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| The Call of the Wild | 
| Author: Jack London
Publisher: Prestwick House Inc.
Category: Book
List Price: $3.99
Buy New: $2.51
You Save: $1.48 (37%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  6 reviews
Sales Rank: 4557
Media: Paperback
Pages: 100
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.4
ISBN: 1580495842
Dewey Decimal Number: 500
EAN: 9781580495844
ASIN: 1580495842
Publication Date: January 1, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand New! Immediate Shipment!
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Book Description
This Prestwick House Literary Touchstone Edition includes a glossary and reader's notes to help the modern reader fully appreciate London's masterful weaving of science, philosophy, and the storyteller's art. This gripping story follows the adventures of the loyal dog Buck, who is stolen from his comfortable family home and forced into the harsh life of an Alaskan sled dog. Passed from master to master, Buck embarks on an extraordinary journey that ends with his becoming the legendary leader of a wolf pack. Included in this Edition is the short story, To Build a Fire, London's biting commentary on human folly in the face of indomitable natural forces.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 1 more reviews...
 Meat on them bones June 12, 2008
Wow. I must have read Call of the Wild earlier in life when I liked "books about dogs." I read it again recently in a group discussing "children's books." To me a truly great "children's book" is one that speaks to any other age, too. This one sure speaks to at age 60+. The worst thing about the edition I read was that it said on the cover, "Can Buck resist the lure of the wolves?" Duh. He's a wolf. Why would-should he resist? And the genius of this book is that Jack London leaves you with the tingling feeling that you're a large part wolf yourself. Take Me With You When You Go
 Drama That Is Good for the Kids May 13, 2008
Interest Level: 5-8th grade. The story has some exciting parts and the setting, being in the Arctic during a gold rush, is also interesting. However, the book was written in the early 1900s and the language, giving it a formal feel and is full of words seldom used today. But, that being said, I was still surprised to see how interested many of my 7th grade students actually were while reading this story and getting to know its characters.
Synopsis: The Call of the Wild is about a dog named Buck who is kidnapped from a beautiful home in California where he lives with his kind owner, Judge Miller. His kidnappers transport him North, to the Klondike area on the border of Northern Canada and Alaska, where he sold as a sled dog. Though the abrupt end to his relatively privileged former life in California, and the sudden start of a harsh new life in the Arctic as a sled dog, is initially shocking, Buck learns quickly what it takes to survive. Specifically, he learns the law of club and fang: when there's no civilization or laws to protect you, you have to do whatever it takes--steal, fight, even kill--in order to survive. Buck does learn to do this and, in the process, becomes a very powerful sled dog and eventually team leader. All of the while, he feels called by some mysterious force in the wilderness, experiencing some primal connection to the wild wolves and raw elements of the environment. Though he has some incompetent owners for a while, he eventually comes under the authority of a gold-seeker named John Thorton. Thorton, who saved Buck from his cruel former owners, instantly becomes the object of Buck's affection and even worship. Buck is willing to do anything for him, and even saves his life on multiple occasions. Because of this, he wins a high-stakes bet for Thorton on another. However, at the end of the novel, when Thorton and his companions are camping in the woods near a site where they've found gold, they are confronted by a band of Native Americans. It is up to Buck to save Thorton, even if it means risking his own life against the entire band of native warriors. Lucky for Thorton, Buck is a loyal companion and is willing to take a risk. Will he be able to save Thorton and continue his life as man's best friend, or will he be left to once again, take the call of the wild?
Title: The Call of the Wild
Author: Jack London
Publisher: Pocket Books
Date: 1903
Pages: 105
Genre: Adventure/Classic Literature
Reading Level: 12
bucks nasty fights February 28, 2008
I liked this book because of its detales in fights like when buck fought the man in the high walled back yard. in this fight jack london describes bucks anger and the pain with words like red-eyed devil,a fierce blow and blood flowing from his nose and mouth.
 Regression to a Primitive State January 23, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
This 1903 novel was written from the imagined mind of a large dog. Buck lived in sunny Santa Clara when he was stolen and sold to a dealer for transport to cold, snowy Alaska as a working sled dog. You can imagine this as a symbol for an ordinary man who is forced into a life of hard work, poor pay, and perilous working conditions. There is no retirement plan for a dog like Dave. It is informed by the social Darwinism that was in vogue among capitalists and socialists, but with different interpretations. Like many other novels for adults it evolved into a story for children! [Those who study the life of wolves can comment on the fantasy of a dog leading a wolf pack.]
Buck and the other tired dogs are sold to new owners. These owners do not have the experience of judgment to travel (Chapter V). Buck is rescued by a new owner. London created an idealized picture of Buck (Chapter VIII). But John Thornton and his gold-seeking partners find their good luck has turned terribly bad. Buck survives as the fittest of the pack. The story doesn't tell what happened to Buck in the near future. Wild animals live day to day, a life that is nasty, brutish, and short.
great book! December 17, 2007
I am generally not a huge fan of fiction, but I recently watched the movie "Into the Wild" and saw that the character featured in the movie read this book and was influenced by it to live a life in the Wild. I figured I may as well read it, so I did, and I really enjoyed it. I am not at all a literature buff, so I am not certain of what things were symbolic and what everything meant, but it was a great read and I couldn't put it down.
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Wildlife, nature and the Environment
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