The Call of the Wild

By Jack London

The classic tale of a dog’s heroic adventures in the frozen Yukon, and inspiration for the major motion picture starring Harrison Ford.
 
An instant classic when it was first published in 1903, The Call of the Wild is a thrilling frontier adventure and uniquely American ode to the power of nature. The story begins at the dawn of the Klondike Gold Rush, when capable sled dogs are in high demand.
 
Half–St. Bernard and half–sheep dog Buck is stolen from an estate in California’s idyllic Santa Clara Valley and shipped north. Beset by the harsh conditions of the Yukon, the recklessness of his owners, and the ruthlessness of the other dogs, Buck must learn to recover his primitive instincts in order to survive. But when he forms a special bond with a prospector named John Thornton, Buck is torn between two worlds: that of his human companion, and the relentless, beckoning wilderness.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Media
• Release date: Mar 18, 2014
• ISBN: 9781480477018

Jack London

Jack London (1876-1916) was an American novelist, journalist, and social activist. A pioneer in the then-burgeoning world of commercial magazine fiction, he was one of the first fiction writers to obtain worldwide celebrity and a large fortune from his fiction alone. London was a passionate advocate of unionization, socialism, and the rights of workers. His most famous works include The Call of the Wild and White Fang, both set in the Klondike Gold Rush.

Book preview

The Call of the Wild

Jack London

Contents

Chapter I. Into the Primitive

Chapter II. The Law of Club and Fang

Chapter III. The Dominant Primordial Beast

Chapter IV. Who Has Won to Mastership

Chapter V. The Toil of Trace and Trail

Chapter VI. For the Love of a Man

Chapter VII. The Sounding of the Call

Chapter I. Into the Primitive

"Old longings nomadic leap,

Chafing at custom’s chain;

Again from its brumal sleep

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 found a yellow metal, and because steamship and transportation companies were booming the find, thousands of men were rushing into the Northland. These men wanted dogs, and the dogs they wanted were heavy dogs, with strong muscles by which to toil, and furry coats to protect them from the frost.

Buck lived at a big house in the sun-kissed Santa Clara Valley. Judge Miller’s place, it was called. It stood back from the road, half hidden among the trees, through which glimpses could be caught of the wide cool veranda that ran around its four sides. The house was approached by gravelled driveways which wound about through wide-spreading lawns and under the interlacing boughs of tall poplars. At the rear things were on even a more spacious scale than at the front. There were great stables, where a dozen grooms and boys held forth, rows of vine-clad servants’ cottages, an endless and orderly array of outhouses, long grape arbors, green pastures, orchards, and berry patches. Then there was the pumping plant for the artesian well, and the big cement tank where Judge Miller’s boys took their morning plunge and kept cool in the hot afternoon.

And over this great demesne Buck ruled. Here he was born, and here he had lived the four years of his life. It was true, there were other dogs, There could not but be other dogs on so vast a place, but they did not count. They came and went, resided in the populous kennels, or lived obscurely in the recesses of the house after the fashion of Toots, the Japanese pug, or Ysabel, the Mexican hairless—strange creatures that rarely put nose out of doors or set foot to ground. On the other hand, there were the fox terriers, a score of them at least, who yelped fearful promises at Toots and Ysabel looking out of the windows at them and protected by a legion of housemaids armed with brooms and mops.

But Buck was neither house-dog nor kennel-dog. The whole realm was his. He plunged into the swimming tank or went hunting with the Judge’s sons; he escorted Mollie and Alice, the Judge’s daughters, on long twilight or early morning rambles; on wintry nights he lay at the Judge’s feet before the roaring library fire; he carried the Judge’s grandsons on his back, or rolled them in the grass, and guarded their footsteps through wild adventures down to the fountain in the stable yard, and even beyond, where the paddocks were, and the berry patches. Among the terriers he stalked imperiously, and Toots and Ysabel he utterly ignored, for he was king—king over all creeping, crawling, flying things of Judge Miller’s place, humans included.

