IN JANUARY 1903, Jack London, a struggling American author, sent the manuscript of a story about a dog to the Saturday Evening Post. London's previous novels had not been very successful and nobody expected his latest book to be any different. But the editor bought the story, and a chapter a day was published in the newspaper.
A publisher bought the book rights and The Call Of The Wild slowly trickled into bookshops. No-one expected it to become a best-seller. It was 'just another dog story'.
But the readers saw something in London's latest novel that everyone else had missed. It was exciting, courageous and original, and suddenly everyone wanted to read it. London had a hit on his hands, and his 'just another dog story' quickly became 'the greatest dog story ever written'.
Since it was first published, The Call Of The Wild has never been out of print. The story is timeless and thrilling - a classic tale appealing to generation after generation of readers.
Buck is half St Bernard and half sheepdog. He lives on judge Miller's estate in California. He is the King of the Heap. Elmo, a huge St Bernard, had been the judge's favourite dog, but Buck has now stepped into his father's pawprints. He is Miller's inseparable companion, and all the other dogs on the estate respect his position.
He lives the life of a pampered aristocrat. He walks, hunts and goes on long trips with his master. He swims with the judge's sons, and strolls with his daughters. He carries Miller's grandchildren on his back, and when the day is over he sleeps at his master's feet. Buck is very much a part of the Miller family.
