Based on decades of research and written in clear, concise prose by one of the foremost geographers in North America, John C. Hudson's Across This Land is a comprehensive regional geography of the North American continent. Clearly organized, the book divides the entire United States and Canada into six major regions, then further subdivides them into twelve smaller areas. Hudson emphasizes each region or area's distinguishing place-specific attributes, including—to a larger degree than previous regional geographies—political considerations. In this way, the book tells the story of each region, relying on a brisk narrative that reveals the dynamic processes of their distinctive characteristics. The first extensive regional geography of the North American continent in over seventy-five years, Hudson's Across This Land will become the standard text in geography courses dealing with Canada and the U.S. as well as a popular reference work for scholars, students, and lay readers.

Hudson began in 1699 as a cluster of small industries in the northern part of the town of Marlborough, situated by the swift-flowing Assabet River. Through the years, the industries prospered and the largely immigrant workers began to bring their families to America from overseas. New homes were soon built for these families as stores, churches, and schools sprang up around town. As this factory neighborhood progressed and became self-reliant, residents petitioned the state government to become their own independent town. Because of their efforts, the town of Hudson was incorporated in 1866.

W. H. Hudson's trailblazing story of a pastoral utopia that harbors a dark secret After a landslide, Smith awakens groggy and confused. The landscape around him has changed dramatically. He wanders through the countryside, searching for any semblance of civilization, until a family takes him in. As he recounts what happened to him and where he came from, it dawns on Smith that he has somehow left his own world behind and awoken somewhere entirely new. What Smith finds is a gorgeous utopian vision of a peaceful world made real. Humans live in accordance with nature, respectful of the land and animals, untethered by technology. The cause of this new order is an alternate hierarchy of humanity that Smith must learn to adhere to—or face the consequences. As he integrates into this foreign society, Smith finds himself falling for the daughter of the house. But when he tries to tell her, he realizes the most important difference between his former world and his new one: Romantic love no longer exists. This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.

The village of Croton-on-Hudson retains the beauty that graced the shores of the Croton and Hudson Rivers nearly four hundred years ago, when Henry Hudson's ship Half Moon sailed by in 1609. Incorporated in 1898, the village originally had a population of one thousand residents. Most people worked on farms surrounding the area, in the brickyards at Croton Point, or on the railroad. With the construction of the New Croton Dam in the early 1900s, the hamlet grew, attracting European artisans, whose descendants live in the area today. A special mood infuses the village. It is small-town America in spite of its proximity to New York City. When Riverside was Main Street, tranquility, individuality, decency, simplicity, and peace of mind were common. These same features still attract newcomers, who add greatly to the quality of life. They are here because of the trees and highlands, the diverse population, and the location between two splendid rivers. Old Riverside was made up of buildings that tended to be sturdy rather than architecturally distinguished. The solid working-class community had a newspaper that echoed the interests of the people. The economy featured a mix of small industries, retail shops, and service establishments. Regardless of how wages were earned, most people participated in village life.

"Long Ago and Far Away" is the autobiography of naturalist William Hudson, who spent the first eighteen years of his life on the Argentinean pampas. Hudson is revered in Argentina, where they refer to him as Guillermo Enrique Hudson and name streets and towns after him. In simple and stately prose, he writes about his boyhood as one of several sons in an English family that ran an estancia on the Pampas. Despite several failed attempts to school him, he managed to pick up one of the best educations available: by using his eyes and ears to study nature. His skill in language, which is considerable, came from reading his father's books on his own. Whether writing about ombu trees, plovers, snakes, lightning storms, rheas (Argentinian ostriches), or his neighboring ranchers, Hudson brought a whole world to life with this book. Hudson published "Long Ago and Far Away" in 1917 while he was living in England. During W. H. Hudson's time, the Argentine pampas was a land of freedom and excitement, which he describes well in this memoir. Descriptions of natural history and wildlife also abound, together with politics and interpersonal relationships of the times. You'd think Hudson's book would give insights into Hudson's childhood and life - and it does - but more importantly it recreates the history, culture and geography of Argentina in a way few travel books accomplish. "Long Ago and Far Away" is perhaps one of the greatest autobiographies ever written, a book that will, without question, withstand several readings.