on his face, which later disfigured him. In 1957 Sisson enrolled in the University of California at Berkeley for a Ph.D. in English, studying under Professor James D. Hart. From 1967 to 1969 Sisson worked as a library assistant at The Bancroft Library. In 1970 Sisson became actively involved in researching and writing about Jack London. Discovering an unpublished literary work of London's housed at the Library of Congress, Sisson had London's Gold published by the Holmes Book Company in 1972. Sisson soon earned a reputation that led him to be one of the nation's leading Jack London research scholars. Over time Sisson became internationally known for his abilities to aid researchers seeking information on Jack London. Some of his recognized works include The Fiction of Jack London: A Chronological Bibliography (1972), Jack London: First Editions (1979), and Jack London's Articles and Short Stories in ‘The Aegis’ (1981). Sisson died in the 1986.

From the guide to the James E. Sisson III Papers, 1951-1986, (Utah State University. Special Collections and Archives)

James Edward Sisson III (1917-1986 ) was born in Vernon, Alabama. He served in the US Army from 1941 to 1945 as a cryptographic technician in the Signal Intelligence Unit, in both New Guinea and the Philippines. Sisson received a Ph.D. in English from the University of California, Berkeley. In 1970 he became actively involved in researching and writing about author Jack London. Discovering an unpublished London manuscript in the Library of Congress, Sisson had the book, "Gold," published by the Holmes Book Company in 1972. Sisson was one of the nation's leading Jack London scholars.

From the description of James E. Sisson III papers, 1951-1986. (Utah State University). WorldCat record id: 71645954

Biography

James Edward Sisson III was born in Vernon, Alabama on August 28, 1917 and educated in the Lamar County public schools, graduating as valedictorian in 1935 from Lamar County High School. After receiving his B.S. from Florence State College in 1939, Sisson taught in the Jackson County, Alabama elementary school system. Between 1941 and 1945, he served as a Cryptographic Technician in the Signal Intelligence Unit in New Guinea and the Philippines. After the war, Sisson attended Auburn University in Alabama, and received a B.S. in Education in 1946 and a M.A. in English in 1947. He taught at Mississippi State University and Georgia Tech before beginning post-graduate studies at Duke University in 1953. During this period, Sisson was diagnosed as having both tuberculosis and facial skin cancer, but in 1960 he began studies at the University of California, Berkeley, with Professor James D. Hart. From 1967 to 1969, Sisson worked as a Library Assistant at The Bancroft Library, and began his research on Jack London in 1970.

Sisson's contributions to the field of Jack London scholarship were impressive. Joan London considered Sisson the premiere authority on her father, and Jack London scholars around the world respected and admired his work. Discovering previously unpublished Jack London plays at the Library of Congress, Sisson had London's play Gold published for the first time by the Holmes Book Company. He collected and published London's high school writings in Jack London's Articles and Short Stories in the (Oakland) High School Aegis; edited and co-authored with Dale Walker The Fiction of Jack London: A Chronological Bibliography; and compiled several bibliographies, including Jack London First Editions, The Non-Fiction of Jack London, The Collected Poems of Jack London, and Jack London and the South Seas: A Chronological Bibliography. Sisson's French heritage influenced his participation in Paris publications of London's writings. When editor Francis Lacassin translated London's science fiction story, "Star Rover" (1915) into French as "Le Vagabond des Etoiles," Sisson helped with extensive original research.

Sisson regularly published pamphlets, articles, and reviews on Jack London in newsletters and newspapers, and reviewed almost every London work published since 1960. A tireless worker and advocate on behalf of London scholarship, he assisted many other researchers with grants and materials. As a friend of many of London's relatives, including Joan London and Becky London Fleming, he was a common figure at London festivities and symposia in the Bay Area. Sisson died in November 1986 in Berkeley.

From the guide to the James E. Sisson Papers, 1950-1986, (The Bancroft Library)