A Shepherd's Life
by W. H. Hudson
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Description
William Henry Hudson (1841-1922) was an Argentinian-born American naturalist and author, who moved to England in 1874, and became known for his writings on natural history, both Argentine and English, and for his work with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. He travelled the country, observing wildlife and rural life in general, and won high praise both for his work as a naturalist and for his literary style. A Shepherd's Life, published in 1910, contains his impressions of the show more Wiltshire Downs - the people, places, wildlife and history - which are enhanced by numerous line-drawings. The central character of the book, Caleb Bawcombe, an elderly shepherd, is fictitious, but clearly based on real people Hudson had talked to in Wiltshire, and the overall picture is of continuing closeness to nature, despite enormous changes in agricultural practice, in rural societies at the end of the nineteenth century. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
This is an old book (originally published in 1910) which I picked up after reading James Rebanks' book of the same title, which references the Hudson work.
The writing style is a bit dated, but it's rather charming, and certainly heartfelt. Some of the latter chapters had some good ol' fashioned class and race prejudice, which was somewhat wince-inducing (I thought seriously of reducing my rating by a star, but the work is a product of its era as well as its "gentleman" author, and I took that into consideration). Hudson's observations of the natural world as well as his obvious admiration for Caleb, the subject of most of the book, were both the book's main attraction and its saving grace.
The writing style is a bit dated, but it's rather charming, and certainly heartfelt. Some of the latter chapters had some good ol' fashioned class and race prejudice, which was somewhat wince-inducing (I thought seriously of reducing my rating by a star, but the work is a product of its era as well as its "gentleman" author, and I took that into consideration). Hudson's observations of the natural world as well as his obvious admiration for Caleb, the subject of most of the book, were both the book's main attraction and its saving grace.
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Trinity College Booklist (1951): Class Ten, English Literature
358 works; 5 members
Huxley's Reading Log 2018
37 works; 1 member
Author Information
78+ Works 3,674 Members
William Henry Hudson was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina on August 4, 1841 to American parents. He developed a heart condition as a teenager and finally moved to England in 1870. He wrote several novels including The Purple Land, El Ombú, and Green Mansions. He also published numerous books on ornithology and the English countryside including show more Argentine Ornithology, British Birds, Afoot in England, A Shepherd's Life, Dead Man's Plack, A Traveller in Little Things, and A Hind in Richmond Park. He died on August 18, 1922. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- A Shepherd's Life
- Original title
- A Shepherd's Life: Impressions of the South Wiltshire Downs
- Original publication date
- 1910
- Important places
- Wiltshire, England, UK; Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, England, UK
Classifications
- Genres
- Nonfiction, Biography & Memoir, Travel
- DDC/MDS
- 942.3 — History & geography History of Europe England and Wales Southwest England, Channel Islands
- LCC
- DA670 .W7 .H75 — History of Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania Great Britain History of Great Britain England Local history and description Counties, regions, etc., A-Z
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 199
- Popularity
- 164,750
- Reviews
- 1
- Rating
- (4.36)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 30
- ASINs
- 14
