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1Far Away and Long Ago

By William Henry Hudson

William Henry Hudson was an author, naturalist and ornithologist. Hudson was born of U.S. parents living in the Quilmes Partido in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, where he spent his youth studying the local flora and fauna and observing both natural and human dramas on what was then a lawless frontier. 'Far Away and Long Ago' is a classic memoir of a boy, fascinated by nature, on the Pampas in the 19th century.

2New Discoveries at Jamestown

By John L. Cotter and J. Paul Hudson

Chances are, you are reading this because you are aware that Jamestown, Virginia, celebrated its 400th birthday in 2007. It was the first "successful" English settlement in America. Although the colonists eventually moved upriver to be quit of the hard luck and difficult conditions on the small island, they left behind a trove of possessions - used, worn out, or forgotten.<br /><br />Did you ever stop to consider just how many different items you have, need, or use, to live, work, and amuse yourself? Chances are that you would seriously underestimate! But once you put such a list together, another person could tell quite a story about the life you lead.<br /><br />The puzzle of archeology is how to tell that story, just from the discovery of the traces you leave behind. Literally hundreds of thousands of artifacts have been recovered from this pioneering community during three major efforts (1903, the 1950's, and 1994-present) to reconstruct how Europeans of the early 17th century managed to transplant themselves to a wild and hostile land.<br /><br />The authors, writing for the National Park Service in 1956, relate a fascinating tale of the colonists' resources, their possessions, and their manufactures. They relate documentary evidence from England, Virginia, and elsewhere, and then match it up with items found on the site.<br /><br />Think about packing for a trip to a new world, where you will spend the rest of your life. There are no shops, no regular supply deliveries. You will build your own home. Food is strictly grown or caught on your own. The local folks (Indians) may be (and were, at some times!) hostile to your presence. You will depend on only a few dozen other people to help you with the things you don't know how to do, and they will depend on you. How do you prepare? What do you take?<br /><br />This is that story.<br /><br />For an easy-to-understand history of Jamestown, have a look at this site: <a href="http://www.tobacco.org/History/Jamestown.html">http://www.tobacco.org/History/Jamestown.html</a><br /><br />To help you visualize Jamestown, and especially the area of the original three-sided fort, I highly recommend this site: <a href="http://www.apva.org/finding/index.html">http://www.apva.org/finding/index.html</a> (Summary by Mark F. Smith)

3Green Mansions: A Romance of the Tropical Forest

By William Henry Hudson

"Green Mansions: A Romance of the Tropical Forest" is a narration of his life story by Abel, a Venezuelan, to a comrade. Once a wealthy young man, he meddled in politics to the extent of provoking a revolution... which failed.<br/><br/>Escaping into the tropical forests of Guyana Abel takes up gold hunting, then journal-writing, and fails at both. Now with no aim for his life, he drifts until he takes up residence with a remote Indian tribe. Soon he learns of a wood the Indians avoid, as it is inhabited by a dangerous Daughter of the Didi, who, they say, slew one of them with magic. The fellow was in fact hit with a poisoned dart by accident, but his dying belief that she had caught the dart and hurled it at him survived him.<br/><br/>Intrigued, Abel visits the wood repeatedly, and eventually encounters Rima. She indeed is something magical. She seems to have a pact with nature: animals don't molest her, she speaks in a melodious birdsong (as well as Spanish), and she even makes her garments of spider silk. When Abel is bitten by a venomous snake that acts protective of her, she and her "grandfather" Nuflo nurse Abel back to health.<br/><br/>Both Abel and Rima are wonderments to each other, someone unlike any other person they have ever encountered. They fall in love, a love that is stymied by Rima's inability to understand the feelings Abel creates in her. On a long trek to discover Rima's origins, they find that her unique people no longer exist, but they finally confront the magnetism that is drawing them together. Finally they find joy, and make plans... until Rima is murdered by the Indians.<br/><br>And then it is time for vengeance! (Summary by Mark F. Smith)

4Crystal Age

By William Henry Hudson

A Crystal Age is a utopian novel written by W. H. Hudson, first published in 1887. The book has been called a "significant S-F milestone" and has been noted for its anticipation of the "modern ecological mysticism" that would evolve a century later. (Summary by Wikipedia)

Hudson traveled to Patagonia to study the birds, but shortly upon arrival accidentally shot himself in the knee, requiring a lengthy period of idleness to recover, hence the title of the book. It's not just a work of ornithology, but a personal memoir of the people and natural history of Patagonia. - Summary by Kevin Davidson

6Shepherd's Life; Impressions Of The South Wiltshire Downs

By William Henry Hudson

Hudson wrote this classic work in 1910; it is admiringly mentioned by many other writers. It focuses on the memories of a head shepherd, Caleb Bawcombe, so it is concerned with the period of mid to late nineteenth century rural Wiltshire, a county in England. This pleasant engaging book contains rural wisdom, natural history, farming practices, human characters, and more - Summary by david wales

7Birds and Man

By William Henry Hudson

During the later part of his life Hudson lived in southern England, where he was involved very early on with the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds). Birds and Man is a slow moving work where Hudson discusses his love of birds, and the need for better protection of them. - Summary by clarinetcarrot

8Purple Land

By William Henry Hudson

In W.H. Hudson’s first novel, an Englishman wandering on horseback across the pampas finds adventure and romance in Uruguay. The full title became: “The Purple Land: Being the Narrative of One Richard Lamb's Adventures in The Banda Oriental, in South America, as Told By Himself”. In the preface to "The Sun Also Rises", President Teddy Roosevelt said that everyone should read "The Purple Land."- Summary by A. Gramour

9Idle Hours In A Library

By William Henry Hudson

“[these essays on Shakespeare, Pepys, Restoration novels, and bohemianism]—the results of many hours of quiet but rather aimless browsing among books, and not of special investigations, undertaken with a view to definite scholastic ends. They are, moreover, as will readily be seen, completely unacademic in style and intention.” Published in 1897. Hudson (1841-1922) was a prolific author, naturalist, and ornithologist. His most popular book in the early 20th century was Green Mansions.

10Famous Missions of California

By William Henry Hudson

Naturalist William Henry Hudson was born in Argentina of immigrant parents from England, and later settled there. He published books on ornithology and novels, and other books of far ranging interest. This is a short overview, which he calls a sketch, of the California Missions starting with the first travels of Father Junipero Serra to their time of declining influence. Summary by Larry Wilson.

11Far Away and Long Ago - A History of My Early Life (Version 2)

By William Henry Hudson

A boy (between the ages of 4 and 12) discovers the natural world around him in his home in the Argentine Pampas and in Buenos Aires. Author Hudson is best known for Green Mansions but is considered by Argentine readers as one of their own, for his “Far and Away…” and many other works highlighting South America. As a budding naturalist, Hudson was given total freedom to discover the wonders of his world. Earnest Hemingway reportedly admired Hudson’s works and even named a character in one of his books after him. This work is filled with discoveries and memorable characters, vividly portrayed. - Summary by John Greenman