Name that "Blurber"

How does London do it? It’s art. It’s magic. It’s reading.

Put quotation marks around that last paragraph and it sounds like a blurb, one of those instant endorsements you see on the back of book covers. Shamelessly, I could claim it came from a Big Read supporter, say, Larry Bird, Michelle Obama, Duke Bennett, Bradgelina.

So here’s a short quiz. Name the authors of these authentic “The Call of the Wild” blurbs (the names attached are authentic, but not the monikers by which they are best known.

Blurb #1: “My wife read Jack London stories to me on my death bed. Thank you, Nadeszhda.”–Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov

Blurb #2: “Jack London’s great theme is the cruelty of Nature. Life is a savage struggle, and victory has nothing to do with justice.”–Eric Blair

Blurb #3: “I read it [“The Call of the Wild”] when I was eight. It’s about my favorite place in the world.”–Samuel Wurzelbacher

And as a bonus, name the woman above who was very much a part of Jack London's life.

Answers will be posted tomorrow.