HomeGroupsTalkMoreZeitgeist
Search Site
This site uses cookies to deliver our services, improve performance, for analytics, and (if not signed in) for advertising. By using LibraryThing you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Your use of the site and services is subject to these policies and terms.

Results from Google Books

Click on a thumbnail to go to Google Books.

Loading...

All Creatures Great and Small (1972)

by James Herriot

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
8,0471421,129 (4.27)328
Biography & Autobiography. Nonfiction. HTML:From a Yorkshire veterinarian and a "wise and wonderful writer": The New York Times bestseller and basis for the beloved BBC series of the same name (The Boston Globe).
In the rolling dales of Yorkshire, a simple, rural region of northern England, a young veterinarian from Sunderland joins a new practice. A stranger in a strange land, he must quickly learn the odd dialect and humorous ways of the locals, master outdated equipment, and do his best to mend, treat, and heal pets and livestock alike. This witty and heartwarming collection, based on the author's own experiences, became an international success, spawning sequels and winning over animal lovers everywhere. Perhaps better than any other writer, James Herriot reveals the ties that bind us to the creatures in our lives.… (more)
  1. 30
    My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell (MyriadBooks)
  2. 30
    Tell Me Where It Hurts: A Day of Humor, Healing, and Hope in My Life as an Animal Surgeon by Nick Trout (infiniteletters, bookel)
  3. 20
    An Irish Country Doctor by Patrick Taylor (cbl_tn)
  4. 10
    All My Patients Are Under the Bed: Memoirs of a Cat Doctor by Louis J. Camuti (MyriadBooks)
    MyriadBooks: Great War era British country vet, meet Great War era American city vet. I'm sure you'll be the greatest of friends!
  5. 10
    Call the Midwife by Jennifer Worth (cbl_tn)
    cbl_tn: These books have a similar nostalgic feel for a community and an era.
  6. 10
    The Shepherd's Life: Modern Dispatches from an Ancient Landscape by James Rebanks (AmourFou)
  7. 22
    Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen (PaperbackPirate)
  8. 00
    An Apple a Day: Adventures of a Country Doctor by Cornelius Slater (JimMcJim)
  9. 00
    Animals in Translation: Using the Mysteries of Autism to Decode Animal Behavior by Temple Grandin (MyriadBooks)
  10. 00
    Vet on the Loose by Gillian Hick (Muscogulus)
    Muscogulus: Witty memoir by a young Irish veterinarian.
  11. 00
    An Irish Country Village by Patrick Taylor (MDGentleReader)
    MDGentleReader: An Irish Country Village is about village GPs in Ireland, All Creatures Great and Small is about rural veterinarians in Yorkshire. The Irish Country series is decades later than the James Herriot series. Both are charming and generous and filled with descriptions of beautiful countryside and eccentric human and animal characters.… (more)
  12. 00
    Cats in the Belfry by Doreen Tovey (krazy4katz)
    krazy4katz: Both books display a love and respect for animals, a lovely British humor and are relaxing humorous reads.
Loading...

Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book.

No current Talk conversations about this book.

» See also 328 mentions

English (135)  Spanish (3)  Italian (3)  All languages (141)
Showing 1-5 of 135 (next | show all)
I chose the audiobook narrated by Christopher Timothy, the actor from the original 1970s TV series. I must admit that in the beginning I found it a bit hard to stay focused because of the episodic nature of the story. That changed when I got further into the story, though, and after some time I simply loved it: The good old times vibes, the kind-hearted point of view, the humour, the quiet moments when James pauses to take in the landscape and the quietness of the Yorkshire Dales. It is no wonder that these stories have been so popular for such a long time. ( )
  MissBrangwen | Jul 25, 2024 |
Adolescent reading: entertaining stories about an English vet. ( )
  sfj2 | May 14, 2024 |
Cozy, comforting (even though sad and/or gross at times), charming, humorous. A good candidate for (re-)reading a chapter before bed. ( )
  somegirl | Apr 15, 2024 |
These are the delightful, semi-autobiographical stories of veterinary surgeon James Herriot (real name Alf Wight) who trained in Glasgow then began practicing in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors in the 1940s.

