Jack London's novels and rugged individualism embodied American hopes, frustrations, and romantic longings in the turbulent early years of the twentieth century, an era infused with the wonder and excitement of great technological and historic change. The author's restless spirit, taste for excitement, and probing mind led him on a series of hard-edged adventures from the Yukon to the South Seas. Out of these sometimes harrowing experiences — and his fascination with the theories of such thinkers as Darwin, Spencer, and Marx — came the inspiration for adventure novels that made him one of America's most popular writers.The Call of the Wild, widely considered London's greatest novel, is a gripping tale of a heroic dog thrust into the brutal life of the Alaska Gold Rush and forced to choose between civilization and nature. London's urgent and vivid style, intensified by his firsthand experiences of Klondike life, makes this tale as fresh and immediate today as it was upon its 1903 publication. This splendid hardcover edition features extensive illustrations by wildlife specialist Paul Bransom; in addition to 16 full-color plates, numerous color and black-and-white images include headpieces, spot pieces, and other rich embellishments.