Introduction

Buck, a big, strong dog of mixed breed, lives a pampered life on a judge's estate in California. In 1897 gold is found in the North and the price of sled dogs soars; one of the estate's gardeners, to pay his gambling debts, secretly sells Buck to a dog dealer. Shipped to the frozen Klondike and Yukon, Buck learns to survive under the law of club and fang, becomes a splendid sled dog, defeats the savage lead dog Spitz and takes his place. After passing through several hands he finds a master who truly loves him, John Thornton, and serves him with all his heart. But the wolves in the depths of the forest keep calling him, and when Thornton is killed by Indians, Buck at last returns to the wild and becomes the leader of the pack. This volume also includes London's most famous short story, 'To Build a Fire': a man travelling alone at more than seventy degrees below zero, whose life depends on whether he can light a fire.