'A Shepherd's Life: Impressions of the South Wiltshire Downs' by W.H. Hudson is a beautiful account of the author's wanderings through the South Wiltshire Downs in the late 19th century. Through conversations with shepherds and peasants, Hudson offers a unique perspective on rural life during that era. From poaching to sheepdogs, he shares their experiences and memories with a sense of nostalgia that is both captivating and evocative. This book is perfect for anyone interested in English social history or simply seeking a charming read filled with the wonder of nature and the warmth of humanity.
William Henry Hudson (4 August 1841 - 18 August 1922) was an author, naturalist, and ornithologist.Hudson was born in Quilmes, near Buenos Aires, Argentina.[a] He was the son of Daniel Hudson and his wife Catherine née Kemble, United States settlers of English and Irish origin. He spent his youth studying the local flora and fauna and observing both natural and human dramas on what was then a lawless frontier, publishing his ornithological work in Proceedings of the Royal Zoological Society, initially in an English mingled with Spanish idioms. He had a special love of Patagonia.Hudson settled in England during 1874, taking up residence at St Luke's Road in Bayswater. He produced a series of ornithological studies, including Argentine Ornithology (1888-1899) and British Birds (1895), and later achieved fame with his books on the English countryside, including Hampshire Days (1903), Afoot in England (1909) and A Shepherd's Life (1910), which helped foster the back-to-nature movement of the 1920s and 1930s. It was set in Wiltshire and inspired James Rebanks' 2015 book The Shepherd's Life about a Lake District farmer.Hudson was an advocate of Lamarckian evolution. He was a critic of Darwinism and defended vitalism. He was influenced by the non-Darwinian evolutionary writings of Samuel Butler. He was a founding member of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
William Henry Hudson lived form 1841 to 1922. He was an author, naturalist and ornithologist. Hudson's parents settled in Argentina where Hudson spent his youth studying the flora and fauna of the area. Hudson later moved to England where he helped found the back to nature movement. In 1918 he wrote Far Away and Long Ago, which was an autobiography of his early life. A Shepherd's Life begins, "Wiltshire looks large on the map of England a great green county yet it never appears to be a favourite one to those who go on rambles in the land." W H Hudson takes his reader on a magical tour of this area of England. His descriptions of the rural area are beautiful to read. Hudson brings the past alive for his readers. There are many descriptions of the relationship between shepherds and their dogs, peculiar behaviors of various animals, tales of strange people, and extensive descriptions of the land itself. A lot of the stories in this book come from an old shepherd.
