The Call of the Wild and White Fang

by Jack London

Packaged in handsome, affordable trade editions, Clydesdale Classics is a new series of essential literary works. It features literary phenomena with influence and themes so great that, after their publication, they changed literature forever. From the musings of literary geniuses like Mark Twain in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn to the striking personal narrative of Harriet Jacobs in Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, this new series is a comprehensive collection of our history through the words of the exceptional few.

Jack London’s The Call of the Wild and White Fang are both adventure stories featuring animal protagonists—a sled dog named Buck and the appropriately named White Fang. Partially told from the perspective of the dogs, these stories gave London the opportunity to explore and predict how animals perceive our world. Buck was Judge Miller’s pet and lived happily in Santa Clara Valley, California. Until one day, when he’s kidnapped by the gardener’s assistant and sold to traders. Eventually he ends up in the Klondike region of Canada, where he is trained to become a sled dog. After he witnesses a fellow sled dog killed by a pack of huskies, Buck starts to shed his domesticated habits and embrace his primordial instincts in order to survive.

White Fang, in a similar vein, tells the tale of another canine—a young gray wolf cub who is the strongest of his litter. As he grows, White Fang begins to understand the nature of the wilderness—that it is survival of the “The aim of life was meat. Life itself was meat. Life lived on life. There were the eaters and the eaten. The law EAT OR BE EATEN.” After wandering into an Indian camp, losing his mother, being severely beaten, and being forced into dog-fighting, his life is forever changed as he struggles to find his place in the animal kingdom.

In these classic novels, London explores the remarkable relationship between man and beast.

Genres: Classics

241 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 17, 2016

About the author

John Griffith Chaney, better known as Jack London, was an American novelist, journalist and activist. A pioneer of commercial fiction and American magazines, he was one of the first American authors to become an international celebrity and earn a large fortune from writing. He was also an innovator in the genre that would later become known as science fiction.

London was part of the radical literary group "The Crowd" in San Francisco and a passionate advocate of animal rights, workers’ rights and socialism. London 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.

His most famous works include The Call of the Wild and White Fang, both set in Alaska and the Yukon during 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".

Reviews

[Ethan Aegon · Rating 3 out of 5]

je me souviens avoir adoré ces livres étant enfant et ils ont certainement contribué à mon amour des chiens. Cette relecture 20ans plus tard ou presque est moins jouissive. J'ai à nouveau été transporté dans le grand nord, l'auteur gardant cette puissance évocatrice qui transporte instantannément l'imaginaire dans les forêts enneigées derrière un traineaux emporté par des chiens hurlants. Malheureusement l'anglais (relecture en VO) relativement soutenu m'a rendu la lecture moins agréable et surtout l'antropomorphisme symbolisé par les nombreux passages décrivant les pensées du chien ne m'ont pas convaincu. J'ai fini "White Fang" avec plaisir mais me suit arrêté à la moitié du pourtant bref "Call of the Wild"

[Jim Feliciano · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am happily stunned by these fun, exciting and moving two stories. The point of view of the narrator in The Call of the Wild revealed unexpected details. The details expose Nature as a character just as vibrant as the humans. The character Nature motivates the narrator.
White Fang follows a wolf-dog from puppy-hood to fatherhood. White Fang learns the cruelty of humans. White Fang also learn how to love and respect a human.
Together these stories provide a glimpse into the Yukon gold rush. These two stories work well together.

[Dennis O'Leary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I originally read Call of the Wild probably about 50 years ago as a teenager. I remember it being entertaining. Rereading it I realize it was in fact an alagory for man. We all must meet our challenges, and though life we meet good & bad and make our choices accordingly and ultimately we become who we are.

[George W.]

These are both excellent books. I may have read one or the other many years ago but they were both worth reading again. If you like animal stories and Alaska then your in for a treat. Jack London’s writing style is wonderful and even though I could pretty well tell which direction both stories were going, they still hel my attention. Highly recommended!

[Frances · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honestly, didn’t make it all the way through White Fang, but still a great read during my trip to Alaska. Alaskans are great storytellers, and JL is also one of the best. Call of the Wild was really amazing, and first chapter of WF really grabbed me, just dragged a bit during the middle and I lost patience.

[GNEVASHEVA IRINA · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book

Good book. I definitely would recommend to anyone who likes old classics. I hope you enjoy this book. Have a good day.