His father, Elmo, a huge St. Bernard, had been the Judge’s inseparable companion, and Buck bid fair to follow in the way of his father. He was not so large—he weighed only one hundred and forty pounds—for his mother, Shep, had been a Scotch shepherd dog. Nevertheless, one hundred and forty pounds, to which was added the dignity that comes of good living and universal respect, enabled him to carry himself in right royal fashion. During the four years since his puppyhood he had lived the life of a sated aristocrat; he had a fine pride in himself, was even a trifle egotistical, as country gentlemen sometimes become because of their insular situation. But he had saved himself by not becoming a mere pampered house-dog. Hunting and kindred outdoor delights had kept down the fat and hardened his muscles; and to him, as to the cold-tubbing races, the love of water had been a tonic and a health preserver.

And this was the manner of dog Buck was in the fall of 1897, when the Klondike strike dragged men from all the world into the frozen North. But Buck did not read the newspapers, and he did not know that Manuel, one of the gardener’s helpers, was an undesirable acquaintance. Manuel had one besetting sin. He loved to play Chinese lottery. Also, in his gambling, he had one besetting weakness—faith in a system; and this made his damnation certain. For to play a system requires money, while the wages of a gardener’s helper do not lap over the needs of a wife and numerous progeny.

The Judge was at a meeting of the Raisin Growers’ Association, and the boys were busy organizing an athletic club, on the memorable night of Manuel’s treachery. No one saw him and Buck go off through the orchard on what Buck imagined was merely a stroll. And with the exception of a solitary man, no one saw them arrive at the little flag station known as College Park. This man talked with Manuel, and money chinked between them.

You might wrap up the goods before you deliver ’m, the stranger said gruffly, and Manuel doubled a piece of stout rope around Buck’s neck under the collar.

Twist it, an’ you’ll choke ’m plentee, said Manuel, and the stranger grunted a ready affirmative.

Buck had accepted the rope with quiet dignity. To be sure, it was an unwonted performance: but he had learned to trust in men he knew, and to give them credit for a wisdom that outreached his own. But when the ends of the rope were placed in the stranger’s hands, he growled menacingly. He had merely intimated his displeasure, in his pride believing that to intimate was to command. But to his surprise the rope tightened around his neck, shutting off his breath. In quick rage he sprang at the man, who met him halfway, grappled him close by the throat, and with a deft twist threw him over on his back. Then the rope tightened mercilessly, while Buck struggled in a fury, his tongue lolling out of his mouth and his great chest panting futilely. Never in all his life had he been so vilely treated, and never in all his life had he been so angry. But his strength ebbed, his eyes glazed, and he knew nothing when the train was flagged and the two men threw him into the baggage car.

The next he knew, he was dimly aware that his tongue was hurting and that he was being jolted along in some kind of a conveyance. The hoarse shriek of a locomotive whistling a crossing told him where he was. He had travelled too often with the Judge not to know the sensation of riding in a baggage car. He opened his eyes, and into them came the unbridled anger of a kidnapped king. The man sprang for his throat, but Buck was too quick for him. His jaws closed on the hand, nor did they relax till his senses were choked out of him once more.

Yep, has fits, the man said, hiding his mangled hand from the baggageman, who had been attracted by the sounds of struggle. I’m takin’ ’m up for the boss to ’Frisco. A crack dog-doctor there thinks that he can cure ’m.

Concerning that night’s ride, the man spoke most eloquently for himself, in a little shed back of a saloon on the San Francisco water front.

All I get is fifty for it, he grumbled; an’ I wouldn’t do it over for a thousand, cold cash.

His hand was wrapped in a bloody handkerchief, and the right trouser leg was ripped from knee to ankle.

How much did the other mug get? the saloon-keeper demanded.

A hundred, was the reply. Wouldn’t take a sou less, so help me.

That makes a hundred and fifty, the saloon-keeper calculated; and he’s worth it, or I’m a squarehead.

The kidnapper undid the bloody wrappings and looked at his lacerated hand. If I don’t get the hydrophoby—

It’ll be because you was born to hang, laughed the saloon-keeper. Here, lend me a hand before you pull your freight, he added.

Dazed, suffering intolerable pain from throat and tongue, with the life half throttled out of him, Buck attempted to face his tormentors. But he was thrown down and choked repeatedly, till they succeeded in filing the heavy brass collar from off his neck. Then the rope was removed, and he was flung into a cagelike crate.

