Robert William Service was a British-Canadian poet and writer. He was a bank clerk by trade, but spent long periods travelling in Western America and Canada. When his bank sent him to the Yukon, he was inspired by tales of the Klondike Gold Rush, and wrote two poems "The Shooting of Dan McGrew" and "The Cremation of Sam McGee", which showed remarkable authenticity and enjoyed immediate popularity. Encouraged by this, he quickly wrote more poems on the same themes, which were published as a collection Songs of a Sourdough. Contents: THE LAW OF THE YUKON THE PARSON'S SON THE SPELL OF THE YUKON THE CALL OF THE WILD THE LONE TRAIL THE HEART OF THE SOURDOUGH THE THREE VOICES THE PINES THE HARPY THE LURE OF LITTLE VOICES THE SONG OF THE WAGE-SLAVE GRIN THE SHOOTING OF DAN McGREW THE CREMATION OF SAM McGEE MY MADONNA UNFORGOTTEN THE RECKONING QUATRAINS THE MEN THAT DON'T FIT IN MUSIC IN THE BUSH THE RHYME OF THE REMITTANCE MAN THE LOW-DOWN WHITE THE LITTLE OLD LOG CABIN THE YOUNGER SON THE MARCH OF THE DEAD "FIGHTING MAC" A LIFE TRAGEDY THE WOMAN AND THE ANGEL THE RHYME OF THE RESTLESS ONES NEW YEAR'S EVE COMFORT PREMONITION THE TRAMPS L'ENVOI