James Herriot Popular Books
James Herriot Biography & Facts
James Alfred Wight (3 October 1916 – 23 February 1995), better known by his pen name James Herriot, was a British veterinary surgeon and author. Born in Sunderland, Wight graduated from Glasgow Veterinary College in 1939, returning to England to become a veterinary surgeon in Yorkshire, where he practised for almost 50 years. He is best known for writing a series of eight books set in the 1930s–1950s Yorkshire Dales about veterinary practice, animals, and their owners, which began with If Only They Could Talk, first published in 1970. Over the decades, the series of books has sold some 60 million copies. The franchise based on his writings was very successful. In addition to the books, there have been several television and film adaptations of Wight's books, including the 1975 film All Creatures Great and Small; a BBC television series of the same name, which ran 90 episodes; and a 2020 UK Channel 5 series, also of the same name. Life James Alfred Wight, who was called "Alf" for short, was born on 3 October 1916 in Sunderland, County Durham, England. Although Wight was born in England, the family moved to Glasgow when James was a child, and he lived there happily until leaving for Sunderland, and then Thirsk in 1940. He had a "soft, lilting Scottish accent," according to actor Christopher Timothy, who portrayed James Herriot in the 1978 series. Wight attended Yoker Primary School and Hillhead High School. When he was a boy in Glasgow, one of Wight's favourite pastimes was walking with his dog, an Irish Setter, in the Scottish countryside and watching it play with his friends' dogs. He later wrote: "I was intrigued by the character and behaviour of these animals... [I wanted to] spend my life working with them if possible." At age 12, he read an article in Meccano Magazine about veterinary surgeons and was captivated with the idea of a career treating sick animals. Two years later, in 1930, he decided to become a vet after the principal of Glasgow Veterinary College gave a lecture at his high school. Wight married Joan Catherine Anderson Danbury on 5 November 1941 at St Mary's Church, Thirsk. After they returned to Thirsk, Wight "carried on TB testing [of] cows in Wensleydale and the top floor of 23 Kirkgate became Joan and Alf’s first home". The couple had two children: James Alexander (born 13 February 1943), who also became a veterinarian and eventually his father's successor in the practice, and Rosemary (born 9 May 1947), who became a general practitioner.: 148, 169, 292 Veterinary practice Wight took six years to complete the five-year programme at Glasgow Veterinary College. He failed several of his classes on the first try (surgery, pathology, physiology, histology, animal husbandry). His setback was partly because of a recurring gastrointestinal problem, which required multiple operations. He graduated on 14 December 1939. The new vet's first position, which he accepted in January 1940, was at a veterinary practice in Sunderland, working for J. J. McDowall. He decided that he would prefer a rural practice and accepted a position in July, based at 23 Kirkgate in Thirsk, Yorkshire, near the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors. The practice owner, Donald Sinclair, had enlisted in the Royal Air Force (RAF) and was soon to leave for training; he gave Wight all the practice's income in return for Wight's looking after it during his absence. (His brother, Brian Sinclair, was not yet a vet.) After Sinclair was discharged from the RAF four months later, he asked Wight to stay permanently with the practice, offering a salaried partnership, which Wight accepted. Wight enlisted in the RAF in November 1942. He did well in his training and was one of the first in his flight to fly solo. After undergoing surgery on an anal fistula in July 1943, he was deemed unfit to fly combat aircraft and was discharged as a leading aircraftman the following November. He joined his wife at her parents' house, where she had lived since he left Thirsk. They lived there until the summer of 1945, when they moved back to 23 Kirkgate after Sinclair and his wife moved to a house of their own. In 1953, the family moved to a house on Topcliffe Road, Thirsk. Wishing for more privacy as the popularity of All Creatures Great and Small increased, in 1977 Wight and his wife moved again, to the smaller village of Thirlby, about 4 miles (6.4 km) from Thirsk. Wight lived there until his death in 1995. Wight became a full partner in the Thirsk practice in 1949 and retired from full-time practice in 1980 but continued to work part time. He fully retired in 1989 (or 1990 according to some sources); by then, he had worked in his field for roughly 50 years. Death In Wight's will, his share of the practice passed to his son, Jim Wight, also a vet. Alf Wight had been diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1991 and was treated in the Friarage Hospital in Northallerton.: 345, 352 He died on 23 February 1995 at home in Thirlby at age 78, leaving an estate valued for probate at £5,425,873 (equivalent to £11,096,613 in 2021). His remains were cremated and scattered on Sutton Bank. His wife's health declined after his death, and she died on 14 July 1999. Remembering Alf Wight In 2001, a book by Wight's son, Jim, was published. A review of The Real James Herriot: A Memoir of My Father noted, "Wight portrays his father as a modest, down-to-earth and generous man, utterly unchanged by fame, a private individual who bottled up his emotions, which led to a nervous breakdown and electroshock therapy in 1960." Wight's obituary confirmed his modesty and preference to stay away from the public eye. "It doesn't give me any kick at all," he once said. "It's not my world. I wouldn't be happy there. I wouldn't give up being a vet if I had a million pounds. I'm too fond of animals." By 1995, some 50 million of the James Herriot books had been sold. Wight was well aware that clients were unimpressed with the fame that accompanied a best-selling author. "If a farmer calls me with a sick animal, he couldn't care less if I were George Bernard Shaw," Wight once said. Career as an author Although Wight claimed in the preface of James Herriot's Yorkshire that he had begun to write only after his wife encouraged him when he was 50, he in fact kept copious diaries as a child, as a teenager wrote for his school's magazine, and wrote at least one short story during his college years.: 97, 163 In the early 1960s he began analysing the books of successful authors that he enjoyed reading, such as P. G. Wodehouse and Conan Doyle, to understand different writing styles.: 244 During this time he also began writing more seriously, composing numerous short stories and, in his own words, 'bombarding' publishers with them.: 233, 238 Based on the year when he started work in Thirsk, the stories in the first two books would have taken place early during the Second World War. Wight preferred to have them take place in a quieter era .... Discover the James Herriot popular books. Find the top 100 most popular James Herriot books.
