Revisiting Old Friends - James Herriot

When I want to relax, I often pull one of my favorite books from the shelf and read it again.  I brought down James Herriot's "All Creatures Great and Small" the other day, and remember where I was in the early 1970s when the book was published (working at my first real job as a bookstore clerk).  The first book especially, was a breakthrough volume as few are anymore. 

The topic - stories of an English veterinarian in the pre-WWII era -  was wholesome and heartwarming, as well as fascinating.  It was a perfect gift and quickly became popular.  The author (whose name was not Herriot - he adopted the nom de plume because he was still in practice and it was not considered quite legitimate to advertise) had a winning style.  Several more books followed, finishing off the verse - All Things Bright and Beautiful, All Things Wise and Wonderful, and The Lord God Made Them All.

There were more stories to tell, so we also had All Living Things, and The Young James Herriot, and James Herriot's Dog Stories, and Cat Stories....  Some were better than others, as it became clear that many of the best stories had been told in the earlier volumes.  But for all that, the books are an excellent part of the permanent library and a revisit every three to five years is welcome.