The Call of the Wild and White Fang

Description

A thrilling tale of Buck's fight for survival and rise to become leader of the pack, presented here with companion novel White Fang. 'Mush on!' Buck does not read the newspapers. If he had, he'd have known that for good strong dogs like himself trouble is brewing. Man has found gold and because of that Buck is kidnapped and dragged away from his sunny home to become a sledge dog in the harsh and freezing North. With strength, imagination and cunning on his side Buck must fight for survival. But will he ever trust Man again? This book also includes White Fang a story about a wild young cub, part dog and part wolf. Includes exclusive material- In the Backstory you can find out if you're a wild wolf or a faithful dog and learn more about the Arctic gold rush! Vintage Children's Classics is a twenty-first century classics list aimed at 8-12 year olds and the adults in their lives. Discover timeless favourites from The Jungle Book and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland to modern classics such as The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.

Jack London was born in 1876 in San Francisco, California. His parents weren't married and he grew up with a foster mother. Growing up in a working class family, London had a tough childhood. Desperate to escape a life of hard labour and make his way by writing, London managed to scrape together enough money to go to the University of California. However, financial difficulties forced him to leave before he graduated. On July 12, 1897, aged 21, London and his sister's husband sailed to join the Klondike Gold Rush. This time in the Northlands damaged his health and like so many other men who were malnourished in the goldfields, London developed scurvy. His gums became swollen and he lost his four front teeth. Inspired by his experiences during the gold rush, London went on to write stories which would make him a worldwide celebrity and a rich man. His most popular story, The Call of the Wild, was published in 1903 and was an instant bestseller. It was followed by White Fang in 1906. London was one of the first authors to make a fortune through his writing.

Enthralling * Herald * I can't celebrate the romantic ideas or the killing of savages in this book. But I can say I'm fascinated by it and that I find it worth going back to. It's a story which has gained its own life and will probably be with us for as long as we're reading books -- David Vann * Daily Telegraph * A novel of...physical intensity and savage excitement * Sunday Times * Untouched by bookishness... The making and the achievement of such a hero [Buck] constitute, not a pretty story at all, but a very powerful one * The Atlantic Monthly (1903) *