Best Seller James Herriot Books of 2024
-
Tales Out of School
Gervase Phinn'[Gervase Phinn is] a worthy successor to James Herriot, and every bit as endearing.' bestselling author Alan Titchmarsh'A shining light in our dark days' 5 STAR reader reviewAft...
-
The Heart of the Dales
Gervase PhinnEscape to the country with Gervase Phinn's heartwarming tales of life as a school inspector in Yorkshire'Gervase Phinn's memoirs have made him a hero in school staffrooms' Daily Te...
-
Scar Tissue
William G. TapplyBrady Coyne is an attorney with a select clientele and a small practice he handles mostly the boring paperwork such as deeds, wills, and divorces and leaves the more exciting aspe...
-
Personal Narrative of a Journey to the Equinoctial Regions of the New Continent
Alexander von HumboldtOne of the greatest nineteenthcentury scientistexplorers, Alexander von Humboldt traversed the tropical Spanish Americas between 1799 and 1804. By the time of his death in 1859, he...
-
Seasons of My Life
Hannah HauxwellThe classic, No.1 bestselling and muchloved memoir by Hannah Hauxwell about life in remote Yorkshire in the 1970s.'The world's favourite Daleswoman' YORKSHIRE POST'She brings the r...
-
Losses and Gains
Lya Fett LuftIn her bestselling book Losses and Gains, Lya Luft draws on her own experiences of loss and gain in marriage and family to address the universal themes of childhood, love and matur...
-
Positively Fifth Street
James McManusRough sex, black magic, murder, and the scienceand erosof gambling meet in the ultimate book about Las VegasJames McManus was sent to Las Vegas by Harper's to cover the World Seri...
-
The Magic In Your Hands
Brian SnellgroveIn this book Brian Snellgrove will provide you with a method for seeing and tuning into other peoples' auras their problems, their needs and understanding them, without a requirem...
-
Three Times A Day, Doctor
Dr Robert CliffordThree Times a Day, Doctor? combines the first three books in this humorous and heartwarming doctor series: Just Here Doctor; Not There Doctor; and What Next, Doctor? Together the p...
-
Head Over Heels in the Dales
Gervase PhinnJoin Gervase Phinn in the classroom where he faces his greatest challenge: keeping a straight face as teachers and children alike conspire to have him laughing out loud . . .'So fu...
-
Finding James Herriot
Michael SuitJason Davies was looking forward to graduation, when his dreams of being a veterinarian in Southern California would soon become a reality. However, a decision made years earlier c...
-
A Lesson in Love
Gervase Phinn'[Gervase Phinn is] a worthy successor to James Herriott, and every bit as endearing.' bestselling author Alan Titchmarsh Love is in the air in the little village of Bartoninthe...
-
Muster Dogs From Pups to Pros
Lisa MillarHow ten dogs stole the hearts of millions and changed lives forever, for fans of the TV show now streaming on ABC iview and Netflix.When Muster Dogs first hit screens in 2022, view...
-
Up and Down in the Dales
Gervase PhinnEscape to the country with Gervase Phinn's heartwarming tales of life as a school inspector in Yorkshire'Gervase Phinn's memoirs have made him a hero in school staffrooms' Daily Te...
-
Pets and the City
Dr. Amy AttasNew York City’s premier “house call veterinarian” takes you into the exclusive penthouses and fourstar hotel rooms of the wealthiest New Yorkers and shows that, when it comes to th...
