Product DescriptionThe Call of the Wild is a short adventure novel by Jack London, published in 1903 and set in Yukon, Canada, during the 1890s Klondike Gold Rush, when strong sled dogs were in high demand. The central character of the novel is a dog named Buck. The story opens at a ranch in Santa Clara Valley, California, when Buck is stolen from his home and sold into service as a sled dog in Alaska. He becomes progressively feral in the harsh environment, where he is forced to fight to survive and dominate other dogs. By the end, he sheds the veneer of civilization, and relies on primordial instinct and learned experience to emerge as a leader in the wild.London spent almost a year in the Yukon, and his observations form much of the material for the book. The story was serialized in The Saturday Evening Post in the summer of 1903 and was published later that year in book form. The book's great popularity and success made a reputation for London. As early as 1923, the story was adapted to film, and it has since seen several more cinematic adaptations.Review "One of my fondest memories as a child is being read this book by my paternal grandfather. I have read it at least 10 times since and can't wait to share the book with my grandsons, as I still find the book just as powerful and moving today as I did the first time. The survival story of Buck the dog is engaging, adventurous and exciting. I love animal stories and this is easily one of my favorites of all times. Each time I read it I find myself rooting for Buck. A must read."----The Celtic Rebel (Richard)----"The Call of the Wild by Jack London is like one of those Boys' Own adventure type books. Rugged and manly. It's as fast-paced and action-packed as a downhill dog-sled race. The deeper chasm that's runs beneath the snow is that animal and human must adapt in order to survive in severe and harsh environments. Live by your wits or die by your stupidity. Humans can be callous and cruel, and dogs can be loyal and loving. But both must mutually respect each other or plunge and perish beneath thin ice. The story is mainly set in the Yukon and Alaska gold rush days of the 1890s. There are lots of shiny nuggets to be found in this great book in which, e.g., you get to learn about yourself, man's inhumanity to man and beast, how dogs think and behave, and, of course, the wild. Brilliant!"----Neil Cullan McKinlay----About the AuthorJohn Griffith London (born John Griffith Chaney January 12, 1876 - November 22, 1916) was an American novelist, journalist, and social activist. A pioneer in the world of commercial magazine fiction, he was one of the first writers to become a worldwide celebrity and earn a large fortune from writing. He was also an innovator in the genre that would later become known as science fiction.His most famous works include The Call of the Wild and White Fang, both set in the Klondike Gold Rush, as well as the short stories "To Build a Fire", "An Odyssey of the North", and "Love of Life". He also wrote about the South Pacific in stories such as "The Pearls of Parlay", and "The Heathen".London was part of the radical literary group "The Crowd" in San Francisco and a passionate advocate of unionization, workers' rights, socialism, and eugenics. He wrote several works dealing with these topics, such as his dystopian novel The Iron Heel, his non-fiction exposé The People of the Abyss, War of the Classes, and Before Adam