James Herriot's Yorkshire

This has been on my shelf for over 11 years and I've finally gotten round to reading it. I LOVED it! The scenery of Yorkshire looks so much like where I grew up in Eastern Oregon. I thought that when I visited York and Haworth in 2016 and was reminded as I looked through the beautiful photos in this book. It was eye-opening to imagine traveling across some of those very sparsely populated areas at night. When I've read things like Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights, I guess I imagined they traveled by streetlight---ha! But no, to imagine a coach traveling through the dark and the cold and the weather---it does seem very bleak!

I especially enjoyed the photos of York and remembered the builders who were working on York Minster when I visited show more there. Someone told me that they were learning the original ways of repairing and maintaining the building---knowledge handed down over hundreds of years. How wonderful!

I also learned something new: the name prefix "fitz" being similar to "ben" in Hebrew or the suffix of "son" in English---all meaning "son of". show less

I read JAMES HERRIOT’S YORKSHIRE because I wanted to see all the beauty Herriot spoke of in his ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL series. His descriptions of his veterinary work in Yorkshire, England made me want to visit there. But he was talking about the 1930s in his series, and I’m sure much has changed since then. Everything looks gorgeous in the pictures in JAMES HERRIOT’S YORKSHIRE, but even this was written in the 1970s. I wonder how much has changed since then.

Herriot accompanies the photographs (by Derry Brabbs) with his memories, some of his veterinary work in those locations, some of his visits there with his family, and others simply noting history. I admit to getting a little bored when he describes the scenery at show more length.

After finishing this lovely book, I still want to visit Yorkshire. But here I am in the United States and I don’t know how likely that is. I have to keep reminding myself that we have beauty over here, too, and I haven’t seen all of it yet. show less

James Herriot, author of All Creatures Great and Small, presents a descriptive and pictorial work on some of his favorite places in Yorkshire. He presents places, towns and landscapes through rambling walks, day trips, vacation and getaway spots, periods in his life and locations associated with specific people and friends. There is no doubt that Herriot loved Yorkshire and between his work and his explorations visited most of it. The book has some great photography taken in the late seventies, but unfortunately the mass market version is in black and white. I did look up a lot of the places online after reading the book to get a look at the places today. Beautiful, open and often stark country.

James Herriot's Yorkshire is a book of essays by Herriott illustrated with photographs by Derry Brabbs. Herriott practiced veterinary science in the Yorkshire area and used the setting in his books. His essays range from animal husbandry, the Yorkshire landscape and towns, historical sites to hiking trips and holiday tours. And the photos are truly magnificent. One of my English trips was to the north and we were sure to go to York, Harrogate and part of Hadrian's Wall and just looking at the photos brings it all back. I just wish I would have taken that trip after reading this book with the many suggestions for sightseeing!

The political map provided in the book was a great help in locating sites. However, except for rivers, there were show more no geographical details, which would have made placement of areas easier.

All in all, this is a fond remembrance of a most beautiful part of England. show less

I enjoyed seeing pictures of the places that feature so prominently in Herriot's books, but his writing just wasn't as enjoyable in this one.

James Herriot takes us on a tour of Yorkshire in this photo and memoir book. Lovely pictures and some stories new and old. He mentions some filming taking place, which is a movie filmed in 1975 and not either of the series which came after this book. Anyway, I wished I owned this book so I can refer to it when the show is on or I'm reading more of his books.

I love the way James Herriot makes you feel as if you are there with him seeing things and hearing the people you meet along the way.