All Things Bright and Beautiful

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Random House Publishing Group, 1981 - Biography & Autobiography - 438 pages
Two years ago when we published James Herriot's All Creatures Great and Small, we called it a "miracle between covers." In the first major review of the book, Alfred Ames said: "If there is any justice, All Creatures Great and Small will become a classic of its kind. The publishers call it a miracle-- not too strong a word for a book that offers something for everyone: gusto, humor, pathos, information, romance, insight, style. It is vicarious living with one of the happiest and most admirable of people, a veterinary surgeon in the Yorkshire dales who can write superlatively well." James, the miracle worker, has done it again. All Things Bright and Beautiful is precisely the warm and joyful sequel that readers all over America have been asking for. James is now married, and he and Helen live on the top floor of Skeldale House, while his former boss, now partner, Siegfried lives downstairs with Siegfried's brother Tristan. James continues the rich and rewarding day-to-day life of a small-town veterinarian, and we journey with him across the dales meeting a whole new cast of unforgettable characters-- humans, dogs, horses, lambs, parakeets-- all of them drawn with the same infinite fascination, affection, and insight that have made Herriot one of the most beloved authors of our time. This is the most loving book of the year to have-- or to give.

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About the author (1981)

James Herriot was born James Alfred Wight in Sunderland, England on October 3, 1916. He and his family moved to Glasgow, Scotland in late October of 1916. Herriot attended Yoker Primary School from August 1921 to June 1928. He went on to attend Hillhead High School from September 1928 to 30 June 1933, before graduating from Glasgow Veterinary College in 1939. Herriot got a job at the Yorkshire practice of J. Donald Sinclair in 1940. He was a part of the Royal Air Force from 1941 to 1943. In 1966 Herriot began writing at the age of 50. In 1972, All Creatures Great and Small is published, followed by All Things Bright and Beautiful in 1974. On February 4, 1975, Herriot received the American Veterinary Medical Association's Award of Appreciation. In 1977, All Things Wise and Wonderful is published, and a year later the BBC television series of All Creatues Great and Small begins. In 1979, Herriot receives the Order of the British Empire and honorary Litt.D. From Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh. He follows that honor with the publication of The Lord God Made Them All in 1981.The following year, Herriot is made a fellow of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and in 1983, receives an honorary D.V.Sc. from Liverpool University. Nearly a decade later, Herriot publishes Every Living Thing in 1992. He had written 15 books, which sold 50 million copies in 20 countries and worked as a vet for over 50 years before finally retiring. James Herriot died February 23, 1995, at the age of 78 of cancer.

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