William Henry Hudson was a well-respected author and naturalist. Hudson was born in Argentina to two English settlers and he would eventually settle in England where he produced many ornithological studies. Hudson is now best remembered for books such as Green Mansions, A Crystal Age, and The Purple Land That England Lost.

Far Away and Long Ago, published in 1918, is a classic autobiography on Hudson's younger years. The book is notable for its description of Hudson's love for nature and how he had carefully observed birds and other animals from such a young age.