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Jack London
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To Build a Fire Paperback – January 1, 2003

by Jack London (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 180 ratings
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TO BUILD A FIRE is one of Jack London's most beloved short stories. A heartbreaking tale set in the vast wintry landscape of the North, it endures as one of the greatest adventures ever written.
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  1. Reading age
    9 years and up
  2. Print length
    32 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Dimensions
    4.75 x 0.25 x 6.5 inches
  5. Publisher
    Wolf Creek Books
  6. Publication date
    January 1, 2003
  7. ISBN-10
    0968709184
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0968709184
  9. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Wolf Creek Books (January 1, 2003)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 32 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0968709184
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0968709184
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 9 years and up
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.44 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.75 x 0.25 x 6.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 180 ratings

About the author

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Jack London

Jack London

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John Griffith "Jack" London (born John Griffith Chaney, January 12, 1876 – November 22, 1916) was an American novelist, journalist, and social activist. A pioneer in the then-burgeoning world of commercial magazine fiction, he was one of the first fiction writers to obtain worldwide celebrity and a large fortune from his fiction alone.

Some of his most famous works include The Call of the Wild and White Fang, both set in the Klondike Gold Rush, as well as the short stories "To Build a Fire", "An Odyssey of the North", and "Love of Life". He also wrote of the South Pacific in such stories as "The Pearls of Parlay" and "The Heathen", and of the San Francisco Bay area in The Sea Wolf.

London was part of the radical literary group "The Crowd" in San Francisco and a passionate advocate of unionization, socialism, and the rights of workers. He wrote several powerful works dealing with these topics, such as his dystopian novel The Iron Heel, his non-fiction exposé The People of the Abyss, and The War of the Classes.

Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Photo by published by L C Page and Company Boston 1903 [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
180 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

fra7299
5.0 out of 5 stars Man vs. Nature
Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2018
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I do believe that Jack London’s To Build a Fire is one of the quintessential Man vs. Nature stories, as it has many of the elements of London’s theme of Naturalism, and certainly defines the essence of man out of his element.

Set in the backdrop of the Yukon Trail, where the temperatures plummet below sub-tundra, one hopeful prospector travels without any human companion. The story’s main premise is the negligent attitude of the unnamed man, who is unexperienced in this region of the Great North, as he hopes to meet up with his companions. However, he must trek quite a bit of the terrain to get there in quite brutal elements. He is not completely alone, however. His dog is with him on the journey, but his dog knows that there is a limit to such cold.

What I particularly like about London’s style of storytelling is that there is a definitive rawness and brutality to it and this is displayed fully in To Build a Fire. There’s a realism that he evokes within the scope of humans out in the elements, and this is encapsulated aptly within this story.

And, this story is just great writing and storytelling by London, with a knack for depicting the setting and the ultimate conflict.

Definitely a brilliant story, very classic, and one I read every year.
2 people found this helpful
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Victor Martinez-Saldana
4.0 out of 5 stars Indomitable Alaskan cold
Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2021
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Looking for quick, descriptive adventure. Did not disappoint. The simplicity of a well told story about the magnificence of nature and the elements, and a man's experience of it, never gets old
One person found this helpful
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freme
5.0 out of 5 stars Love these books
Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2023
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Love these books with exercises and discussion questions at the end. Perfect for homeschooling.
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Saoirse
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Story
Reviewed in the United States on September 25, 2016
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This is a very short story and I had been wanting to read this for a long time. Myself and a few friends were headed out on a hiking trip which was going to require us to build our own fires at night for warmth and cooking. We met several people on the trail and getting a fire started was never a problem, but for myself, it was important that I learn how to start one w/out the use of matches, should ever run into a situation where we didn't have them/those them/get them wet etc. I had a flint stone and scraper and magnesium to scrape, and strike to start one. At any rate, I wanted to remind myself how important it was to be able to start a fire from scratch should we need to. Well, this story scared the living daylights out of me. I practiced with my fire starter over and over and over until I could start a fire w/ in 3 minutes. I guess my point is that this story was a great read and I would recommend it to anyone who loves the outdoors! It totally hit home with me about how life is so precious and how mother nature is so unforgiving.
3 people found this helpful
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Kathleen Valentine
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful writing and a terrifying story...
Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 2014
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This has to be one of the scariest stories I have ever read--made so because it is entirely believable. Jack London's prose is clean, clear and precise as he details the journey of one man across the Yukon on a bitterly cold day--a journey he is not equipped to make. In the beginning he starts out cocky and self-confident, congratulating himself on being so adventurous but when a series of missteps throw him into a dire situation his decline is as inevitable as it is terrifying. Outstanding story-telling.
2 people found this helpful
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Richard Dobis
4.0 out of 5 stars Not a feel good story. Jack London wrote it like you are ...
Reviewed in the United States on March 16, 2018
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A lot of truth about being unprepared. Not a feel good story. Jack London wrote it like you are there. A good reminder that we don't know it all and you won't learn it in books. Experience goes along ways.
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Mary & Vinnie
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, you'll have nightmares of cold creeks
Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2015
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One of my favorite books. I don't want to give too much away, but it is engulfing as well as educational. I would recommend reading it on a warm beach in the summer, as opposed to at a cold bus stop in Massachusetts in January.
-Mary
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DW
3.0 out of 5 stars Fire
Reviewed in the United States on September 3, 2013
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I was expecting something quite different than this book turned out to be. A friend of mine raved on about what a classic story this was, I didn't see it the same way.
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Top reviews from other countries

Hugh Anderson
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 20, 2015
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All as described, thanks!
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Paul Miller
4.0 out of 5 stars First class story of one man's battle with the wilderness.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 5, 2013
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Jack London has a deep familiarity with the challenges the Yukon wilderness presents to the lone traveller. This story graphically portrays the increasing education and humbling of a man who fails to respect that wilderness and its capacity to outwit and confound man's arrogance. The task of building a simple fire in this context reflects the insignificance and vulnerability we still have in the face of nature.
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