Growing up, "Call of the Wild" was required reading. Few children of my generation got through high school without exposure to Buck, the Northlands and the classic Jack London tale of deliverance and the law of fang and club. However, I never had the occasion to read London's short stories. This Viking book contains the entirety of "Call of the Wild", as any Jack London anthology must. However, it also contains over 100 London letters, articles and short stories that brought the author to life, and more importantly, brought the world to life, in ways that my prior exposure to London never did.
Whether writing about boxing, Hawaii, the Solomon Islands or the American West, London brings a natural element to the writing that allows the reader to connect at a primal level to the characters and the plot or news line. His non-fiction writing, especially on boxing, reminded this reviewer of Red Grange. His fiction - based in his own experience - is concise, page turning, emotionally charged and almost universally brings forth the primal power and the terror of nature. His letters and political writings reflect a deep, flexible and impassioned man striving to understand and improve the world around him.
The editing is superb, and the selections in the anthology are varied, interesting, and well chosen. Any lover of great literature would do well to move beyond "Call of the Wild" into London's broader works. They will be greatly rewarded, and this anthology is a great vehicle for that journey.
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