Far Away and Long Ago

The autobiography of W. H. Hudson contains unique and sensuous insights into his early life in provincial Argentina during the mid-19th century.

By the time he published this retrospective account of his formative years, W. H. Hudson was a highly respected and famous naturalist and ornithologist, responsible for the expansion and development of both disciplines. He was also a novelist, publishing tales of romantic adventure to praise. 

Although he held a special love for his native Argentina, and the Patagonia region of South America, Hudson would permanently migrate to England in 1874, remaining there for most of his remaining years. His studies and comparisons of the avian species of Britain and his native land were welcomed by the academic establishment in the UK, who found Hudson's papers well-researched and informed by their author's origins. 

In contrast to Hudson's professional output, Far Away and Long Ago relates tales of pastoral life in Argentina, a nation which at the time of Hudson's childhood had barely begun to industrialise. The natural habitat, traditions of the locals, and Hudson's early observations of birds are chronicled, as is his very first journey to the capital city of Buenos Aires. 

A treasure for its historical insight into an Argentina now long past, and for charting the early years of a talented naturalist, Far Away and Long Ago is a highly accessible and interesting autobiography.