From his arrival at Skeldale House, Darrowby, the stories are captivating. James deals with all manner of veterinary challenges, ornery farmers, and stoical country people. He seems to spend an inordinate amount of time with his arm right up a large animal’s back end. There are other memorable characters who add to the cosy drama of these stories: his very English employer Siegfried Farnon, Siegfried’s loveable hapless brother Tristan, the backbone of the practice, Mrs. Hall the housekeeper, rich elderly widower Mrs. Pumphrey and her pampered Pekinese Tricky Woo. And last but not least the beautiful farmer’s daughter Helen.

I thoroughly enjoyed rereading this book with its animal stories, the humour, and the wholesome romance. James is a nice, thoroughly likeable character and the book gives an insight into life in the Dales in the 1940s and the life lead by the Yorkshire farmers. ( )
  mimbza | Apr 7, 2024 |
I read this book for the first time many years ago, maybe when the first TV series ran. In my mind, now, I'm picturing the current series' landscape and actors, though some of them don't fit the author's descriptions. This was like reading it anew and I enjoyed it all even the birthings and other surgical details. ( )
  eliorajoy | Mar 4, 2024 |
Showing 1-5 of 135 (next | show all)
This book is a captivating memoir that transports readers to the picturesque Yorkshire Dales in England, where the author recounts his experiences as a country veterinarian. Through a series of charming anecdotes and heartwarming tales, Herriot invites us into the world of his beloved animal patients and the eccentric characters who populate the rural landscape..........
 

» Add other authors (31 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
James Herriotprimary authorall editionscalculated
Cade, PeterCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
García Burgos, AmparoTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Järvenpää, HeidiTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Ralph, NicholasNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Resnick, KerriCover designersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Timothy, ChristopherNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
You must log in to edit Common Knowledge data.
For more help see the Common Knowledge help page.
Canonical title
Original title
Alternative titles
Original publication date
People/Characters
Important places
Important events
Related movies
Epigraph
Dedication
To Eddie Straiton with gratitude and affection and Donald and Brian Sinclair, still my friends.
First words
They didn't say anything about this in the books, I thought, as the snow blew in through the gaping doorway and settled on my naked back.
Quotations
Last words
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
Disambiguation notice
ISBN 0553122509 is All Creatures Great and Small.
Publisher's editors
Blurbers
Original language
Canonical DDC/MDS
Canonical LCC

References to this work on external resources.

Wikipedia in English (1)

Biography & Autobiography. Nonfiction. HTML:From a Yorkshire veterinarian and a "wise and wonderful writer": The New York Times bestseller and basis for the beloved BBC series of the same name (The Boston Globe).
In the rolling dales of Yorkshire, a simple, rural region of northern England, a young veterinarian from Sunderland joins a new practice. A stranger in a strange land, he must quickly learn the odd dialect and humorous ways of the locals, master outdated equipment, and do his best to mend, treat, and heal pets and livestock alike. This witty and heartwarming collection, based on the author's own experiences, became an international success, spawning sequels and winning over animal lovers everywhere. Perhaps better than any other writer, James Herriot reveals the ties that bind us to the creatures in our lives.

No library descriptions found.

Book description
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.

James Herriot's memoirs have sold 80 million copies worldwide, and continue to delight and entertain readers of all ages.
Haiku summary

Current Discussions

None

Popular covers

Quick Links

Rating

Average: (4.27)
0.5 1
1 3
1.5
2 39
2.5 5
3 230
3.5 42
4 578
4.5 50
5 794

Is this you?

Become a LibraryThing Author.

 

About | Contact | Privacy/Terms | Help/FAQs | Blog | Store | APIs | TinyCat | Legacy Libraries | Early Reviewers | Common Knowledge | 210,986,734 books! | Top bar: Always visible