Description

Buck the dog starts out in life as the handsome and well-loved pet of Judge Miller in Jack London's 1903 novel The Call of the Wild. His peaceful and easy existence ends suddenly one day when a groundskeeper on Judge Miller's farm kidnaps Buck. What Buck cannot know is that with gold just discovered in Alaska, dogs like himself are a hot commodity. The greedy groundskeeper sells Buck to a sled dog trainer, who ships the kidnapped pet to the harsh land of the Alaskan Yukon territory. Buck must now learn to live by the rules of this bleak place, where dogs are not treated with kindness or compassion. An unusual tale for its "dog's eye" perspective on an important moment in American history, The Call of the Wild is a spirited tale of adventure, experience, and loss. The days of the Alaskan Gold Rush come alive in a whole new way through Buck's eyes. His moving tale is one that no reader should miss.

About the Author

Jack London (1876-1916) was a Californian writer and adventurer who was accustomed to working hard and learning all he could by an early age. Born in San Francisco, London was raised primarily by his mother and a family servant. London's family moved from the rural farmlands of the San Francisco Bay Area to the more metropolitan suburb of Oakland, where young Jack went to school and spent many hours poring over the shelves of the local public library. Still a child, London went to work in a cannery in order to help his family make ends meet. When the Alaskan gold rush of the 1890s reached its height, London left to seek his fortune. Having endured the incredible hardship of the Alaskan Klondike, London returned to California and set out to make a name for himself as a writer. He enjoyed his first success on the pages of periodical magazines, writing short stories that delighted a broad range of readers. His works often featured animals, a trademark of his most famous novel, The Call of the Wild. With the public's warm reception of his writing, London had finally achieved the security and comfort that had evaded him throughout his childhood. He continued to write novels and shorter works, publishing such well-known novels as White Fang and Martin Eden before his death in 1916.

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Opening Lines (Experimental)

Wakens the ferine strain."
Buck did not read the newspapers, or he would have known that trouble was brewing, not alone for himself, but for every tide- water dog, strong of muscle and with warm, long hair, from Puget Sound to San Diego. Because men, groping in the Arctic darkness, had ...