There he lay for the remainder of the weary night, nursing his wrath and wounded pride. He could not understand what it all meant. What did they want with him, these strange men? Why were they keeping him pent up in this narrow crate? He did not know why, but he felt oppressed by the vague sense of impending calamity. Several times during the night he sprang to his feet when the shed door rattled open, expecting to see the Judge, or the

Reviews for The Call of the Wild

[ron18-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It's pretty hard to find fault with this story or the way it's told. It was particularly engaging to read while my family is in the process of rehabilitating a very fearful rescue dog. Jack London is among the go-to authors for perspective on how we think when you pare away frivolous comforts - and that's exemplified in CotW.

[john_warner-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

When I initially read this American classic, I was in either elementary or high school. It had all the elements to entice a young boy. It is an adventure which occurs during the Yukon gold rush. The story's protagonist is Buck, an 140 lb St. Bernard and Scotch Collie mix, who is abducted from an easy life as the pet in St. Clara, California, and sold to dog traders who eventually sells him to mail couriers as a sled dog in the Yukon Territory. Buck will need to tap in to his more primeval instincts if he is to survive the harsh northern conditions. The third reason I chose this book is that it was short at less than 100 pages. I had recently read Moby Dick and I needed a break!It has been good revisiting some of the classics I read as a youth. They become more enjoyable when you understand better literary themes and metaphors.

[othemts · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Believe it or not, I've never read The Call of the Wild (1903) by Jack London, which one would think is a requirement of being a kid in America. And I still haven't read it, although on a whim I listened to my library's audiobook copy, albeit not very carefully. Narrated in an appropriately macho fashion by Frank Muller, The Call of the Wild tells the story of Buck a farm dog who is kidnapped from Northern California and forced to pull sleds for for miners in the Yukon gold rush. A cushy pet learns to fight for food and compete for leadership of the pack through fighting and violence, and eventually becomes alpha dog in a wild wolf pack after his owner dies.Yes friends, before I read this book I knew it had something to do with Alaska and dogs, but I had no idea that the entire book is about a dog from a dog's point of view. Granted, the book is very symbolic in that we humans sit very tenuously on the edge of civilization and brutality and savageness (and London wrote this before the World Wars, the Holocaust, and all the horrors of the 20th century that tested humanity). Still, as a book about dogs it's a very good and accurate look at what may be going on in a dog's mind.

[stevenjohntait · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great book. Everyone should read it.

[heggiep · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I read this book a few pages at a time (distracted by Facebook, Instagram & Twitter - the usual suspects). When I finally finished it I felt I had read a wonderful, though quite violent, story. Yes, despite flaws, a great tale.

[angelarenea-1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Maybe it's because I'm not a dog, but I just don't find it interesting being in the mind of Buck. I was very excited to read this because so many people raved about it, but it just didn't hold my interest even as a child.

[firewild · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Trust, betrayal, loyalty and animal cruelty. A heart wrenching story about the life of dogs during the gold rush from an animal POV. I am not always a fan of such an approach but it worked well here. Highly engaging (worked well for an audiobook) but not black and white, as I could relate even to the most "evil" characters. I guess that's why it's a "classic" (mental note: "Read more classics"=).

[lovinglit · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The story is written from the perspective of Buck, the dog. He is large, he is faithful and pragmatic, and he is kidnapped by a worker on the ranch he lives on, and sold to a trader who sends him north to run with a team dragging sleds. Poor Buck is mistreated, and faces a hard run. It is not just humans who are cruel to him, other dogs resent his size and presence, and battles for position as alpha male take place. The dog team are run to the ground, and Bucks saving grace is his size, strength and stamina. He is passed to and from inept and cruel owners until he finally meets an owner he can trust and bond with.It's a nice, if somewhat violent, story. Nothing too deep, but a read that carries you along.

[liscarey · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Another childhood favorite.

