The Call of the Wild is a novel by Jack London published in 1903.

The story is set in the Yukon during the 1890s Klondike Gold Rush-a period when strong sled dogs were in high demand.

The novel's central character is a dog named Buck, a domesticated dog living at a ranch in the Santa Clara Valley of California as the story opens.

Stolen from his home and sold into service as sled dog in Alaska, he reverts to a wild state.

Buck is forced to fight in order to dominate other dogs in a harsh climate.

Eventually he sheds the veneer of civilization, relying on primordial instincts and learned experience to emerge as a leader in the wild.