All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot


© Kathy Kehrli
Articles in this Topic    Discussions in this Topic

Feb 15, 2001


All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot

In the summer of 1940, fresh out of Veterinary College, James Herriot joined the practice of Dr. Siegfried Farnon. Times were hard, jobs were scarce and James was lucky to have found a meager assistant’s position in a thriving small-town animal practice. How lucky, he didn’t yet know. But as the story unfolds, his passion for all animal life (both big and small), his love of the Yorkshire, England countryside and even a budding romance with his future wife take shape. All of this shines through in the words of a veterinarian who truly loved what he did.

Born James Alfred Wight, Herriot chose his pen name to keep his identity a secret. With the publication of his first book, All Creatures Great and Small, his popularity soared. Fans eventually tracked him down to the home of his practice, Skeldale House, and the secret was out.

While the names of the characters have been changed to protect the privacy of the individuals involved, the stories are true. And what tales Herriot has to tell! In the day when anesthesia came in the form of ether and Anthrax still ran rampant, Dr. Herriot sets dislocated bones, delivers newborn livestock, performs TB testing and travels the breath-taking English Dales, becoming man and animal’s best friend.

At times amusing, at length heart-warming and always entertaining, All Creatures Great and Small is just the first in a series of books written by the renowned veterinarian. His writings became so widely popular that a BBC series, based on Herriot’s works, began in 1978. If you watch your local PBS listings, you might be lucky enough to still catch these episodes. The series is also available on video cassette.

James never left his beloved countryside where he lived out his dream. In 1995, he passed away at home, yet his memory lives on...in every gentle act that humankind pays towards its animal friends.

If you’d like to learn more about James Herriot, his life, his times and his books, visit the following site: "http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropoli..."

Please join in my discussions, rate this or any of my other articles and be sure to vote in my poll. The results will determine what books you see covered here next. To sign up for updates to this page and to discuss your favorite "not-to-be-missed" books, go to the following URL: Books You Missed

Best places to buy this book online (from Best Book Buys)

     

Go To Page: 1 2


Post this Article to facebook Add this Article to del.icio.us! Digg this Article furl this Article Add this Article to Reddit Add this Article to Technorati Add this Article to Newsvine Add this Article to Windows Live Add this Article to Yahoo Add this Article to StumbleUpon Add this Article to BlinkLists Add this Article to Spurl Add this Article to Google Add this Article to Ask Add this Article to Squidoo
Print Article Print Article
Email Article Email Article
View All Articles View All Articles

Here's the follow-up discussion on this article: View all related messages
2.   Feb 20, 2001 7:59 AM
In response to message posted by Red:

Oh Kathy this looks like a good one. I'll look for this one! Thanks! ...

-- posted by micklady
1.   Jan 23, 2001 8:24 AM
Kathy,

Fantastic article!!! A welcome addition to the Nature's Treasures Event. I have listed it under the category "Existing With Nature."

I am also going to look this one up in the local l ...

-- posted by Red



Join the latest discussions

For a complete listing of article comments, questions, and other discussions related to Kathy Kehrli's Book Picks topic, please visit the Discussions page.