The Call of the Wild
The Call of the Wild Folio Illustrated Book
A powerful story of nature and nurture, Jack London’s The Call of the Wild is beautifully illustrated by Abigail Rorer and introduced by David Vann for this exceptional Folio Society edition.
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The Folio Society
David Vann spent his childhood in Alaska, and knows the landscape intimately. His own best-selling and award-winning Legend of a Suicide is set in the Alaskan wilderness and he trawls his rich cache of memories for his exclusive introduction to this edition. The beautiful setting provides the canvas for a story filled with camaraderie and brutality, and Abigail Rorer’s startling black-and-white woodcuts perfectly capture the harsh landscape, her eight illustrations portraying the grim reality of life for prospectors and animals alike, while a poignant portrait of John Thornton with his rescued dog Buck shows the depth of their bond.

During the Yukon Gold Rush, an estimated 100,000 people migrated to the region in the hope of striking it rich. While humans did the prospecting, dogs were needed to pull sleighs, and Buck is perfectly suited to the work and conditions. A large cross-breed, he lives a pampered life in California until he is kidnapped and sold to workers in the Yukon, where he is frequently beaten and forced to drag backbreaking loads. After one particularly brutal attack leaves Buck close to death, he is rescued by prospector John Thornton. Buck repays him with absolute loyalty and devotion and goes on to become the most famous pack dog in Alaska. But when their bond is broken, Buck escapes the world of humans and fulfils his destiny to become a leader of wolves. Jack London himself took part in the Yukon Gold Rush in 1903, aged just 21, and three years later The Call of the Wild was published to immediate acclaim. London’s writing would prove to be a great influence on authors such as Jack Kerouac and George Orwell, directly inspiring Kerouac’s On the Road.