A Shepherd's Life: Impressions of the South Wiltshire Downs

Written by William Henry Hudson

Narrated by Finian Silverwood

A Shepherd’s Life blends memoir and natural history in a reflective portrait of the South Wiltshire Downs. Through vivid descriptions of Salisbury Plain, rural customs, and encounters with shepherds and bird-scarers, William Henry Hudson captures the quiet beauty of an overlooked landscape. The book explores solitude, tradition, and human connection, revealing a pastoral world shaped by endurance, simplicity, and a deep harmony between people and nature.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Interactive Media
• Release date: Jan 18, 2026
• ISBN: 9781836100744

William Henry Hudson

William Henry Hudson (1841–1922) was an author and naturalist. Hudson was born in Argentina, the son of English and American parents. There, he studied local plants and animals as a young man, publishing his findings in Proceedings of the Royal Zoological Society, in a mixture of English and Spanish. Hudson’s familiarity with nature was readily evident in later novels such as A Crystal Age and Green Mansions. He later aided the founding of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.