Into the Wild (book)
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Cover of paperback, depicting the bus in which McCandless stayed.
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| Author | Jon Krakauer |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Biography/True travel essay |
| Publisher | Villard |
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Publication date
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1995 |
| Pages | 224 |
| ISBN | |
| OCLC | 35559213 |
| 917.9804/5 20 | |
| LC Class | CT9971.M38 K73 1997 |
| Preceded by | Eiger Dreams |
| Followed by | Into Thin Air |
Into the Wild is a 1996 non-fiction book written by Jon Krakauer. It is an expansion of a 9,000-word article by Krakauer on Christopher McCandless titled "Death of an Innocent", which appeared in the January 1993 issue of Outside. The book was adapted to film in 2007, directed by Sean Penn with Emile Hirsch starring as McCandless. "Into the Wild" is an international bestseller which has been printed in 14 languages and 173 editions and formats. The book is widely used as high school and college reading curriculum. "Into the Wild" has been lauded by many reviewers but has also been described by Alaskan reporter, Craig Medred, as being "something invented" by its author.
Christopher Johnson McCandless grew up in suburban Annandale, Virginia. After graduating in May 1990 with high grades from Emory University, McCandless ceased communicating with his family, gave away his college fund of $25,000 to Oxfam, and began traveling across the Western United States, later abandoning his 1982 Datsun after a flash flood.
On April 28, 1992, McCandless hitchhiked to the Stampede Trail in Alaska. There he headed down the snow-covered trail to begin an odyssey with only 10 pounds of rice, a .22 caliber rifle, several boxes of rifle rounds, a camera, and a small selection of reading material—including a field guide to the region's edible plants, Tana'ina Plantlore. He declined an acquaintance's offer to buy him sturdier clothing and better supplies. McCandless perished sometime around the week of August 18, 1992, after surviving more than 100 days.
On September 6, 1992, Christopher McCandless' body was found inside an abandoned bus in Alaska (63°52′06.23″N 149°46′09.49″W / 63.8683972°N 149.7693028°WCoordinates: 63°52′06.23″N 149°46′09.49″W / 63.8683972°N 149.7693028°W). One year later, author Jon Krakauer retraced McCandless' steps during the two years between college graduation and his demise in Alaska. McCandless shed his legal name early in his journey, adopting the moniker "Alexander Supertramp", after W.H. Davies. He spent time in Carthage, South Dakota, laboring for months in a grain elevator owned by Wayne Westerberg before hitchhiking to Alaska. Krakauer interprets McCandless' intensely ascetic personality as possibly influenced by the writings of Henry David Thoreau and McCandless' favorite writer, Jack London. He explores the similarities between McCandless' experiences and motivations, and his own as a young man, recounting in detail Krakauer's own attempt to climb Devils Thumb in Alaska. Krakauer also relates the stories of some other young men who vanished into the wilderness, such as Everett Ruess, an artist and wanderer who went missing in the Utah desert during 1934, at age 20. In addition, he describes at some length the grief and puzzlement of McCandless' parents, sister Carine, and friends.
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