James Herriot's Favorite Dog Stories

by James Herriot, Lesley Holmes (Illustrator)

Overview

A warm and joyful collection of James Herriot's loving tales of our furry friends from delightful old favorites like Tricki Woo to heartwarming stories of Brandy, Hermann, Jock, and more. James Herriot's Favorite Dog Stories is a must-have gift book for any dog lover.

"When I decided to be a vet, I knew that I wanted to be a dog doctor, so I could spend all my time with dogs." - from the Introduction

James Herriot would go on to become so much more than a dog doctor. But no animal was dearer to his heart, and no animal provided him with more heartwarming and wonderful tales. With over a million copies sold, James Herriot's Favorite Dog Stories has inspired dog lovers the world over. After being out of print for many years, it is now again available in an affordable, beautifully repackaged hardcover edition, filled with original watercolors that illustrate Herriot's charming and wholesome tales.

This classic heartwarming collection of ten stories about dogs - from border collies and sheepdogs to the exploits of Tricki Woo, the unforgettable Pekinese - by the late author of All Creatures Great and Small is prefaced by a moving introduction from Herriot himself - the very last piece of writing the beloved author ever completed. So, follow the master veterinarian as he journeys through Yorkshire, caring for big dogs and small with his characteristic gentleness and peace, profound observation, and deep, loving humor.

Contains:

"Tricki Woo Goes Crackerdog" * "Prince and the Card Above the Bed" * "Jock Top Dog" * Tricki Woo "A Triumph of Surgery" * "Jake Rides into Town"* Gyp "Only One Woof" * Roy "From Rags to Riches" * Tricki Woo "A Judge of Form" * Hermann "A Happy Ending" * Brandy "The Dustbin Dog"

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250058140
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	11/11/2014
Edition description:	Second Edition, New edition
Pages:	176
Product dimensions:	7.60(w) x 5.10(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

James Herriot (1916-1995) was the bestselling author of memoirs including All Creatures Great and Small, All Things Bright and Beautiful, All Things Wise and Wonderful, The Lord God Made Them All, and Every Living Thing. At age 23, Herriot qualified for veterinary practice with the Glasgow Veterinary College, and moved to the town of Thirsk in Yorkshire to work in a rural practice. He would live in, work in, and write about the region for the rest of his life. Though he dreamed for years of writing a book, his veterinary work and his family kept him busy, and he did not start writing until the age of 50. In 1979, he was awarded the title Order of the British Empire (OBE). His veterinary practice in Yorkshire, England, is now tended by his son, Jim Wight.

Lesley Holmes illustrated James Herriot's Cat Stories from St. Martin's Press.

Editorial Reviews

James Herriot found a gentle, wise and often humorous way to write about animals and to evoke a beautiful but fading way of life in those Yorkshire Hills. He showed me how to focus not just on the animals, but on the people who lived with the animals, and their loving, sometimes difficult and very wonderful connections with one another. While he is known for his wonderful writing about animals, I often think of his ability to capture people. From the first, I've tried to capture that feeling, that uplifting and heartwarming style. I can't say that I have ever quite matched the writing of James Herriot, but he has always inspired me and given me something to aim for. He often makes me smile, sometimes makes me cry, you can't really ask more from a writer than that.” —Jon Katz, New York Times bestselling author of Second Chance Dog, A Dog Year, A Good Dog, and many others

“I recall reading All Creatures Great and Small many years ago, while working as a veterinary technician for a mobile vet in Los Angeles. We worked with cats and dogs, of course, but with farm animals, too, and apes and monkeys and angry pet raccoons, burros, crows, macaws- the variety of pets in Los Angeles was limitless. During that wonderful time, I'd be beaten senseless by a kangaroo, held hostage by a love-struck chimpanzee, chased by angry hogs, and sat on by a miniature horse inside of a well-known celebrity's home. It was a magical time, and it made perfect sense for me to read Herriot in the evenings, a grand fellow who'd roam the English countryside making veterinary house calls, effortlessly moving from draft horses to kittens, healing, telling stories. I felt a kinship with him and his magical world, and marveled at his talent for drawing me into his cast of characters. Later in life, when I too would write of my experiences with animals and their people, I would hearken to Herriot's Yorkshire Dales, and to prose so genuine that it would help inspire my own career as a writer and pet behaviorist. Herriot to me remains a superhero of sorts, who, in visiting home after home like some veterinary Santa, taught me how simple, heartwarming prose about people and their animals could rise above the commonplace, and become art.” —Steve Duno, author of Last Dog on the Hill, The Everything Cat Book and The Amazing Dog Trick Book

“His message is affectionate, and his four-footed creatures are irresistible.” —Time

“Herriot's skill as a storyteller is classic.” —Detroit Free Press

“For Herriot fans, it's like meeting old friends.” —Publishers Weekly

“Herriot's real gift lies in keeping us intrigued with his human and dog characters...Herriot teaches us how unpredictable and joyous life can be.” —San Francisco Chronicle

“There is no finer teller of dog stories in the world than James Herriot.” —Knickerbocker News

“Human beings just naturally respond to a writer as lovable, wholesome, eloquent, humorous, and well-stocked with anecdotes as James Herriot. He offers a mastery of both the comic and the tragic.” —Chicago Tribune

“The warmth of Herriot's prose approaches poetic. . . a master storyteller.” —Knight-Ridder Newspapers

From the Publisher