The Call of the Wild
by Jack London · first published 1903
37% recommend63% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Short survival adventure told through the dog Buck in the Klondike gold rush, praised for its sense of frontier adventure and as an accessible early classic that suits young readers and outdoors fans.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
As Buck, a mixed breed dog, is taken away from his home, instead of facing a feast for breakfast and the comforts of home, he faces the hardships of being a sled dog. Soon he lands in the wrong hands, being forced to keep going when it is too rough for him and the other dogs in his pack. He also fights the urges to run free with his ancestors, the wolves who live around where he is pulling the sled.
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If anyone is now itching to read a Jack London novel, Standard Ebooks has a selection (including The Call of The Wild) for free: https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/jack-london/
on “Jack London in the Wild” ↗I really rate Jack London as the great American novelist. I like the lessor known Sea Wolf the best of his but White Fang and The Call of the Wild really capture a sense of adventure and the history and vibe of that period of American expansion into the West.
on “The Great Gatsby: Misunderstood Novel” ↗…Huckleberry Finn. Life on the Mississippi and Roughing It. Emma and Pride and Prejudice. Iliad, Odyssey and first half of the Aeneid. A Room With A View and The Picture of Dorian Gray. The Great Gatsby, Call of the Wild and Age of Innocence. War and Peace and Anna Karenina. Don Quixote.
on “Ask HN: What are some must read books?” ↗Animal farm by George Orwell: a revelation of the beginning and end of revolution and 'change'. Jewish wisdom for business success. Call of the wild by Jack London: it shows how possible it is to adapt in order to benefit maximally from change -- using a dog's (Buck) life.
on “Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?” ↗…possible to biographize a fictional(or possibly real) dog and focusing more on your request for important moments or changes in history... the Klondike gold rush was one of those. Jack London's [0] book, Call of the Wild [1] is a great read and one that should be part of everyone's library. I would imagine there are also biographies on Jack himself but if you are looking for a book that will transport you to another…
on “Ask HN: Recommend a biography?” ↗Baden-Powell's "Scouting for boys", Jack London's "The Call of the Wild", The Commodore 64 Reference Manual... just to name a few. The first one because it lured me to the great outdoors, the second one because it pointed me where to go - I paddled the Yukon from Whitehorse…
on “Ask HN: Name 3-5 books that had the most impact on your career and knowledge?” ↗Don't forget The Call of the Wild, also by London - fabulous book.
on “Ship's cat” ↗I really enjoyed both The Call of the Wild and White Fang by Jack London.
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?” ↗Yes, I had read London's Call of the Wild, as a kid. Good one too.
on “Repeat offenders may be responsible for many shark attacks” ↗What are you missing out on? Moby-Dick. Don Quixote, Nineteen Eighty-Four, Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, The Call of the Wild, Lord of the Flies, The Painted Bird, The Handmaid's Tale, 2001: A Space Odyssey, On the Beach, Naked Lunch, I Am Legend, The Grapes of Wrath, Last and First Men, Frankenstein, Try to avoid "Great Books"…
on “Ask HN: I don't read fiction, how much am I missing out on?” ↗The Call of the Wild translated for children by the Swedish translator Maj Bylock. This book opened the world of classical literature for me and without it I probably would have missed about half of the books I've read in…
on “Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?” ↗…that association looking back now! Might even feel it thinking solely about the VHS cases, either the cardboard slip ons or the hard, flexible sharp edged ones that were the bane of my little hands. The call of the wild & white fang were early favorites of mine that I haven’t revisited yet, but will now. Definitely also be taking a look at Seven Gothic/Last tales! Honestly though, I think I might be most excited about…
on “Why Do People with Depression Like Listening to Sad Music?” ↗…authors for these kinds of stories (about hard-core survival) is Jack London. You can even select a theme: Tropical islands and storms, ships and the ocean, or ice-cold Yukon and gold rush? Animal centric (Call of the Wild, White Fang)?
on “Nuclear War Survival Skills (1987)” ↗I listened to Call of the Wild and it was excellent. I think some of the intonation and contextual emphasis, tone etc could be improved. I suspect this is definitely the nail in the coffin for artisanal narration. Some of the recent…
on “Project Gutenberg has implemented one of the worst AI fears of striking actors” ↗Wiktionary has a usage example from 1903, clearly before modern computers but not too ancient. > 1903, Jack London, The Call of the Wild, Grosset & Dunlap, page 44: > […] and his first experience taught him an unforgetable lesson. It is true, it was a vicarious experience, else he would not have lived to profit by it. As an aside there…
on “If-then-else had to be invented” ↗