With an Introduction & Notes by Lionel Kelly University of Reading The Call of the Wild (1903) & White Fang (1906) are world famous animal stories Set in Alaska during the Klondike Gold Rush of the late 1890s The Call of the Wild is about Buck the magnificent cross-bred offspring of a St Bernard & a Scottish Collie Stolen from his pampered life on a Californian estate & shipped to the Klondike to work as a sledge dog he triumphs over his circumstances & becomes the leader of a wolf pack The story records the 'decivilisation' of Buck as he answers 'the call of the wild' an inherent memory of primeval origins to which he instinctively responds In contrast White Fang relates the tale of a wolf born & bred in the wild which is civilised by the master he comes to trust & love The brutal world of the Klondike miners & their dogs is brilliantly evoked & Jack London's rendering of the sentient life of Buck & White Fang as they confront their destiny is enthralling & convincing The deeper resonance of these stories derives from the author's use of the myth of the hero who survives by strength & courage a powerful myth that still appeals to our collective unconscious