Every Living Thing

In this new and eagerly awaited book, James Herriot vividly brings to life the days of triumph and disaster, pride and often heartache which are an inseparable part of the life of a practising vet in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales.

As in the earlier books, the clients of the Skeldale House practice in Darrowby vary between the dour farmers who expect miracles for nothing, those who are always grateful for the smallest service and, for James Herriot especially, the five-star owners and patients like Mrs Pumphrey and Tricki Woo. The book abounds with animal characters great and small, from cart horses to kittens: a dog whose staple diet is fish and chips, and another who plays football and cricket; cows and ewes with complicated calvings and lambings; a cat who presides over his master's business, one who trips daintily on a lead over miles of country roads, and others who scorn the comforts of a house and prefer to live outside in the harsh Yorkshire climate.

Life in Skeldale House is always hectic and Siegfried Farnon and James are compelled to take on assistants, one of whom, Calum Buchanan, turns out to be a larger than life, colourful personality with a magical touch with animals - especially his personal menagerie of dogs, badgers and owls, not to mention the foxcubs who take up residence in the back-kitchen.

James Herriot's own family is the most important thing in his life and we meet Jimmy and Rosie again, both determined to follow in their father's footsteps. Helen, serene and practical, is here too, always at James's side guiding him through the often comic crises that seem to occur daily.