All Creatures Great and Small

All Creatures Great and Small

by James Herriot

This is one of the most wonderful books I have read in a long time. It is the memoir of a veterinarian beginning his practice in the late 1930s in the Yorkshire dales. It's wonderfully written and full of great stories and wonderful characters. Now, I am definitely not an animal person, but I suspect that someone who really loves animals would enjoy the book even more than I did.

Herriot continues his story in several sequels to this book: All Things Bright and Beautiful, All Things Wise and Wonderful, and The Lord God Made Them All. All the books are excellent, though I think the first few are strongest. Still, it is fun to follow Herriot's life and family though several decades of growth, war, and scientific and social changes.

One small caveat: this is probably not a great book choice for a squeamish person. Veterinary procedures are described in some degree of detail. If you are uncomfortable with words like "vulva" and "intestinal torsion" this book is not for you.