The Call of the Wild, White Fang, and Other Stories (Twentieth-Century Classics) [Mass Market Paperback]

Jack London (Author), Andrew Sinclair (Editor), James Dickey (Introduction)

Book Description

Series: Twentieth-Century Classics | Publication Date: April 29, 2003

The biting cold and the aching silence of the far North become an unforgettable backdrop for Jack London's vivid, rousing, superbly realistic wilderness adventure stories featuring the author's unique knowledge of the Yukon and the behavior of humans and animals facing nature at its cruelest.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jack London (1876-1916) was born John Chaney in Pennsylvania, USA. In 1896 he was caught up in the gold rush to the Klondike river in north-west Canada, which became the inspiration for The Call of the Wild (1903) and White Fang (1906). Jack London became one of the most widely read writers in the world.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Classics (April 29, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140186514
• ISBN-13: 978-0140186512
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #386,613 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #19 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Literature & Fiction > Authors, A-Z > ( L ) > London, Jack

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Really thrilling, but not quite a five, October 17, 2002

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Call of the Wild, White Fang, and Other Stories (Twentieth-Century Classics) (Mass Market Paperback)

This review is by a family of three kids. Our mom read this book aloud to us. Here are our opinions:
Anne (12): I think this was a really moving book, but some of the writer's opinions, I didn't quite agree with. Jack London says that we are shaped by our society, but I believe that we can change ourselves, because we have free will.
Michelle (11): It was a great book, but I didn't like the middle portion, because White Fang was all hatred, killing all the dogs he met.
John (9): The best part was when White Fang was sitting at the shore as boats came up, waiting to kill all the dogs. I think White Fang was good and bad. He would be a good guard dog. But he was bad because he tried to kill. He never let any dog retreat to save themselves.
Mom: This was really a good book, but I recommend it as a read aloud. The reading level is way above my kids heads, but they understood it in context as a read aloud. There are some very ferocious parts that I skipped as I read, because I thought them too graphic. But the book did inspire us to discuss the idea that we are shaped by our surroundings, and that we have free will to make our way. But also, we shape other's lives by our own choices -- so we are responsible before God to others.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Classic book review, January 10, 2006

By 

Collin "Matt" (Anchorage, Alaska) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Call of the Wild, White Fang, and Other Stories (Twentieth-Century Classics) (Mass Market Paperback)

In the book, The Call of the Wild and other stories, a dog name Buck is forced to leave his home in Santa Clara Valley, California after he is sold to two men that are going up north for the gold rush. They are headed to the region of Klondike Canada and once they get there Buck soon realizes that it is a very uncivilized place compared to his home. Buck competes with the rest of the sled dogs for head dog and it becomes a very violent contest in which Buck wins. After a while, Buck and the rest of the sled dogs become very weak after the long and treacherous journey. Buck is sold to an experienced gold hunter named John Thornton and they build a great relationship. After John Thornton dies Buck is forced to survive on his own and it is truly a Call of the Wild.

I enjoyed the book Call of the Wild because it was a great adventure story and a story that I think people of all ages would enjoy. I also liked how the author Jack London depicted the relationship between dog and man. He described how Buck felt towards all of his owners and how he learned that humans were only superior to him if they had one thing, a weapon. London went into more detail about Buck and John Thornton's relationship by describing how they were the best of friends. He showed that Buck was so obedient towards John that he would jump off a cliff if he were told to do so.

London did a great job of using imagery to enhance the book. I believe the plot of the book itself is what makes it a classic but the imagery and diction London chooses to use makes it just more interesting than it already is. I really think people of all ages would enjoy reading this book and even if you aren't into the wilderness type of book I think you will still enjoy the story.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Readable classic for everyone, March 31, 2000

By 

James Johnson - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Call of the Wild, White Fang, and Other Stories (Twentieth-Century Classics) (Mass Market Paperback)

This is one of the first great books I read. I started on White Fang, and have read it twice more since then. People with even a passing interest in wildlife will find themselves drawn into this story, as it takes you through the life of a wolf from survival in the wild to dogfights to domestication.