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The Call of the Wild
by LONDON, Jack
- Used
- Fine
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- Fine
- Seller
-
Gloucester City, New Jersey, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
New York: Macmillan Company, 1903. Hardcover. Fine. First edition. Publisher's promotional pamphlet laid in. Small leather bookplate of Neva and Guy Littell on the front pastedown. A little rubbing to the painted "snow" on the spine and front board else a bright, just about fine copy lacking the dustwrapper. Laid into this copy is a Typed Letter Signed from Rockwell Kent on his Ausable Forks stationery to Guy Littell, head of R.R. Donnelley and Sons, dated 25 March 1929, which reads in full:
"Dear Mr. Littell: Even before any consideration of the book that you have suggested to me to illustrate, let me express my appreciation of the indulgence you show in considering the continuance of any relations with so rank a procrastinator. I am going to try to have learned one lesson from this experience and make no plans ahead. In evidence of this let me assure you that I am concentrating upon Moby Dick and sending Mr. Kittredge, by this same mail, a big package of drawings. I have not read the 'Call of the Wild,' but will do so. Faithfully yours, Rockwell Kent."
We infer from this that Littell suggested that Kent illustrate *The Call of the Wild*, a commission Kent ultimately did not accept. One of the two great novels, along with *White Fang*, for which the author seems destined to be remembered. His empathy for animals, combined with his appreciation of the Darwinian lessons of life, overcome London's occasionally simplistic political agenda, resulting in a classic tale for both children and adults.
"Dear Mr. Littell: Even before any consideration of the book that you have suggested to me to illustrate, let me express my appreciation of the indulgence you show in considering the continuance of any relations with so rank a procrastinator. I am going to try to have learned one lesson from this experience and make no plans ahead. In evidence of this let me assure you that I am concentrating upon Moby Dick and sending Mr. Kittredge, by this same mail, a big package of drawings. I have not read the 'Call of the Wild,' but will do so. Faithfully yours, Rockwell Kent."
We infer from this that Littell suggested that Kent illustrate *The Call of the Wild*, a commission Kent ultimately did not accept. One of the two great novels, along with *White Fang*, for which the author seems destined to be remembered. His empathy for animals, combined with his appreciation of the Darwinian lessons of life, overcome London's occasionally simplistic political agenda, resulting in a classic tale for both children and adults.
Synopsis
Jack London’s The Call of the Wild is an anthropomorphic canine’s unforgettable tale of survival. Set during the 1890s Klondike Gold Rush, the novel’s main character, Buck, a large and powerful St. Bernard-Scotch Shepherd, is stolen from his ranch home in Santa Clara Valley, California, and sold into service as a sled dog. At first, Buck experiences violence and struggles for survival, becoming progressively feral in the harsh environment. By the end, Buck relies on his instinct and learned experience to emerge as the proven leader of the pack. In The Call of the Wild, author Jack London blends his experience as a gold prospector in the Canadian wilderness with his ideas about nature and the struggle for existence, influenced by the work of Darwin and Nietzsche. Thus, although the novel is first and foremost a story about a dog, it displays a philosophical depth absent in most animal adventures. In the summer of 1903, the story was first serialized in four installments in The Saturday Evening Post, which paid $750 for it. Soon after, London sold all rights to The Call of the Wild to Macmillan, which published the story in book format in August of that same year. As the first printing of 10,000 copies sold out immediately, it is safe to say the novel was enormously popular from the moment it was published. It has since secured its place in the canon of American literature. Today, The Call of the Wild is still one of the best-known stories written by an American author and has been published in almost 50 languages. The Call of the Wild is ranked 35th on The Guardian’s list of the 100 best novels and 88th on Modern Library’s “100 Best” English-language novels of the 20th century.
Read More: Identifying first editions of The Call of the Wild
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Details
- Bookseller
- Between the Covers- Rare Books, Inc. ABAA
(US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 94192
- Title
- The Call of the Wild
- Author
- LONDON, Jack
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used - Fine
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Publisher
- Macmillan Company
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Date Published
- 1903
- Keywords
- AmerLit20thCent, AssociationCopy, Art/Illustration
Terms of Sale
Between the Covers- Rare Books, Inc. ABAA
All books are first editions unless otherwise noted. All books are returnable within ten days if returned in the same condition as sent. We accept VISA, MASTERCARD, AMERICAN EXPRESS, DISCOVER, PAYPAL, checks and money orders. New Jersey residents please add 6.625% sales tax. All items guaranteed, all items subject to prior sale. Members ABAA, ILAB. Shipping is $4.50 for Media Mail, $10.00 for Priority Mail or UPS Ground. Tracking is provided for every order. Alternate shipping available by request. Shipping costs are based on books weighing 2.2 LB, or 1 KG. If your book order is heavy or oversized, we may contact you to let you know extra shipping is required.
About the Seller
Between the Covers- Rare Books, Inc. ABAA
Biblio member since 2005
Gloucester City, New Jersey
About Between the Covers- Rare Books, Inc. ABAA
Between the Covers-Rare Books, Inc., founded in 1985, specializes in first editions of 20th Century American and English fiction. Our inventory of over 75,000 first editions includes: African-American literature & history, Mysteries, Detective Fiction, Drama, Books into Film and Sports books. We routinely issue extensively illustrated color catalogs, available by subscription. We are members of the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America (ABAA)and the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB). Tom Congalton, founder of Between the Covers-Rare Books, Inc., actively promotes the ethics and standards of these professional organizations and served as President of the ABAA from 2000 to 2002.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Dustwrapper
- Also known as book jacket, dust cover, or dust wrapper, a dust jacket is a protective and decorative cover for a book that is...
- Bookplate
- Highly sought after by some collectors, a book plate is an inscribed or decorative device that identifies the owner, or former...
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
- Rubbing
- Abrasion or wear to the surface. Usually used in reference to a book's boards or dust-jacket.
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
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