All Creatures Great and Small
1972 • 448 pages

Ratings48

Average rating4.4

15

Delve 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 forty 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. Some visits are heart-wrenchingly difficult, such as one to an old man in the village whose very ill dog is his only friend and companion, some are lighthearted and fun, such as Herriot's periodic visits to the overfed and pampered Pekinese Tricki Woo who throws parties and has his own stationery, and yet others are inspirational and enlightening, such as Herriot's recollections of poor farmers who will scrape their meager earnings together to be able to get proper care for their working animals. From seeing to 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.

(Printed in the UK as two books: Book #1 - *If Only They Could Talk*, and Book #2 - *It Shouldn’t Happen to a Vet*.)


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Series

Series

7 primary books

#1-2 in All Creatures Great and Small

All Creatures Great and Small is a 7-book series with 8 primary works first released in 1970 with contributions by James Herriot.

#1
If Only They Could Talk
#2
It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet
#4
Vet In Harness
#5
Vets Might Fly
#6
Vet in a Spin

Reviews

Popular Reviews

Reviews with the most likes.

One of my most beloved books ever.

June 2, 2019

Wonderfully evokes a different place and time. Like Agatha Christie, the author is so skillful and making you think what he wants you to think and feel what he wants you to feel. A classic.

May 14, 2020
January 1, 1980

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