This triumphant tale of survival follows the adventures of Buck, half-St. Bernard and half-Scottish sheepdog, who is forced into the brutal life of a sled-dog during the heady days of the Alaska gold rush.
The Call of the Wild, considered by many to be Jack London’s greatest novel, is a gripping survival story of a heroic dog that, thrust into the brutal life of the Alaska Gold Rush, ultimately faces a choice between living in man’s world and returning to nature. Adventure and animal-story enthusiasts as well as students and devotees of American literature will find this classic work a thrilling, memorable reading experience.
Jack London’s novels and ruggedly individual life seemed to embody American hopes, frustrations, and romantic longings in the turbulent first years of the twentieth century, years infused with the wonder and excitement of great technological and historic change. The author’s restless spirit, taste for a life of excitement, and probing mind led him on a series of hard-edged adventures from the Klondike to the South Seas. Out of these sometimes harrowing experiences — and his fascination with the theories of such thinkers as Darwin, Spencer, and Marx — came the inspiration for novels of adventure that would make him one of America’s most popular writers. Stories of hardship amid the wilderness and on the open sea typify London’s works.White Fang, a companion work of literature to The Call of the Wild, is a classic animal adventure story about a hybrid wild wolf-dog’s battle for survival and its transformation into domesticity.The Sea-Wolf, a 1904 maritime classic hailed by critics as one of the greatest sea stories ever written, is an adventure story composed of the struggle for survival, personal discovery and growth.Dover’s Thrift Editions offer a superlative collection of classic literature at exceptional value, with over 700 titles available by world-famous authors in fiction, nonfiction, plays, and poetry.
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Publisher : Dover Publications
Publication date : July 1, 1990
Edition : 1st
Language : English
Print length : 64 pages
ISBN-10 : 0486264726
ISBN-13 : 978-0486264721
Item Weight : 10.4 ounces
Reading age : 10+ years, from customers
Best Sellers Rank: #8,772 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #17 in Classic Action & Adventure (Books) #47 in Teen & Young Adult Classic Literature #314 in Classic Literature & Fiction
Customer Reviews: 4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars (4,527) var dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction; P.when(‘A’, ‘ready’).execute(function(A) { if (dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction !== true) { dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction = true; A.declarative( ‘acrLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault”: true }, function (event) { if (window.ue) { ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } } ); } }); P.when(‘A’, ‘cf’).execute(function(A) { A.declarative(‘acrStarsLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault” : true }, function(event){ if(window.ue) { ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } }); });
DNA –
A dog’s tale that is riveting
Beautiful story of a dog, Buck, who is a St. Bernard from his father’s side a sheep dog from his mother’s. Throughout the story Buck proves that he is a dog like no other. His grit and tenacity see him sail through the worst treatment that can be wrought by man on animal. (Warning:If you have a pet or if you are an animal lover it might prove extremely challenging to sail through many parts of the book). Just when Buck finally finds a master who he dearly loves and is loved, he hears a call, the ‘call of the wild’. He knows that he cannot ignore the call.This is a slim volume, can perhaps be read in one sitting if you have some time. I had not imagined that such a book would keep me riveted, for it is not about mystery,suspense, adventure or action. It is about a dog! No wonder this is a classic.Update (June 2019): After reading this book, I was keen on visiting the Jack London Square at Oakland,CA and I did. A thoroughly enjoyable place that does justice to this son of Oakland. Bronze statues of Mr. London and a dog along with plaques about his life present the visitor a nice peek into his life. Sadly he died relatively young, in his forties. A must see is the log cabin he is believed to have spent some time at while in Alaska. An enthusiastic admirer of his identified the cabin in a remote part of Alaska (based on accounts in his works I think), retrieved it and had it reconstructed!(if you plan to read the book, feel free to skip the rest of this below)The Alaska Gold Rush of late 19th century (1896 or so) attracted something like 100,000 prospectors, mostly from the San Francisco/Seattle areas to the Yukon region.Well cared, healthy, powerful dogs attracted unheard of premiums. This prompted a greedy gardener to kidnap his employer’s dog and sell it off to work the sleds. While being transported from sunny Santa Clara Valley, Buck changes many cruel hands, however his last tormentor is particularly vile. He clubs Buck to pulp leaving him clinging to life. The experience infuses a steely character in Buck. While anything could break his body, nothing could break his spirit.Buck has to fight many competitors to finally establish supremacy of the pack.His masters recognize his remarkable character and reward him by according him the pride of place, to lead the pack. Demands of transportation make the dogs overworked, underfed and exploited, Buck included. He, like the rest of his pack is reduced to skin and bone. He is sold to ignorant but cruel masters who continue the exploitation, but Buck would have none of it. His greatness is recognized by a camper who adopts him and then begins Buck’s wonderful life. He regains everything he had lost and seems even more virile and strong than the best of past times. Buck serves his master, even helping him add to his fortunes. When everything seems hunky dory, something tells Buck his place is in the wild. When the call of the wild is received it does not go unheeded.Meanwhile his master and associates are killed by native Indians.Trust Buck to take revenge and kill them all, establishing his superiority over even man himself. After this inflection point and after having lost his beloved master, Buck is even more convinced that his place is in the Wild and he returns to it, as if he had belonged there all the time.
Linda Hutchison –
The print us very small but I know the story and wanted my grandchildren to be able to read it
The print was way to small, needed a larger font
S.J. –
Nice
Good, quality book. Bought for son’s school reading. Worked well and worth money! It was smaller than I thought it would be though.
JC –
Tiny print
The print is like size 5 font. Super tiny! My son was able to read it, but I was not.
K –
My All-Time Favorite Book
Jack London is a phenomenal writer. He takes you places that you have never been before, with descriptions that bring the story to life. Call of the Wild and White Fang are my favorites. This edition is great because the vocabulary is original, and not dumbed-down for young kids. Good stuff!
Matthew E –
The Call of the Wild – Dover Thrift Edition
Mine showed up damaged but the matter was remedied satisfactorily.The book appears to be an abridged version at first but it all appears to be there after checking against an online source. It just seems that they maximized the amount of text per page.
Kindle Customer –
Real
Not sugar coated fantasy. Raw and gritty. A must read. You can feel his pain and confusion. Can’t go wrong with this story.
killerking15+snail –
Title: Exciting Story, But Somewhat Harsh
Title: Exciting Story, But Somewhat Harsh⭐️⭐️⭐️☆☆The Call of the Wild has a gripping story and a memorable canine protagonist, making it a classic adventure tale. The wilderness setting is vividly described, and the action keeps readers engaged.However, some of the scenes are harsh and violent, which may be difficult for younger readers, and the pacing can feel uneven at times. It’s a strong classic, but not ideal for all children.
Hardik Gajraj –
leisan a. –
the letters are really small
EH –
I don’t think I have to say anything to build up Jack London…it is a classic that never goes out of style and every home library should have. fanatastic story enjoyed by young and old alike…great family book.
Ricardo –
Todo ok.
Fabi em Casa –
PRODUTO CHEGOU O TEMPO DETERMINADO. TUDO CERTINHO !