So peremptorily did these shades beckon him, that each day mankind and the claims of mankind slipped farther from him. Deep in the forest a call was sounding, and as often as he heard this call, mysteriously thrilling and luring, he felt compelled to turn his back upon the fire and the beaten earth around it, and to plunge into the forest, and on and on, he knew not where or why; nor did he wonder where or why, the call sounding imperiously, deep in the forest.
www.london.sonoma.edu

The original intent behind the "weekend review" post was to actually provide some personal insight into each of the topics. Unfortunately, it would seem that time ran short and I posted this morning just before boarding my flight out of Vermont at 5:30 am. Upon boarding the Philly bound flying cylinder, I slowly pulled out a slightly tattered, very much treasured, copy of "The Call of the Wild". The slightly overweight cookie cutter business traveler sitting beside me stated with honest surprise, "Call of the Wild?, Jack London?, I didn't know anyone still read that."

My decision to pull the book from its dusty resting spot directly stemmed from watching "Into the Wild". As far back as I can remember, this book has been my favorite and has maintained an hidden influence over much of my life. On the inside of the cover is a brief Christmas note from my Grandparents dated 1986, I was ten. There must be countless copies scattered across the world bearing similar messages. Now I know that the collective view of this book is to put it into the child reader's realm. While I feel it is an important book for the youth, the true brilliance is in the evolving message that seems to change with every reading as you age.

It took me around 3 hours to plow through the pages, yet it moved me every bit as the first time. I think every now and again we all need to be reminded the roots of our existence. Obviously we all choose separate paths to honoring these roots; some hunt, some camp, and some travel and we all explore in our own way. I think I will get back to those roots this summer and start introducing my wee one to them.

To close, here is an interesting tidbit on the book from a reviewer on Amazon.

Jack London's letters about the publication of "The Call of the Wild" reveal an all-too-common story that would make any author and most sympathetic readers cringe. In 1903, Jack London was hard up for cash and had just completed the manuscript. He sold the serial rights to the Saturday Evening Post for $700 and, since the editors were not all that keen on his first choice, suggested the title "The Sleeping Wolf." (Interestingly enough, the magazine version did not even include what has probably become the book's most famous scene: when John Thornton blusteringly makes a wager that Buck can pull a sled weighing half a ton.)

Soon after, Macmillan agreed to take a chance on the unknown writer and offered to publish the book for $2,000, with no royalties. By this time, London had warmed to his initial title, "The Call of the Wild," but left the final choice up to his editor. Both the magazine and the book publisher reluctantly used London's now-famous title, and seven years later London wrote to his editor, reminding him of his tin ear: "I'll be damned if that very muchly-rejected title didn't become a phrase in the English language. This is only one of many experiences concerning titles, wherein editors, booksellers, and publishers absolutely missed."

But it still boggles the mind that London earned a grand total of $2,700 for a book that quickly sold more than two million copies.
www.amazon.com