In this paper, the ways which were employed by German translators of London’s The Call of the Wild for handling references to material culture can serve as indicators of aspects of the textual history of literary translation. Between 1907 and 1987 nine full-length versions of the novel were published in German-speaking countries. They form – in the author’s terminology – the comet’s tail on which the analysis of cultural terms is based. Because of the abundance of material, a restriction had to be imposed on the areas covered. For the novel in question, gold mining and dog sled driving seem to be the most distinctive features. Nor can a complete presentation of all examples be attempted here. Instead, the author uses isolated examples in order to illustrate some translatorial trends. She also indicates the purposes a translation analysis of cultural terms may serve.