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Books Featuring Cats: Read Any Good Ones, Lately? » Group Forum

James Herriot books

  
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Sasha

Big Kitty
 
 
Purred: Wed Nov 14, '07 9:41pm PST 
James Herriot is widely celebrated by animal lovers around the world, and has published a number of books. His first-person chronicle of a young animal doctor is both hilarious, charming, and filled with hope and sadness. A series of books includes:

All Things Great and Small
All Things Bright and Beautiful
All Things Wise and Wonderful
The Lord God Made Them All
Every Living Thing

I believe the titles are from a song. And I believe he has written other works, but I haven't researched them in detail.
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Zoe

Little Bambi Zoe
 
 
Purred: Wed Nov 14, '07 9:50pm PST 
I read "All things great and small". I absolutely loved it! Although it wasn't specifically about cats, the stories are priceless. Herriot chronicles his experiences as a young animal doctor in the Yorkshire area of the English countryside. The people he encounters and their relationships with their animals are unique, but also universal.

I think maybe I'll just post the summary on the back. It sounds nicer.

"Take an unforgettable journey through the English countryside and into the homes of its inhabitants - four-legged and otherise- with the world's best-loved animal doctor. For over 25 years-since All Creatures Great and Small was first published - readers have delighted to the storytelling genius of James Herriot, the Yorkshire verterinarian whose fascinating vignettes brim with the wonder of life, animal and human.

Whether struggling to postition a calf for birthing, or comforting a lonely old man whose beloved dog and only companion has died, Herriot's heartwarming and often hilarious stories of his first years as a country vet perfectly depict the wonderful relationship between man and animal - and they intimately portray a man whose humor, compassion, and love of life are truly inspiring."
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Linus- (Dreamboat- #72a)

So many toys, so- little time.
 
 
Purred: Wed Nov 14, '07 9:56pm PST 
I love James Herriot's books too!

There is also:
James Herriot's Yorkshire (an illustrated tour of Yorkshire)
James Herriot's Cat Stories (stories can be found in his other books)
James Herriot's Dog Stories (stories also found in his other books)
several children's stories

The Real James Herriot - A memoir of my father by James Wight
this is a biography of James Herriot written by his son.
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ishtar- *proud- wobnapt*

monday-again!
 
 
Purred: Wed Nov 14, '07 9:57pm PST 
...the human just knew the TV series... [and loved it when she was very, very young.]

I found there's a book by J. Herriot named "Cat Stories". Does anycat know if this is just a collection from the series or if it's "an own" book???

[answered while I was still writing - thanks!]

Edited by author Wed Nov 14, '07 9:58pm PST

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Linus- (Dreamboat- #72a)

So many toys, so- little time.
 
 
Purred: Wed Nov 14, '07 10:13pm PST 
Ishtar, James Herriot's Cat Stories is a collection of 10 cat stories from his other books - not new stories. It does have a nice intro from James Herriot though.
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Zoe

Little Bambi Zoe
 
 
Purred: Thu Nov 15, '07 9:30am PST 
Cool! I'm so glad that you cats know of the books...

Linus, what are the other books like? Are they similar to "All Creatures Great and Small"?

Do you have the "Cat Stories" book, Ishtar?
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Linus- (Dreamboat- #72a)

So many toys, so- little time.
 
 
Purred: Thu Nov 15, '07 11:25am PST 
Hi Zoe,

I liked the other books just as much as All Creatures Great and Small. The are kind of similar, a continuation of his experiences as a veterinarian with new stories, and all are all beautifully written.

I also have the cat stories book and the dog stories book. They are great too, and have nice intros/forwords from James Herriot. Be aware though, these are not new stories - they are collections of stories found in his other books.

The biography written by his son is also a very nice book and also recommended.
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Felix

Felix the Lap- Cat
 
 
Purred: Tue Nov 20, '07 4:29pm PST 
As Linus noted, the other books in the series are very similar, and a continuation of his vet experiences. I've reread some of them, and have never tired of them.

I also have the "Cat Stories" volume - good to have whenever you just want to go back and read about his cat experiences. It's beautifully illustrated, too. I haven't read the biography Linus mentioned yet, but my mother has - I gave it to her as a gift, since she loves the Herriot books, too.

Sasha - the titles in Herriot's original series are indeed based on the lines of a lovely old hymn, one of my favorites:

"All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all."
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ishtar- *proud- wobnapt*

monday-again!
 
 
Purred: Tue Nov 20, '07 11:14pm PST 
Hi Zoe, hello to all!

It's like always: I do have to wait. Human wanted to order it, then thought she might have luck in a second-hand bookshop. No way. Not even a translation. *sigh* At the moment we're discussing if we'll order it and read it weeks after you... cry

Wish you a nice reading. Winter. Reading time. Have fun! wink

Edited by author Tue Nov 20, '07 11:16pm PST

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ishtar- *proud- wobnapt*

monday-again!
 
 
Purred: Mon Dec 3, '07 2:59am PST 
The human found a friend who has lent her "Cat Stories". Good.

A translated version. Not so good.

To cut it short:
Re-reading is always a bit risky as the stories or books you read connect you to the time you've first seen or read them. In this case the human was re-reading a childhood memory. A very ambivalent experience she won't repeat too soon…

Coarse and strange people full of warmth and strange habits. Wonderful.
Silly and individual cats. Great.
A vet with mistakes and sympathy for patients and their feeders. Marvelous.
Nice and often too short stories. Sad. Not enough in more than one sense.

Anyway: we had a wonderful reading Sunday with tea, candles, cookies and memories of "good old times". Which – altogether – is a very good job a book can do. And it is absolutely not Mr. Wight's (alias Mr. Herriot) fault when a reader is a bit unkind and over-critical towards her former demands on stories.
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