The Call Of The Wild Read Free Books and Download eBooks
Jack London's novels and ruggedly individual life seemed to embody American hopes, frustrations, and romantic longings in the turbulent first years of the twentieth century, years infused with the wonder and excitement of great technological and historic change. The author's restless spirit, taste for a life of excitement, and probing mind led him on a series of hard-edged adventures from the Klondike to the South Seas. Out of these sometimes harrowing experiences — and his fascination with the theories of such thinkers as Darwin, Spencer, and Marx — came the inspiration for novels of adventure that would make him one of America’s most popular writers.The Call of the Wild, considered by many London's greatest novel, is a gripping tale of a heroic dog that, thrust into the brutal life of the Alaska Gold Rush, ultimately faces a choice between living in man's world and returning to nature. Adventure and dog-story enthusiasts as well as students and devotees of American literature will find this classic work a thrilling, memorable reading experience.
Lexile Measure: 1120L (What's this?)
Paperback: 64 pages
Publisher: Dover Publications; 1 edition (July 1, 1990)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0486264726
ISBN-13: 978-0486264721
Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.2 x 8.3 inches
Shipping Weight: 2.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2,182 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #2,486 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #4 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Action & Adventure > Classics #19 in Books > Teens > Literature & Fiction > Classics #26 in Books > Children's Books > Animals > Dogs
Age Range: 12 and up
Grade Level: 7 and up
Jack London's letters about the publication of "The Call of the Wild" reveal an all-too-common story that would make any author and most sympathetic readers cringe. In 1903, Jack London was hard up for cash and had just completed the manuscript. He sold the serial rights to the Saturday Evening Post for $700 and, since the editors were not all that keen on his first choice, suggested the title "The Sleeping Wolf." (Interestingly enough, the magazine version did not even include what has probably become the book's most famous scene: when John Thornton blusteringly makes a wager that Buck can pull a sled weighing half a ton.)Soon after, Macmillan agreed to take a chance on the unknown writer and offered to publish the book for $2,000, with no royalties. By this time, London had warmed to his initial title, "The Call of the Wild," but left the final choice up to his editor. Both the magazine and the book publisher reluctantly used London's now-famous title, and seven years later London wrote to his editor, reminding him of his tin ear: "I'll be damned if that very muchly-rejected title didn't become a phrase in the English language. This is only one of many experiences concerning titles, wherein editors, booksellers, and publishers absolutely missed."But it still boggles the mind that London earned a grand total of $2,700 for a book that quickly sold more than two million copies.And what a book! I must have read it three or four times as a youngster, but even now, over twenty years since I last picked it up, it still manages to electrify me. "The Call of the Wild" is often cited as the best work of fiction ever written about dogs, but the book is equally about men--and about London himself.
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