Synopses & Reviews
These are the stories that catapulted James Herriot to literary fame. When this book was first published, it was merely a simple volume of memoirs by an unknown Scottish veterinarian. But within a year, the book became recognized as a masterpiece. And in the three decades that followed, Dr. Herriot became one of the most universally loved authors of our time.
In this first volume of memoirs, then-newly-qualified vet James Herriot arrives in the small Yorkshire village of Darrowby and he has no idea what to expect. How will he get on with his new boss? With the local farmers? And what will the animals think? This program is filled with hilarious and touching tales of the unpredictable Sigfriend Farnon, Sigfreid's zany brother, Tristan, and Herriot's first encounters with a beautiful girl called Helen.
Now as then, All Creatures Great and Small is full of humor, warmth, pathos, drama, and James Herriot's love of life. His journey across the Yorkshire dales, and his encounters with humans and dogs, cows, and kittens are lovingly told by Christopher Timothy with all the fascination, affection, and joy that suffuses Dr. Herriot's work.
Review
"If there is any justice, All Creatures Great and Small will become a classic of its kind . . . With seemingly effortless art, this man tells his stories with perfect timing and optimum scale. Many more famous authors could work for a lifetime and not achieve more flawless literary control." Chicago Tribune Book World
Review
"Absolutely super, a rarity, magnificently written, insightful, unforgettable. . . . If you have ever loved a friend, human or otherwise, this is the book for you."
- Houston Chronicle
"This warm, joyous and often hilarious first-person chronicle of a young animal doctor . . . shines with love of life."
- The New York Times Book Review
"One of the funniest and most likeable books around."
- The Atlantic Monthly
"[Herriot] is the most entertaining, most thoroughly likeable, most engaging person to have come along in a long time, and the stories he has to tell are fascinating."
- The Washington Post
"If there is any justice, All Creatures Great and Small will become a classic of its kind . . . With seemingly effortless art, this man tells his stories with perfect timing and optimum scale. Many more famous authors could work for a lifetime and not achieve more flawless literary control."
- Chicago Tribune Book World
"Herriot charms because he delights in life, embraces it with sensitivity and gust and writes with grace. All Creatures Great and Small may well be the happiest book of the year."
- The New York Times Book Review
"Absolutely super, a rarity, magnificently written, insightful, unforgettable . . . If you have ever loved a friend, human or otherwise, this is the book for you."
- Houston Chronicle
"Refreshingly original . . . as close to a novel as a chronicle of memoirs could be . . . hilarious, touching, athletic and warming . . . Dr. Herriot's characters . . . rival any from British fiction."
- Los Angeles Times
"James Herriot . . . is one of those rare men who know how to appreciate the ordinary . . . a natural storyteller."ar- The New York Times
"Warm, anecdotal . . . All Creature Great and Small makes you feel good about the worried and some of the people in it."
- San Francisco Chronicle
"What the world needs now, and does every so often, is a warm, G-rated, down-home, unadrenalized prize of a book that sneaks onto the bestseller lists . . . James Herriot's memoirs qualify admirably."
- Time
"An inspirational book . . . with all its comedy; tragedy, drama, and farce . . . works like a spring tonic: It lifts the spirits and warms the heart . . . There is no advice, no pat formula for better living. There is just Herriot, a man you cannot resist."
- Chicago Tribune
"Herriot has a real flair for writing and his book is a treat."
