- English
- Français
Accessibility and Access Keys [4]
James Herriot: The Life of a Country Vet. Graham Lord. Headline Book Publishing (338 Euston Road, London, U.K., NW1 3BH) 1997. 276 pages. Distributed in Canada by General Publishing (30 Lesmill Road, North York, ON, M3B 2T6).
James Herriot, the popular Scottish veterinarian whose real name is Alf Wight, left behind millions of fans worldwide when he died in 1995. Wight's numerous books depicting life in the Yorkshire Dales during the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s sold millions of copies and were the basis of two films and an immensely popular television series.
While many of Wight's readers believed that his books were autobiographical, in his book James Herriot: The Life of a Country Vet, Graham Lord provides considerable insight into how much of Herriot's life was fact and how much was fiction. Lord's research is extensive, includes information from various sources and covers Wight's entire life including his younger days growing up in Glasgow.
Besides taking an interesting glimpse at Alf Wight's fascinating life, Lord also dispels some myths associated with the most popular veterinarian of all time. Lord's references to particular aspects of Wight's books had me pulling my Herriot books of the shelf to check a point on more than one occasion. In fact, I so enjoyed James Herriot: The Life of a Country Vet that I figure it is time to once again read Mr. Wight's beautifully written books.
Fans of James Herriot will want to read this entertaining and informative account of a remarkable man. If there are Herriot fans on your Christmas list James Herriot: The Life of a Country Vet would make an excellent gift.