[ecataldi-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Honestly, the best part about this book was that it was narrated by Jeff Bridges. I love animal books but I feel as if I really would have enjoyed this much more in my youth. The Call of the Wild tells the story of Buck, a mixed breed dog who is stolen from cozy home and his lush life as a house dog to be taken up north to be a sled dog during the Yukon Gold Rush. Buck quickly acclimates to the tough life and sets himself apart from the other dogs with his strength, smarts, and cunning. Told entirely through Buck's perspectives, this was one of the first popular books that had an animal as a narrator. To me the most interesting parts were about the wilderness, the scenery, and the people; it was a fascinating time during the late 1800s! Even though it is a little violent, this is a great kids book, especially for animal lovers!

[msaucier818 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book was a nice change of pace for me as I hadn't read a classic story in quite some time. I must say, I really enjoyed this short novel centered around the dog Buck. I think it is a very interesting idea to center a book around a dog, and London pulls it off beautifully. It takes us through the entire life of the dog, from his life on a farm to his days as a sled dog in Alaska. The transformation Buck makes from domesticated pet to primitive, instinctual animal is fascinating to read and think about. The descriptive language used by the author is outstanding. Overall, I can see why this is considered a classic and I look forward to reading more of him.

[eadieb-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I listened to this audio and enjoyed the story very much. I can't believe I never read this before. I loved Jack London's intuitive feeling for animals. This story traces Buck's sudden entry into the wild and his education in survival among the wolves. Jack London's writing is exceptional and makes him one of the greatest American storytellers. If you haven't read this yet, you should as it is a quick, easy and thrilling read.

[hopeevey · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was quite impressed by this book. I expected a simple, canine adventure story. I did get an adventure story, but the most interesting part was the inner journey. As you read it, keep in mind that Mr. London sets up Buck as a person. It's easy to identify with him, and more difficult to identify with most of the humans in the story. It's definitely food for thought.

[deaconbernie · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It's hard to believe, that with 82 years of reading all sorts of books, this the first American Classic from an American Classic author that I''ve read. I'll try more of the classics but this work is no where near the top of my list of books. Yes, it is quite an adventure for this dog and he certainly had very many experiences but I can't get to the level of classical literature.

[dandelionroots · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

These tales are so brutal."All the easy moral maxims of social life are tested - and most found wanting - in this ferocious landscape. This sometimes seems to be one of London's driving motives, as though his calling is to remind everyone of the chill below the warmth of our cozy social conventions." (Tobey Hiller)

[aine.fin · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Decided to read this when I saw it on the Guardian's best 100 books list - thought I had read it when I was younger but realised that was White Fang. Follows Buck the domestic dog stolen from the south and brought north to be a sled dog. Absorbing quick read.

[aliceanna-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I'm glad I read it because I had never done so earlier in my life, but I won't read it or anything else like it again. I can't take the brutality against the animals in the book. It's just hard for me to read that.

[brakketh-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Buck's journey from domestic dog, to sled dog, to wolf. Aspects of nobility in returning to nature and civilisation as superior to 'wildness' mixed in a way that I found a little hard to reconcile, maybe colonialism?

[phillipjreese · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Great book!

[suso711_1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Horrid book.

[nx74defiant · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very enjoyable. I felt like Buck's dreaming of prehistoric man was unnecessary and I think it would have been better without that.

[tapestry100 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Another one of those books that seems to have gotten past me in my school days, I just recently read The Call of the Wild for the first time. Like many of these books that I'm discovering pretty much everyone else has read except me, I think I'm glad that I came at them as an adult, as I don't think I would have revisited them had I read them earlier, and I don't think I would have taken away as much when I was younger. Jack London's story about Buck, a St. Bernard-Scotch Shepherd who is kidnapped from his idyllic southern California home to be a sled dog in the 1890s Klondike Gold Rush is a powerful tale. We follow Buck's journey as he discovers that not all men are kind like his previous owners, learns to navigate the ins and outs of the sled dog's pack pecking order, and finally as he discovers the primal nature of his being as he eventually starts to venture out into the wilderness on his own. The imagery that London uses in describing Buck's discovery of that primal nature is remarkable; I think of anything else in the book, I enjoyed these sequences best.

[enockpioulle · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It's great juvenile literature, however, adults could also enjoy it for its so many fine qualities. Dog lovers and nature lovers in general will share more than one state of mind with Buck and the general description of the wilderness. Highly recommended.

