Jack London Books in Order: The Complete Reading Guide
Updated September 2026
Jack London Books in Order: The Short Answer
Jack London (1876–1916) published more than fifty books in about seventeen years: roughly twenty novels, around twenty story collections, plus memoir, essays and plays. None of them form a series, so you can read him in any order, and most people should start with The Call of the Wild. Here are the essential Jack London books in order of publication:
- The Call of the Wild (1903)
- The Sea-Wolf (1904)
- White Fang (1906)
- The Iron Heel (1908)
- Martin Eden (1909)
- The Star Rover (1915)
Plus two story collections that matter as much as any novel: Love of Life (1907) and Lost Face (1910), which contains the version of "To Build a Fire" everyone reads in school. The complete list follows, then advice on where to start and what suits which age.
Dates below follow the book list kept by Jack London State Historic Park, which uses first book publication. Many of these appeared first as magazine serials, so you will sometimes see a year earlier.
In this guide:
- Every Jack London Novel, in Publication Order
- Jack London Story Collections, Nonfiction and Plays
- Where to Start: The Call of the Wild, Then Pick a Direction
- How London's Own Life Fed the Klondike and Sea Books
- Jack London by Age: Content Notes for Parents
- The Call of the Wild, White Fang and Martin Eden on Film
- Stock Up on Used Jack London
- Frequently Asked Questions
Every Jack London Novel, in Publication Order
| Year | Title | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| 1902 | The Cruise of the Dazzler | Short boys' adventure on San Francisco Bay |
| 1902 | A Daughter of the Snows | His first adult novel, set in the Klondike |
| 1903 | The Kempton-Wace Letters | Novel in letters, co-written with Anna Strunsky |
| 1903 | The Call of the Wild | Buck, a stolen ranch dog, in the Klondike gold rush |
| 1904 | The Sea-Wolf | A gentleman shanghaied aboard Wolf Larsen's schooner |
| 1905 | The Game | Short boxing novel |
| 1906 | White Fang | A wolf-dog's path from the wild to domestic life |
| 1907 | Before Adam | A modern man dreams the life of a prehistoric ancestor |
| 1908 | The Iron Heel | Early dystopia about an American oligarchy |
| 1909 | Martin Eden | A sailor remakes himself as a writer; partly autobiographical |
| 1910 | Burning Daylight | Klondike millionaire moves to San Francisco finance |
| 1911 | Adventure | Plantation novel set in the Solomon Islands |
| 1912 | Smoke Bellew | Linked comic Klondike tales |
| 1913 | The Abysmal Brute | Short boxing novel |
| 1913 | The Valley of the Moon | A working couple leave Oakland for the land |
| 1914 | The Mutiny of the Elsinore | Sea novel aboard a sailing ship rounding Cape Horn |
| 1915 | The Scarlet Plague | Post-pandemic novella set in 2073 |
| 1915 | The Star Rover | A prisoner in solitary relives past lives |
| 1916 | The Little Lady of the Big House | Ranch-house love triangle |
| 1917 | Jerry of the Islands | Dog novel set in the South Seas |
| 1917 | Michael, Brother of Jerry | Companion dog novel |
| 1918 | Hearts of Three | Adventure romance written for film (U.S. edition 1920) |
| 1963 | The Assassination Bureau, Ltd. | Unfinished at his death; completed by Robert L. Fish |
Jack London Story Collections, Nonfiction and Plays
Short story collections
London's stories are the best way into him, and his first three books were all story collections about the North.
- The Son of the Wolf (1900)
- The God of His Fathers (1901)
- Children of the Frost (1902) — includes "The Law of Life"
- The Faith of Men (1904)
- Tales of the Fish Patrol (1905) — linked stories for younger readers
- Moon-Face and Other Stories (1906) — includes "All Gold Canyon"
- Love of Life and Other Stories (1907)
- Lost Face (1910) — includes "To Build a Fire"
- When God Laughs and Other Stories (1911)
- South Sea Tales (1911)
- The House of Pride (1912) — Hawaii stories
- A Son of the Sun (1912)
- The Night-Born (1913)
- The Strength of the Strong (1914)
- The Turtles of Tasman (1916)
- The Red One (1918)
- On the Makaloa Mat (1919)
- Dutch Courage and Other Stories (1922)
Nonfiction and memoir
- The People of the Abyss (1903) — living undercover in London's East End
- War of the Classes (1905) — socialist essays
- The Road (1907) — his years as a teenage hobo
- Revolution and Other Essays (1910)
- The Cruise of the Snark (1911) — sailing a homemade boat across the Pacific
- John Barleycorn (1913) — a memoir of his drinking
- The Human Drift (1917)
Plays
The Scorn of Women (1906), Theft (1910) and The Acorn Planter (1916). These are for completists only.
Where to Start: The Call of the Wild, Then Pick a Direction
Start with The Call of the Wild. It is short, it moves fast, and it is London at his best: the Klondike he lived through in 1897 and 1898, seen through the eyes of a dog. Most adults who "read it as a kid" remember a much gentler book than the one they will find on a reread.