-
12 Birds to Save Your Life
Charlie CorbettDiscover the healing power of nature through the stories of these characterful birds, whose song is never far away . . .LONGLISTED FOR THE 2022 WAINWRIGHT PRIZE'A lyrical and lifea...
-
The New Rector
Rebecca ShawPerfect for fans of Barbara Pym'Rebecca's wit, humour and brilliant observational skills put her in the forefront of village storytelling. I never tire of reading her wonderful nov...
-
Dear Teacher
Jack SheffieldIt's 1979: Dallas is enthralling the nation on TV, Mrs Thatcher has just become prime minister, Abba is top of the pops, and in the small Yorkshire village of RagleyontheForest, Ja...
-
Secrets at the Little Village School
Gervase Phinn'[Gervase Phinn is] a worthy successor to James Herriott, and every bit as endearing.' bestselling author Alan Titchmarsh'It's a small village is BartonintheDale, Mrs Stirling,' s...
-
Three James Herriot Classics
James HerriotThe beloved New York Times bestsellers that inspired the popular BBC seriesfrom a Yorkshire veterinarian and a “wise and wonderful writer” (The Boston Globe). Perhaps better than a...
-
The School at the Top of the Dale
Gervase Phinn'[Gervase Phinn is] a worthy successor to James Herriott, and every bit as endearing.' bestselling author Alan TitchmarshNewly qualified teacher Tom Dwyer has been given his first...
-
The Other Side of the Dale
Gervase PhinnTake a trip to the country with Gervase Phinn's heartwarming tales of life as a school inspector in Yorkshire'Gervase Phinn's memoirs have made him a hero in school staffrooms' Dai...
-
When We Get to Surf City
Bob GreeneIn a dazzling and exhilarating display of narrative ontheroad reporting, awardwinning journalist and New York Times bestselling author Bob Greene takes readers on an unforgettable ...
-
Deep Jungle
Fred PearceDEEP JUNGLE is an exploration of the most alien and feared habitat on Earth. Starting with man's earliest recorded adventures, Fred Pearce journeys high into the canopy home to tw...
-
My Patients Like Treats
Duncan MacVeanIt’s all fun and games until somebody ends up in a cone. Physicians used to make house calls. Today, a few veterinarians still do. Duncan MacVean, DVM, is one such vet. His patient...
-
Keeping Poultry and Rabbits on Scraps
Alan Thompson & Claude GoodchildFirst issued in 1941, when the national crisis made it essential for every scrap of kitchen waste and spare time to be used for increasing the nation's food resources, this book en...
-
Tinderbox
James Andrew MillerTinderbox tells the exclusive, explosive, uninhibited true story of HBO and how it burst onto the American scene and screen to detonate a revolution and transform our relationship ...
-
Selected Writings
Gerard De NervalPoet, visionary, shortstory writer and autobiographer, Gérard de Nerval (18081855) explored the uncertain borderlines between dream and reality, irony and madness, autobiography an...
-
My Life and Work with Alfred Vogel
Jan de VriesMy Life and Work with Alfred Vogel is the third instalment of Jan de Vries's memoirs covering his life and career as a renowned alternative health practitioner. This volume focuses...
-
An Irish Country Village
Patrick TaylorPatrick Taylor first charmed readers with An Irish Country Doctor, a warm and enchanting novel in the tradition of James Herriot and Jan Karon. Now Taylor returns to the colorful N...
-
Young James Herriot
John Lewis-StempelSet in Glasgow in the 1930s, Young James Herriot is the fascinating story of Herriot’s formative years at veterinary college, recounting the tales behind his calling to work with a...
-
Vet at the End of the World
Jonathan HollinsA Simon & Schuster eBook. Simon & Schuster has a great book for every reader.
-
Muster Dogs
Aticia GreyAn outback story of kelpies, red dirt and the future of a family farm.Now streaming on ABC iView and Netflix. Life on the land is often boom or bust, forever at the mercy of Mother...
-
The Real James Herriot
James WightNo one is better poised to write the biography of James Herriot than the son who worked alongside him in the Yorkshire veterinary practice when Herriot became an internationally be...
-
A Class Act
Gervase PhinnThe third and final novel in the delightful Top of the Dales series from bestselling author Gervase Phinn.'A worthy successor to James Herriot, and every bit as endearing.' Alan T...
-
Meet You At The Main Divide
Justine RossAn inspirational memoir from the authors of Every Bastard Says No about the peaks and troughs of a life in the high countryIn 2017 the Ross family left behind their innercity lives...
-
A Dog Without Hope
Barby KeelA tiny puppy, neglected and abused, and the foster carer determined to heal her. When tiny puppy Princess is dumped at the doors of the Barby Keel Animal Sanctuary by h...
-
Tycho and Kepler
Kitty FergusonThe extraordinary, unlikely tale of Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler and their enormous contribution to astronomy and understanding of the cosmos is one of the strangest stories in ...