[bkmeredith · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This book was okay. That's all.

I was expecting a bit more really. so much happens in the book but it's glossed over pretty quickly each time and then something new comes along. The characters are all fairly vague so you don't really care when they pass out of the story.

It was short but I was more than ready for it to end. Not a bad book but just not one I was drawn in by.

[weeziesbooks · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Call of the Wild by Jack LondonI re-read Call of the Wild by listening to it on audio from Audible. Although I have read it a few times over the years, I wanted to refresh it in my mind before seeing the up-coming movie. I am so glad that I did. I never fail to be taken back to my positive reading experiences of youth and the simple and powerful story lines where classics such as: White Fang, Old Yeller, Where the Red fern Grows, and Call of the Wild bring to the reader. It is perfect for young readers and those that love animal or dog stories. It does describe the cruelties and hardships endured by these wonderful dogs so consider this when choosing for a child. I give this story a 5 stars and consider it a classic.

[viviennestrauss · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent writing but I can see why I didn't like this in junior high - the cruelty to animals is pretty difficult to take. I saw recently that this is on a "banned book" list - have no idea why.

[jbarr5 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Call of the Wild by Jack LondonHad read this in high school and trying to get my husband into reading and he had read White Fang so thought he'd enjoy this one.Figured we could read along with one another, out loud. Well ok we each read it at our own pace.Story is about Buck, a dog that is sold and ends up getting beatten and transported to Alaska, the time frame of the Klondike gold rush.He learns fast when he gets hurt-how to go along with things that are happening so he can heal. When he meets up with the other dogs in the harnesseshe learns again how to survive in the snow-which is new to him. and how to dig a hole to stay warm overnight. Love the tip about sleeping on the leeward side of the wind.Good instincts as he is thrown into the pack and new territory for them all. Especially liked the travel and was able to follow along as it gave city names and other landmarks.Lessons learned, the hard way usually for not only the dogs but Buck and his owners, over time. Loved the scenes where Mercades and her crew lost all their belongings all over the main street.Laughed so hard and they just didn't get it. Loved also the part where a human comes to the dogs rescue by not letting him get beatten to death.Lots of action and adventure and travel. Buck gets so lost and battered he falls into a state of mind where he no longer feels the pain. He still has the urge to go with his fellow dogs when he hears them but he wants to stay with the human that saved his life.Loved the northern lights. Interesting that my husband read his version of this at the same time and we are able to discuss different aspects of what is happening. Will have to find more of this type to read, together.

[jimmaclachlan · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wrong edition, but after going through 10 pages of different editions with no end in sight, I got tired. Mine is by Random House in 2009 & read by Jeff Daniels (the star of Newsroom on HBO). Daniels' reading of this story is FANTASTIC.

I let far too many years go by between reads of this story. London paints a wonderfully brutal picture of the Klondike gold rush as seen in relation to Buck. He doesn't anthropomorphize terribly, but I found the hereditary memories of the primitive man a bit much. Still, the point of the title was well made.

I found Buck's breeding to be especially pleasing. One of my best dogs was a Great Dane/mostly Shepard cross. Maverick looked like a really big, relatively short haired German Shepard & had more personality than most people. He was sweet as could be to 'his' people & animals, while he was pure death to any predator or other varmint. He would literally lay next to a lost chick & howl in despair. He carried an orphaned kitten in his mouth around the house for weeks until it was big enough to get around by itself, but killed many racoons, groundhogs, possums, & a weasel with one snap. (Oh, this is supposed to be about the book. Sorry, but Mav deserves to be remembered.

I got it wrong in my review of "The Sea Wolf" where I said London didn't think of wolves as a social animal. He did, in their own society. It's just that they were at odds with ours.

Anyway, this was obviously a classic that really hit home. It's not a terribly happy story. In fact, it's brutal, but fantastic. I can't recommend it highly enough, especially this particular version.

[cassandrat-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

It was ok. It's no White Fang.

[schmerguls · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I read this book when I was a freshman in hih school and while I have nor surviving record of what I thought about it when I read it mymemory is that I liked it a lot.