Then read "To Build a Fire" and "Love of Life." Two stories, an evening's reading, and the clearest picture of London's idea that nature does not care whether you live.
Then choose a direction:
- More animals and wilderness: White Fang. He wrote it as the mirror image of The Call of the Wild — a wild animal coming in to civilization instead of a tame one going out.
- High seas: The Sea-Wolf. Wolf Larsen is one of the great villains in American fiction, and the first half is as gripping as anything London wrote.
- London the man: Martin Eden, his novel about a working-class sailor who teaches himself to write, closely modeled on his own rise. Pair it with The Road or John Barleycorn.
- Ideas and politics: The Iron Heel, a dystopia written decades before 1984 (our George Orwell books in order guide picks up that thread), or The People of the Abyss.
- Something strange: The Star Rover or The Scarlet Plague, which show how far he went beyond adventure stories.
Skip A Daughter of the Snows, Hearts of Three and The Little Lady of the Big House unless you have read everything else. They are the weakest of the novels. When you have had your fill of London, our Mark Twain books in order guide is a natural next stop for more classic American adventure.
How London's Own Life Fed the Klondike and Sea Books
Knowing a little of London's biography makes the books richer, because so much of it went straight onto the page. He was born in San Francisco in 1876 and grew up poor in Oakland. As a teenager he worked in a cannery, raided oyster beds on the bay, sailed on a sealing schooner to Japan, and rode the rails as a hobo. In July 1897 he joined the Klondike Gold Rush. He came back with no gold and a case of scurvy, but with the material for his first books.
Success came fast after 1903. He bought a ranch in Glen Ellen, in Sonoma County, sailed the Pacific on his own boat, the Snark, wrote to a daily quota, and lectured on socialism. He died at the ranch on November 22, 1916, at forty. The ranch is now Jack London State Historic Park.
That history explains the three Londons you meet on the shelf: the Northland adventure writer, the South Seas writer, and the socialist who wrote about hunger and class.
Jack London by Age: Content Notes for Parents
- The Call of the Wild and White Fang: commonly read from about age 11 or 12 and in middle school. Both include harsh treatment of animals: dogs are clubbed, fight to the death and are worked until they drop. Sensitive animal lovers should know that going in. The vocabulary is older than the age of the hero suggests; a read-aloud helps younger kids. For more classics pitched at this age, see our classic books for middle schoolers.
- "To Build a Fire": a staple from about seventh grade up. No gore, but the ending is bleak. A teenager who likes its man-against-the-cold tension will find more in our survival adventure novels for teen boys.
- Tales of the Fish Patrol and The Cruise of the Dazzler: the gentlest London, written with boys in mind, and good for ages 10 and up.
- The Sea-Wolf: high school. Brutal shipboard violence and a good deal of philosophical argument.
- Martin Eden, The Iron Heel, John Barleycorn: older teens and adults. Martin Eden ends in suicide; John Barleycorn is frank about alcoholism.
One more thing parents and teachers should know: London held the racial views common among white Americans of his time, and they show up in some of the South Seas stories and in his essays. It is worth a conversation with older students rather than a reason to avoid the famous books.
The Call of the Wild, White Fang and Martin Eden on Film
- The Call of the Wild: filmed many times, including a 1923 silent, the 1935 version with Clark Gable and Loretta Young, a 1972 version with Charlton Heston, a 1997 version with Rutger Hauer, and the 2020 film with Harrison Ford and a computer-animated Buck.
- White Fang: Disney's 1991 live-action film with Ethan Hawke is the one most families own; it changes a great deal from the book. An animated version came out in 2018.
- Martin Eden: a 2019 Italian film by Pietro Marcello moves the story to Naples; Luca Marinelli won Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival for it.
Browse The Call of the Wild on DVD and White Fang on DVD if you want a family movie night after the book.
Stock Up on Used Jack London
Because his work is in the public domain, Jack London books turn up in every kind of edition, from school paperbacks to handsome illustrated hardcovers, and a used copy costs very little. Look for him in our adventure fiction and classic literature collections. Orders over $15 ship free.
Frequently Asked Questions
What order should I read Jack London books in?
There is no series, so any order works. Start with The Call of the Wild, then "To Build a Fire," then White Fang, The Sea-Wolf and Martin Eden, depending on what you liked.
How many books did Jack London write?
More than fifty, counting novels, story collections, nonfiction and plays, published between 1900 and his death in 1916 plus several posthumous volumes.
Is White Fang a sequel to The Call of the Wild?
No. The characters are different. London wrote White Fang as a companion piece that reverses the first book: a wild wolf-dog is gradually tamed instead of a tame dog going wild.
What was Jack London's first book?
The Son of the Wolf (1900), a collection of Klondike stories. His first novels, The Cruise of the Dazzler and A Daughter of the Snows, followed in 1902.
What age is The Call of the Wild for?
Usually middle school, around ages 11 to 14. It is short, but the vocabulary is old-fashioned and the treatment of the dogs is harsh.
Which Jack London book is most like his own life?
Martin Eden, about a sailor who educates himself and becomes a writer. For straight memoir, read The Road and John Barleycorn.
