The Call of the Wild. White Fang. Stories

Jack London (1876–1916) is an American writer, journalist, and social activist. He was born in San Francisco and was named John Griffith Chaney. The future writer's mother, Flora Wellman, was a music teacher. The father left the family before the son was born, so from an early age, the boy was raised by his stepfather, John London, a participant in the American Civil War. The family lived in poverty, so after finishing elementary school, Jack began to work a lot. He sold newspapers and cleaned beer pavilions in the park, and a few years later, he found work at a canning factory; this work was hard and low-paid. Over the next few years, London changed his occupation multiple times: he engaged in illegal oyster fishing, hunted sea lions on a commercial schooner, worked at a jute factory and in a laundry, and was a stoker. In 1893, his first work was published – the essay "Typhoon on the Coasts of Japan". For it, London received his first prize and monetary reward. By the age of twenty, the young man came to the idea that intellectual work is paid more than physical work. He continued his studies in high school, striving to enter the University of California, while at the same time publishing his new stories and essays. The writer managed to enroll in the university, but he could not finish it – there was no money to pay for his education. In 1897, London went to seek gold in Alaska, but soon had to return home empty-handed. Since 1899, collections of his stories began to be published regularly. His rich life experience allowed the writer to realistically depict the described events, which, combined with the overall spirit of romance and adventure that permeated his works, ensured his creativity's success with readers. Jack London became a sought-after writer among his contemporaries and remains one in our time. His works have been translated into many languages and loved by many generations of readers around the world. This edition includes his famous novellas "The Call of the Wild" and "White Fang," as well as the stories "The Brown Wolf" and "Batar".

The design of the collection features illustrations by American artists who worked at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. Phillip Russell Goodwin (1881–1935) created drawings for the books of several authors, including Jack London and U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt. Charles Livingston Bull (1874–1932) loved to depict wildlife; he was engaged in taxidermy and collaborated with various museums. Frank Earl Shunover (1877–1972) was passionate about painting, designed magazine covers, and restored paintings.