Authors: Jack London, Dwight Swain (Afterword), Dwight Swain
ISBN-13: 9780812504323, ISBN-10: 0812504321
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Doherty, Tom Associates, LLC
Date Published: May 1990
Edition: Complete and Unabridged
Melvin Burgess has written several highly acclaimed novels for young adults, including Smack, winner of the Carnegie Medal.
Jack London became one of, and perhaps the most successful writer of the turn of the 20th century. Fifty-one of his books, innumerous articles and short stories were published, and in addition, materials from his letters and personal journals were published posthumously. The best known of these books is The Call of the Wild. It was published as a serialized story on the Saturday Evening Post from June 20 to July 18, 1903.
With an introduction by Gary Paulsen, noted author of young people's stories, this Aladdin Classic edition joins 20 others of similar stature as must-reads for any age. The combination of man and dog against the elements of the then untamed North and the anything-goes adventurous nature of Buck, the protagonist, makes for exciting reading. London, the author, draws on his turn of the century experiences during the Goldrush in Alaska. The important element of the dogs in the life and survival of those adventurers brings an exciting element to the story. Dogs were as important as people, and London is at his best in describing this relationship through thick and thin. There is a reading group guide included for classroom use, but the story is a good one for reading aloud within the family, too. 2003 (orig. 1903),
About This Series | ||
Introduction | 1 | |
A Note on the Text | 11 | |
Pt. 1 | The Call of the Wild | 13 |
Pt. 2 | Jack London, "Batard" | 79 |
Pt. 3 | Letters of Jack London | 93 |
To Anna Strunsky, Jan. 21, 1900 | 95 | |
To Houghton Mifflin Company, Jan. 31, 1900 | 97 | |
To Cloudesley Johns, Jan. 6, 1902 | 99 | |
To George P. Brett, March 10, 1903 | 101 | |
To George P. Brett, March 25, 1903 | 102 | |
To Anna Strunsky, Oct. 13, 1904 | 103 | |
To George P. Brett, Dec. 5, 1904 | 104 | |
To C. F. Lowrie, Jan. 13, 1911 | 105 | |
To Ralph Kasper, June 25, 1914 | 106 | |
Pt. 4 | The Cultural Context of The Call of the Wild: Jack London's Klondike | 107 |
"Gold Creek and Gold Town" | 109 | |
"Jack the Giant St. Bernard" | 127 | |
Pt. 5 | Selected Early Reviews | 133 |
"A Reader's Report for The Call of the Wild" | 135 | |
Anonymous Review | 136 | |
"Jack London's Book The Call of the Wild: It Is More Than a Rattling Good Dog Story - It Is an Allegory of Human Struggles and Aspirations" | 140 | |
"Reviews: The Call of the Wild" | 142 | |
"A Review of The Call of the Wild" by Jack London | 146 | |
"Books New and Old" | 147 | |
"Jack London's One Great Contribution to American Literature" | 148 | |
"To the Editor of the Independent" | 150 | |
Pt. 6 | Critical Essays 1966-1996 | 153 |
"The Romantic Necessity in Literary Naturalism: Jack London" | 155 | |
"Jack London's Mondo Cane: The Call of the Wild and White Fang" | 158 | |
"Jack London's Naturalism: The Example of The Call of the Wild" | 170 | |
"The Call of the Wild": Parental Metaphor" | 181 | |
"A Romantic Novel" | 185 | |
"The Doppelganger and the Naturalist Self: The Call of the Wild" | 190 | |
"'Congested Mails': Buck and Jack's 'Call'" | 213 | |
Works Cited | 245 | |
For Further Reading | 253 |