The Call of The Wild by Jack London (1910 Reprint, Oregon Bookstore Stamp) 🐺🌲📚

This volume is an early 20th Century reprint issue of The Call of the Wild by Jack London, a foundational work of American Naturalism.

Published in 1910 by Grosset & Dunlap for the MacMillan Standard Library, this copy features original illustrations by Philip R. Goodwin and Charles Livingston Bull.

This book is a material artifact of early 20th Century publishing, made distinctive by an authentic Oregon City bookstore stamp and a handwritten rental or library inscription. This volume is a strategic investment for the collector interested in the definitive literature and reading culture of the American West.

2. About the Artwork/Book/Object📖✍️✨

The Call of the Wild is the definitive novel of primitive instinct and environmental struggle. It follows Buck, a pampered St. Bernard/Scotch Collie mix, as he is stolen from Santa Clara Valley and thrust into the brutal existence of a Yukon sled dog during the Klondike Gold Rush.

The chapter titles, such as "The Law of Club and Fang" and "The Dominant Primordial Beast," explicitly detail the book's themes of devolution and atavism. The book’s aesthetic appeal is enhanced by the early 20th Century illustrations and the binding design by Chas. Edw. Hooper. The printing quality is guaranteed by the Norwood Press, a reputable printing house of the time.

3. About the Author✍️🏛️

Jack London (1876–1916) was a self-educated, high-adventure writer whose life experiences, including sailing, labor organizing, and prospecting in the Klondike, directly informed his fiction. He quickly became one of the best-selling authors in the world through his powerful articulation of the survivalist ethic.

London was a central figure in the American Naturalism movement, applying Darwinian principles to his narratives to suggest that human (and canine) behavior is determined by heredity and environment. This 1910 issue helped solidify his status as a major American literary voice for the 20th Century.

4. Historical/Political Era Context🌍🕰️📜

This book was reissued in 1910, a time when America was grappling with the end of the frontier and the anxieties of the rapidly industrializing Progressive Era. The novel's intense focus on the raw, untamed wilderness offered a powerful counter-narrative to the complexities of urban life.

The Klondike Gold Rush, which provides the setting, occurred only about a decade before this edition was printed. The book's popularity reflects a national romanticism for the untamed West and a fascination with Darwinian themes of survival, which were prominent intellectual trends during the early 20th Century.

5. The Ideal Collector💡🧐🏛️

This volume is an essential component for a curator of American Naturalist Literature or a collector focused on the literary history of the Klondike Gold Rush. The book's intellectual value is in its history as a popular, circulating object.

It is an ideal acquisition for an individual who appreciates the pedigree of the Norwood Press and the tangible history provided by the clear Oregon City bookstore stamp. This item belongs in a curated library that documents the reading habits of the early 20th Century American public.

6. Value & Rarity💎✨🏛️

The item is 115 years old (published in 1910) and has survived over a century of handling and environmental changes. The rarity is low on a textual level, but its market value is based on the enduring stature of the author and the aesthetic integrity of the 1910 issue.

This is a material artifact whose acquisition is justified by its original illustrations, solid construction, and the clear, documented chain of history provided by the handwritten rental notes and the Oregon City stamp. The book is highly appealing for collectors of classic American fiction.

7. Condition🔎📚✨

This is a transparent and factual condition report based on direct visual analysis.

• Positive Qualities:

  • The mustard yellow cloth binding is tight and the cover design remains clearly legible.

  • The original illustrations are present and fully intact.

  • The spine text is bright and easily readable.

  • The Norwood Press printing quality has resulted in clean internal pages for its age.

• Imperfections:

  • The front and rear boards show minor shelf-rubbing and soiling consistent with 115 years of life as a reading copy.

  • The corners are lightly bumped and the edges show minor wear.

  • The Contents page contains clear handwritten markings, which are fully detailed below.

8. Fun Facts & Unique Features🤓📜🤩

• The Call of the Wild was originally published as a four-part serial in The Saturday Evening Post in the summer of 1903.

• Jack London sold the book's serialization rights for $2,000 and the book rights for only $4,000, a comparatively low price for what became his most famous work.

• The novel's themes of "atavism"—the tendency to revert to ancestral type—were highly influenced by the scientific theories of Charles Darwin and were central to the Naturalist movement.

• The "Huntley's Bookstore" stamp ties the book to a specific retail location in Oregon City, a historic regional hub in the Pacific Northwest.

9. Supporting Information🏷️📦💰

• Title: The Call of The Wild

• Author/Maker: Jack London

• Year: 1910 (New Edition)

• Publisher/Foundry: Grosset & Dunlap Publishers / Norwood Press

• Place of Origin: New York, USA

• Format/Binding: Decorative Cloth, Hardcover, Illustrated

• Edition: Reprint, Copyright 1903, New Edition May, September 1910.

• Rarity: Collectible Trade Edition

• Handwritten Inscriptions (Verbatim Transcription from Contents Page):

  • "Steve R Zusk"

  • "Name KM, Date 5-25th, Due Sept 2"