All Things Bright And Beautiful

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James Herriot's stories about his life as a vet in Yorkshire have charmed and delighted millions of readers in the twenty years since his first book If Only They Could Talk was published in 1972. All Things Bright and Beautiful is the second James Herriot omnibus and contains Lets Sleeping Vets Lie and Vet in Harness. All James Herriot's books, including two other omnibus editions, All Creatures Great and Small and All Things Wise and Wonderful, are availalbe in Pan.

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It was a great surprise, the sizeable success of Herriot's All Creatures Great and Small (1972) - the memoirs of the early training and practice of a Yorkshire vet. This sequel carries Herriot's saga of calipers and syringe from his partnership with crusty vet Siegfried, and his marriage, to his call-up for WWII - and it has the same sunny appeal. Again Herriot remembers case after case - lambing ewes or calving cows, equine patients galloping off in the distance, pet dogs and cats and even a budgie. Nearly all the sweaty dramas have a happy ending. Wretched or expiring animals in barns or surgery, wisecracking farmers and tearful owners await the moment when Herriot has that lucky break, that happy hunch, or gives a just right twist with soapy arms - and the animal struggles to its feet while Herriot shares its pleasure and relief. There are affectionate human portraits, too, including that of a gourmandizing small animal surgeon who immobilizes Herriot with food and drink after a successful operation. And there's that Yorkshire countryside where farmers take long steps and are apt to make nowt out of summat. A Book-of-the-Month Club Special Fall Selection - and a sure thing. (Kirkus Reviews)