- Publishers Weekly
Review
"One of the funniest and most likeable books around."--
Atlantic Monthly"If there is any justice, All Creatures Great And Small will become a classic of its kind...With seemingly effortless art, this man tells his stories with perfect timing and optimum scale. Many more famous authors could work for a lifetime and not achieve more flawless literary control."-- Chicago Tribune Book World
"Herriot charms because he delights in life, embraces it with sensitivity and gust and writes with grace. All Creatures Great And Small may well be the happiest book of the year."-- The New York Times Book Review
Review
"This warm, joyous and often hilarious first-person chronicle of a young animal doctor . . . shines with love of life." The New York Times Book Review
Review
"One of the funniest and most likeable books around." The Atlantic Monthly
Review
"[Herriot] is the most entertaining, most thoroughly likeable, most engaging person to have come along in a long time, and the stories he has to tell are fascinating." The Washington Post
Review
"Herriot charms because he delights in life, embraces it with sensitivity and gust and writes with grace. All Creatures Great and Small may well be the happiest book of the year." The New York Times Book Review
Review
"Absolutely super, a rarity, magnificently written, insightful, unforgettable . . . If you have ever loved a friend, human or otherwise, this is the book for you." Houston Chronicle
Review
"Refreshingly original . . . as close to a novel as a chronicle of memoirs could be . . . hilarious, touching, athletic and warming . . . Dr. Herriot's characters . . . rival any from British fiction." Los Angeles Times
Review
"James Herriot . . . is one of those rare men who know how to appreciate the ordinary . . . a natural storyteller." The New York Times
Review
"Warm, anecdotal . . . All Creature Great and Small makes you feel good about the worried and some of the people in it." San Francisco Chronicle
Review
"What the world needs now, and does every so often, is a warm, G-rated, down-home, unadrenalized prize of a book that sneaks onto the bestseller lists . . . James Herriot's memoirs qualify admirably." Time
Review
"An inspirational book . . . with all its comedy; tragedy, drama, and farce . . . works like a spring tonic: It lifts the spirits and warms the heart . . . There is no advice, no pat formula for better living. There is just Herriot, a man you cannot resist." Chicago Tribune
Review
"Herriot has a real flair for writing and his book is a treat." Publishers Weekly
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"This warm, joyous and often hilarious first-person chronicle of a young animal doctor . . . shines with love of life.Herriot charms because he delights in life, embraces it with sensitivity and gusto and writes with grace.
All Creatures Great and Small may well be the happiest book of the year"—
The New York Times Book Review "One of the funniest and most likeable books around."—The Atlantic Montly
"[Herriot] is the most entertaining, most thoroughly likeable, most engaging person to have come along in a long time, and the stories he has to tell are fascinating."—The Washington Post
"If there is any justice, All Creatures Great and Small will become a classic of its kind . . . With seemingly effortless art, this man tells his stories with perfect timing and optimum scale. Many more famous authors could work for a lifetime and not achieve more flawless literary control."—Chicago Tribune Book World
"Absolutely super, a rarity, magnificently written, insightful, unforgettable . . . If you have ever loved a friend, human or otherwise, this is the book for you."—Houston Chronicle
"Refreshingly original. . . hilarious, touching, athletic and warming."—Los Angeles Times
"James Herriot . . . is one of those rare men who know how to appreciate the ordinary . . . a natural storyteller."—The New York Times "An inspirational book . . . with all its comedy; tragedy, drama, and farce . . . works like a spring tonic: It lifts the spirits and warms the heart . . . There is no advice, no pat formula for better living. There is just Herriot, a man you cannot resist."—Chicago Tribune
"Refreshingly original . . . as close to a novel as a chronicle of memoirs could be . . . hilarious, touching, athletic and warming . . . Dr. Herriot's characters . . . rival any from British fiction."
- Los Angeles Times
"Warm, anecdotal . . . All Creature Great and Small makes you feel good about the worried and some of the people in it."
- San Francisco Chronicle
"What the world needs now, and does every so often, is a warm, G-rated, down-home, unadrenalized prize of a book that sneaks onto the bestseller lists . . . James Herriot's memoirs qualify admirably."
- Time
"Herriot has a real flair for writing and his book is a treat."
- Publishers Weekly
Synopsis
Twenty years ago, St. Martin's Press published a volume of memoirs by an unknown Scottish veterinarian named James Herriot. Its title was
All Creatures Great and Small.
