About this title: THE CALL OF THE WILD, Jack London's masterpiece, tells the gripping tale of a dog named Buck who is wrenched out of his life of ease and luxury to become a sled dog in Alaska. Drawing on his wolf heritage, Buck must fight for survival in an alien environment.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Parragon
Date Published: 1994
ISBN-13:9781858137353ISBN:1858137357
Description: Very Good. Some light tanning. EXCELLENT value for money and ready for dispatch. Delivery usually within 3/5 days. Our reputation is built on our Speedy Delivery Service and our Customer Service Team. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Puffin, London
Date Published: 1994
ISBN-13:9780140366693ISBN:0140366695
Description: Very Good. Childrens. Jack London's tale of a dog's fight for survival in the harsh and frozen Yu kon is one of the greatest animal stories ever written. It tells of a dog b orn to luxury but sold as a sledge dog, and how he rises magnificently abov e all his enemies to become one of the most feared and admired dogs in the North. read more
Binding: PAPERBACK
Publisher: Scholastic Hippo
Date Published: 1992
ISBN-13:9780590551137ISBN:0590551132
Description: Fair. Paperback, a good reading copy. Cover image is a stock image and may vary. Your book will be securely packed and promptly dispatched from our UK warehouse. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Puffin Classics
Date Published: 1994
ISBN-13:9780140366693ISBN:0140366695
Description: Good. PAPERBACK BOOK-GOOD OVERALL CONDITION-TRUSTED DEVON (UK) BASED SELLER-IN STOCK-SENT WITHIN 1 WORKING DAY-AVAILABLE BY EMAIL FOR QUERIES-NO QUIBBLE REFUND IF NOT COMPLETELY SATISFIED- read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Mammoth
Date Published: 1991
ISBN-13:9780749709860ISBN:0749709863
Description: Very Good. PAPERBACK BOOK-VERY GOOD OVERALL CONDITION-TRUSTED DEVON (UK) BASED SELLER-IN STOCK-SENT WITHIN 1 WORKING DAY-AVAILABLE BY EMAIL FOR QUERIES-NO QUIBBLE REFUND IF NOT COMPLETELY SATISFIED- read more
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Parragon
Date Published: 1994
ISBN-13:9781858137353ISBN:1858137357
Description: Very Good. No major defects-unabridged, clean, complete, not falling apart; some light wear. A perfectly good reading or reference copy. read more
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Aerie
Date Published: 1986
Description: Very Good. No major defects-unabridged, clean, complete, not falling apart; some light wear. A perfectly good reading or reference copy. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Red Fox
Date Published: 1976
ISBN-13:9780600319139ISBN:060031913X
Description: Very Good. No major defects-unabridged, clean, complete, not falling apart; some light wear. A perfectly good reading or reference copy. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Thomas Bouregy & Co
Date Published: 1980
ISBN-13:9780804900300ISBN:0804900302
Description: Very Good. No major defects-unabridged, clean, complete, not falling apart; some light wear. A perfectly good reading or reference copy. read more
Description: Good. Paperback in good condition. Shelfwear/edgewear, creasing, may have other defects such as previous owner name inside, discolouration to block edges etc. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Puffin Classics
Date Published: 1994
ISBN-13:9780140366693ISBN:0140366695
Description: Good. **SHIPPED FROM UK** We believe you will be completely satisfied with our quick and reliable service. All orders are dispatched as swiftly as possible! Buy with confidence! read more
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Arrow Books, Limited, London, United Kingdom
Date Published: 1987
ISBN-13:9780099521402ISBN:0099521407
Description: Fair. Ex-Library This book is being sold as a reading copy only. This is an Ex-Library book with the usual additions and markings. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Wildside Press
Date Published: 2006
ISBN-13:9780809501090ISBN:0809501090
Description: Good. This book is in GOOD overall condition. It shows signs of having been read and has general light wear to the cover, spine and pages. read more
"I just started to read it yesterday. Only on the third chapter. It's kinda sad because of all the deaths. I mean I know that their just dogs but its sad all the same."
"Call of the Wild is the classic story of a dog named Buck, a powerful half St. Bernard, and half sheepdog. Buck was living an average life in California with his owner, Judge Miller, until gold was discovered in Canada. Buck was then kidnapped by his owner's gardener and sold to dog traders who taught him to obey by abusing him. He was eventually shipped north to the Klondike where he witnessed cruelty to the dogs around him.
Buck becomes the property of two mail carriers, who work for the Canadian government. He learns to adjust to his life as a sled dog, and relearns his wild instincts by learning to fight, hunt for food, and sleep under the snow at night. Eventually, after fighting with and killing another dog, Buck becomes the lead dog for the sleds. The mail carriers force Buck and the other dogs to carry loads much heavier than they can accommodate, and eventually their poor planning takes its toll on the dogs and the humans. They begin to run out of food and only a few of the dogs survive to John Thornton's camp. Hal, one of the American gold hunters who now had Buck and the other dogs which had survived the original trip tired to force the dogs towards the gold, against the recommendation of John Thornton. Luckily for Buck, Thornton keeps him, as Hal and the other dogs die when they fall through ice which is too soft.
Thornton then becomes Buck's master and they take care of and become devoted to each other. Buck saves Thornton's life and stays with him, but continues to feel the pull of the wild. When Thornton is killed by Yeehat Indians, Buck attacks them, killing several of them. He then heads back out into the wild, where he becomes the leader of a wolf pack. Every year of his life afterwards, Buck goes back to where his master died and mourns him, before returning to the wild.
