Synopses & Reviews
In the years after the publication of
All Creatures Great and Small, James Herriot became the most beloved storyteller of our time. The warm and joyful memoirs of his life as a country vet in England's Yorkshire have endeared him to countless readers around the world. In addition to the succeeding volumes in that series-
All Things Bright and Beautiful, All Things Wise and Wonderful, The Lord God Made Them All, and
Every Living Thing-his writing has appeared in eight children's books and in the special illustrated volumes
James Herriot's Yorkshire and
The Best of James Herriot. James Herriot's Cat Stories, with more than a million copies in print, became his most popular hardcover ever. And, in this volume, the kindly animal doctor collects fifty of his tales about his very favorite animal-man's best friend.
Herriot tells us that even at an early age "I was fascinated by dogs...I could never quite take dogs for granted. Why were they so devoted to the human race? Why should they delight in our company and welcome us home in transports of joy? Why should their greatest pleasure lie in being with us in our homes and wherever we were?...As a vet I could be with dogs all the time, attending to them, curing their illnesses, saving their lives." And although-as James Herriot was soon to find out-being a vet in the Yorkshire Dales meant caring for cows, sheep, and horses, with precious little time left over for "small animal" practice, somehow dogs continued to play a large pare in both his personal and his professional life.
Here are the complete dog stories form the first four volumes of his memoirs: a handsome collection of tales (some available nowhere else in America) that will warm the hearts of dog lovers around the world. Featuring a special introduction by the author and his own accompanying notes to each story, and warmly illustrated by Victor Ambrus, this tribute from man to dog is a volume no Herriot fan will want to be without.
Review
"Fifty touching and memorable dog stories from the veterinarian and master storyteller of Yorkshire... an extra special treat!" -
-Kirkus Reviews "Herriot's real gift lies in keeping us intrigued with his human and dog characters...Herriot teaches us how unpredictable and joyous life can be." --
San Francisco Chronicle "[Herriot has the] ability to touch readers with his stories of pets and their eccentric owners and to bring them into the harshly beautiful world of the Yorkshire dales." --
Chicago Tribune"His message is affectionate, and his four-footed creatures are irresistible." --Time
Review
"His message is affectionate, and his four-footed creatures are irresistible." --
Time"Herriot's skill as a storyteller is classic." --Detroit Free Press
"For Herriot fans, it's like meeting old friends." --Publishers Weekly
"Fifty touching and memorable dog stories from the veterinarian and master storyteller of Yorkshire...an extra special treat!"-Kirkus Reviews
"Herriot's real gift lies in keeping us intrigued with his human and dog characters...Herriot teaches us how unpredictable and joyous life can be."--San Francisco Chronicle
Review
"[Herriot has the] ability to touch readers with his stories of pets and their eccentric owners and to bring them into the harshly beautiful world of the Yorkshire dales." --
Chicago Tribune"His message is affectionate, and his four-footed creatures are irresistible." --Time magazine
"Herriot's real gift lies in keeping us intrigued with his human and dog characters...Herriot teaches us how unpredictable and joyous life can be." --San Francisco Chronicle
"There is no finer teller of dog stories in the world than James Herriot." --Knickerbocker News
Review
"James Herriot found a gentle, wise and often humorous way to write about animals and to evoke a beautiful but fading way of life in those Yorkshire Hills. He showed me how to focus not just on the animals, but on the people who lived with the animals, and their loving, sometimes difficult and very wonderful connections with one another. While he is known for his wonderful writing about animals, I often think of his ability to capture people. From the first, I've tried to capture that feeling, that uplifting and heartwarming style. I can't say that I have ever quite matched the writing of James Herriot, but he has always inspired me and given me something to aim for. He often makes me smile, sometimes makes me cry, you can't really ask more from a writer than that."—Jon Katz, New York Times bestselling author of Second Chance Dog, A Dog Year, A Good Dog, and many others "I recall reading All Creatures Great and Small many years ago, while working as a veterinary technician for a mobile vet in Los Angeles. We worked with cats and dogs, of course, but with farm animals, too, and apes and monkeys and angry pet raccoons, burros, crows, macaws- the variety of pets in Los Angeles was limitless. During that wonderful time, Id be beaten senseless by a kangaroo, held hostage by a love-struck chimpanzee, chased by angry hogs, and sat on by a miniature horse inside of a well-known celebritys home. It was a magical time, and it made perfect sense for me to read Herriot in the evenings, a grand fellow whod roam the English countryside making veterinary house calls, effortlessly moving from draft horses to kittens, healing, telling stories. I felt a kinship with him and his magical world, and marveled at his talent for drawing me into his cast of characters. Later in life, when I too would write of my experiences with animals and their people, I would hearken to Herriots Yorkshire Dales, and to prose so genuine that it would help inspire my own career as a writer and pet behaviorist. Herriot to me remains a superhero of sorts, who, in visiting home after home like some veterinary Santa, taught me how simple, heartwarming prose about people and their animals could rise above the commonplace, and become art."—Steve Duno, author of Last Dog on the Hill, The Everything Cat Book and The Amazing Dog Trick Book
Synopsis
This classic bestseller from America's most beloved storyteller, Veterinarian James Herriot, contains fifty unforgettable, heartwarming tales about dogs great and small. We read heartwarming stories of James Herriot's own dogs as well as all the wonderful people and animals we have already met and grown to love in his four bestselling story collections. This collection features the best of Herriot's dog stories, including three stories that were not previously published, and original, special commentary from Herriot on each story.
With an introduction and notes from James Herriot himself, this tribute to man's best friend will move you to laughter and tears. This is a book that will be treasured for years to come.
Synopsis
James Herriot is one of the most beloved storytellers of our time. The warm and joyful memoirs of his life as a country vet in Yorkshire have endeared him to countless readers around the world, and many of his most memorable tales featured man's best friend.
Here are the complete dog stories from his much-beloved memoirs: a handsome collection of tales, available for the first time in trade paperback, that will warm the hearts of dog lovers around the world. Featuring a special introduction by the author and his own accompanying notes to each specially illustrated story, this tribute from man to dog is a volume no Herriot fan will want to be without.
Synopsis
In this very special, heart-warming collection of favorite stories about dogs great and small, James Herriot tells us about his own dogs and all the wonderful people and animals we have come to love so much.
Fifty memorable tales move us to both laughter and tears, and Herriot's personal introduction and notes make this tribute by a master storyteller to man's best friend a book to read, reread, and be treasured for years to come.
About the Author
James Herriot (1916-1995) was the bestselling author of memoirs including All Creatures Great and Small, All Things Bright and Beautiful, All Things Wise and Wonderful, The Lord God Made Them All, and Every Living Thing. At age 23, Herriot qualified for veterinary practice with the Glasgow Veterinary College, and moved to the town of Thirsk in Yorkshire to work in a rural practice. He would live in, work in, and write about the region for the rest of his life. Though he dreamed for years of writing a book, his veterinary work and his family kept him busy, and he did not start writing until the age of 50. In 1979, he was awarded the title Order of the British Empire (OBE). His veterinary practice in Yorkshire, England, is now tended by his son, Jim Wight.