Within a year, the book had become recognized as a masterpiece. In the two decades that have followed, James Herriot has become one of the most universally loved authors of our time.
Now, as we celebrate the publication of Every Living Thing-- the country vet's fifth book of memoirs-- St. Martin's is proud to reissue the book that started it all. Its pages, now as then, are full of humor, warmth, pathos, drama, and James Herriot's unique, richly justified love of life. His journeys across the Yorkshire dales, his encounters with humans and dogs, cows and kittens are illumined by his infinite fascination and affection, and rendered with all the infectious joy of a born storyteller.
As one reviewer wrote," If you ever loved a friend, human or otherwise, this is the book for you."
Synopsis
Take an unforgettable journey through the English countryside and into the homes of its inhabitants-- four-legged and otherwise-- with the world's best-loved animal doctor.
For over 25 years-- since All Creatures Great and Small was first published-- readers have delighted to the storytelling genius of James Herriot, the Yorkshire veterinarian whose fascinating vignettes brim with the wonder of life, animal and human.
Whether struggling mightily to position a calf for birthing, or comforting a lonely old man whose beloved dog and only companion has died, Herriot's heartwarming and often hilarious stories of his first years as a country vet perfectly depict the wonderful relationship between man and animal-- and they intimately portray a man whose humor, compassion , and love of life are truly inspiring.
Synopsis
The classic multimillion copy bestsellerDelve into the magical, unforgettable world of James Herriot, the world's most beloved veterinarian, and his menagerie of heartwarming, funny, and tragic animal patients.
For over thirty years, generations of readers have thrilled to Herriot's marvelous tales, deep love of life, and extraordinary storytelling abilities. For decades, Herriot roamed the remote, beautiful Yorkshire Dales, treating every patient that came his way from smallest to largest, and observing animals and humans alike with his keen, loving eye.
In All Creatures Great and Small, we meet the young Herriot as he takes up his calling and discovers that the realities of veterinary practice in rural Yorkshire are very different from the sterile setting of veterinary school. From caring for his patients in the depths of winter on the remotest homesteads to dealing with uncooperative owners and critically ill animals, Herriot discovers the wondrous variety and never-ending challenges of veterinary practice as his humor, compassion, and love of the animal world shine forth.
Synopsis
These are the stories that catapulted James Herriot to literary fame. When this book was first published, it was merely a simple volume of memoirs by an unknown Scottish veterinarian. But within a year, the book became recognized as a masterpiece. And in the three decades that followed, Dr. Herriot became one of the most universally loved authors of our time.
In this first volume of memoirs, then-newly-qualified vet James Herriot arrives in the small Yorkshire village of Darrowby and he has no idea what to expect. How will he get on with his new boss? With the local farmers? And what will the animals think? This program is filled with hilarious and touching tales of the unpredictable Sigfriend Farnon, Sigfreid's zany brother, Tristan, and Herriot's first encounters with a beautiful girl called Helen.
Now as then, All Creatures Great and Small is full of humor, warmth, pathos, drama, and James Herriot's love of life. His journey across the Yorkshire dales, and his encounters with humans and dogs, cows, and kittens are lovingly told by Christopher Timothy with all the fascination, affection, and joy that suffuses Dr. Herriot's work.
About the Author
James Herriot lived in Yorkshire, England with his wife and family, where his son has now taken over his veterinary practice. He is the author of the classic international bestsellers
All Things Bright and Beautiful, All Things Wise and Wonderful, and
The Lord God Made Them All. He is also the author of numerous collections of short stories and a series of illustrated books for children. Dr. Herriot died in February 1995.
Reader Christopher Timothy starred as James Herriot in All Creatures Great and Small, the internationally-renowned BBC television series based on Dr. Herriot's work. A 25-year vetern of stage, screen and TV, Mr. Timothy is winner of the prestigious Sir John Gielgud Scholarship and the Sir Laurence Olivier Award.