This is a good book, and the author showed great emotions throughout. The difficulty of the journey and the cruel treatment of the dogs make this a difficult book to read in parts. However, it is a quick read that keeps your interest. Although the book is written from Buck's perspective, it is not difficult to imagine what the animal is going through. It was interesting to watch Buck change from a domesticated dog into a wild one, with an unbreakable spirit and his fight for survival. I would recommend this classic to anyone over twelve, but not to younger readers."
"There is an ecstasy that marks the summit of life, and beyond which life cannot rise. And such is the paradox of living, this ecstasy comes when one is most alive, and it comes as a complete forgetfulness that one is alive. This ecstasy, this forgetfulness of living, comes to the artist, caught up and out of himself in a sheet of flame; it comes to the soldier, war-mad on a stricken field and refusing quarter; and it came to Buck, leading the pack, sounding the old wolf-cry, straining after the food that was alive and that fled swiftly before him through the moonlight. He was sounding the deeps of his nature; and of the parts of his nature that were deeper than he, going back into the womb of Time. He was mastered by the sheer surging of life, the tidal wave of being, the perfect joy of each separate muscle, joint, and sinew and that it was everything that was not death, that it was aglow and rampant, expressing itself in movement, flying exultantly under the stars and over the face of dead matter that did not move.""
"I read an excerpt of _Call of the Wild_ in middle school. I vaguely remember that the excerpt was a portion of the novel right after Buck is saved by John Thronton. I distinctly remember the names of the two other dogs: Skeet and Nig. I wanted a dog, and I wanted to name him Skeet. I did not, however, want to read _Call of the Wild_. So, twelve years later, I decided to give the novel another shot. I hadn't actually read anything by Jack London before and I was sure that I was going to hate it. Jack London was an American author, and I have a firm distaste for American literature.
I didn't want to actually purchase a copy of the book, so I downloaded a version onto my iPod. It was through Amazon's Kindle, so I knew it was a legitimate copy, and it cost exactly one cent to purchase, so I knew I'd at least get my money's worth.
When I started reading, I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly the plot advanced, and how simple it was to read. The vocabulary wasn't simplistic, but the sentence structures were straightforward enough that I could quickly skim through without missing any details or having to reread. I quickly found that I was very invested in the novel, and I laughed when I realized that I'd been reading for two solid hours without noticing the time. The action in the novel was very engaging, and it was impressive how fluidly London was able to communicate the thoughts and emotions of the sled dogs without the convention of dialog.
Buck's character development was steady and well thought out. His journey from domesticated California farm dog to wild wolf pack alpha male was slow and almost undetectable, except where London noted his physical and mental changes. My worry was that the story would jump suddenly from civilization to wilderness, but London had the transformation well planned out and executed the change almost flawlessly. Buck's owners' characters were developed in such a way that the reader, like Buck, was able to view, understand, and critique these characters without growing attached to them. The literary symbols in the work were fairly obvious and referenced often (the club, the man in the red sweater, the harness) which made them stand out for analysis whenever they were mentioned.
Overall, I was really surprised to find how involved I became in the novel. I found myself rooting for Buck as the underdog, even though I knew the outcome would be in Buck's favor. I appreciated how the novel moved seamlessly from one action-packed scene to the next without dwelling on useless descriptions where they did not add to the story (write in verbs, not adjectives).
If I had to criticize the story, I would say that the dog characters changed too often and weren't referenced enough late in the novel for me to keep everything straight. I had to stop a couple of times to remind myself what Dave's characteristics were, and how they differed from Billee and Sol-leks, and which dog was missing an eye, which one had the scar on his shoulder - these details were randomly referenced at different times and confused me as I raced to finish the novel. Overall however, I have very little criticism for the book.
As for the educational value of the book, I think it's a good contrast to most of the classic literature taught in schools right now. Because _Call of the Wild_ is written from the perspective of a dog among dogs, there are few personal biases the reader can bring into the story. Similarly, because dog sledding is such a foreign sport to most American high school students, it puts everyone (students and characters) on equal footing when reading the novel. It really puts the reader in Buck's position. When Buck is wandering around camp freezing the first night on the trail, the reader can only watch, with no idea of what should be done, until Buck discovers a means of survival. We watch the other dogs as Buck watches, learning the tricks of survival from them. When Buck is broken by the "law of club and fang," we are broken too. When Buck's owners change, we learn, as Buck learns, whether or not his owners are experienced sledders.
The themes in the novel are also engaging to students. The story focuses on the allure of power, the responsibility of leadership, the give and take of obedience vs. servitude, and the moral and ethical questions of survival. Class discussions could focus on whether or not Buck really is in a leadership role - after all, he is still subjected by his human masters, still tied to the sled every day, still under the law of man's club. What makes someone truly powerful? Is Buck's life really better as a wild animal in the harsh Northland than it was as a house pet in the warm Southland? Is Buck right to incite unrest in the rest of the team in order to lure Spitz, the previous leader, into a fight to the death? What are the moral ramifications when Buck steals the men's bacon in order to survive? Is breaking the rules morally wrong if it's done for survival?
I believe that if the novel is presented in the right way, and if the themes are discussed prior to reading the novel, students will be engaged in the text. The work is also simple enough that a lot of it could easily be read and discussed in class. As I said earlier, the symbols that appear in the work are frequent and easily understood, so this text may be a good choice to begin the year and introduce students to thinking critically about symbolism in a work. Any way you look at it, this novel is a nice departure from the routine classics that are normally discussed in class, and would provide a springboard for critical thought about theme, symbolism, and characterization.
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