The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-08-29
AMUMG hit BUUkS
Glimpse Of Jack LOndOn's Lat
est Book.
The Cry Of the Wild a FacInat-
ing Story.
HISTORY OF A DOG.
The Rise and Fall Of 81 st.
Bernard.
Author Has Invaded an I'm
known Field.

Like most of his short stories. Jack
London's new novel. just published by
the Macmillan company. is a Klondike
tale. but it is a story OF men and gold
hunting only incidentally. for the hero
Is a dog. His name is Buck" and he
Is a great st. Bernard with a trace of
Shepherd blood, who is stolen from his
nrst home IN the Santa Clara valley.
California and sold into the Klondike
market.
In his early life Buck was an arfsto-
crat, The pet OF a beautiful and luxu-
rious home. who lorded it over the
other dogs on Judge Miller's" big
ranch and was treated with great ten
derness and consideration by everyone
he had never known hunger nor cru
city nor want until the treacherous
undergraduate sold him to a dog
trader, and through him he makes the
acquaintance of the man with the
club" The man with the club may
not have been a bad sort, according to
his profession Of dog breaker and train
er. but that is a brutal chapter which
describes how he taught Buck sub
mission. Finally Buck becomes one OF
n team OF eight dogs which draw the
government mail sleds and makes his
first trip through the Klondike. and
the story reveals with unfailing inter-
est and matchless skill, what from one
viewpoint would be considered the de-
generation of Buck and from another
his evolution Buck rapidly becomes
accustomed to his new life and adspts
himself TO ii. He learns TO fight, to
work. to steal. developing those intel
lectual and moral qualities which are
essential to his existence under the new
conditions OK his life.
1t is the story of his reversion under
stress OF necessity TO the primitive In
his campfire dreams he goes pack
through generations of domesticity to
the day when his master was a wild
hairy, low browed creature, walking
part Of the time on ali-fOurS. swinging
himself from branch to branch of the
trees in which he roasted by night,
possessed always by nameless. super
stitious fear-the loss OF which marks
the greatest difference between him
and Bucks present masters More and
more often as the days go by and he
retires farther and farther from civilf-
Eation Buck listens to the Cry of the
Wild. and only his love for his last
master deters him from going out into
the forest in answer to it. When this
master. the only man who ever COM
manded Bucks devotion, is killed with
the rest OF the camp by Indians. Buck
-AC AoAASCA DAA lOluS q PACK
of timber wolves. whose leader he be-
comes.
The concluding chapters OF the book.
which indicate Bucks future career.
are perhaps a trif1e too fanciful and
overdrawn. but the story is excellently
told throughout and is full of origi-
nahty and power. When one meets
these qualities in a new author one is
always tempted to compare him to
hipling. who SO startled the reading
world By them a few years ago that
they nave always since seemed some
now 70 belong exclusively to him. but
Jack London is not like Kfpling. excaot
IN that he has discovered a field which
mas never before been invaded and that
ne apparently draws the thing as he
sees II Tor the God Of Things as They