W. H. Hudson's frequent rambles around the English countryside resulted in several captivating travel narratives and helped inspire the back-to-nature movement of the 1920s and 1930s. A Shepherd's Life is a collection of Hudson's impressions of the land and people of the South Wiltshire Downs including the shepherds who roam the region with their flocks, their relationships with their dogs, and the hardship of everyday life.