All Creatures Great and Small was published in the United States by St. Martin’s Press in 1972 (combining the UK volumes If Only They Could Talk and It Shouldn’t Happen to a Vet, published by Michael Joseph in 1970 and 1972). James Herriot — the pen name of James Alfred Wight — was fifty-six when international fame arrived. He had been a practicing veterinary surgeon in Thirsk, North Yorkshire, since 1940.
The book covers Herriot’s arrival in the fictional town of Darrowby (based on Thirsk) in the late 1930s as assistant to Siegfried Farnon (based on Herriot’s real partner Donald Sinclair). The episodes are drawn from veterinary practice: difficult calvings in freezing barns, hostile bulls, neurotic pet owners, midnight calls across the Dales, the comedy and heartbreak of treating animals whose owners may be poorer than the vet. Siegfried Farnon — brilliant, mercurial, contradictory — is one of the great comic characters in English literature.
The book’s success (it eventually sold tens of millions of copies worldwide) rests on Herriot’s ability to combine genuine medical knowledge with storytelling skill. He makes veterinary procedures comprehensible and dramatic without condescension. The Dales landscape is evoked with authentic love — Herriot’s descriptions of driving across the moors at dawn, of spring in Wensleydale, of blizzards on the high ground, have the precision of someone who has lived in that country for decades.
Collecting All Creatures Great and Small
US first edition (St. Martin’s Press, New York, 1972): Green cloth, dust jacket with animal illustrations.
UK first editions (Michael Joseph, 1970/1972): If Only They Could Talk and It Shouldn’t Happen to a Vet.
Market values:
- US first edition, fine/fine: $200–$500
- UK If Only They Could Talk first edition: $300–$800
- Signed US first: $500–$1,200
Projected values (2026–2036): Strong appreciation. As the book that launched a global phenomenon, first editions of both the UK and US editions are permanently collectible.
Frequently Asked Questions
Was James Herriot a real person? James Herriot was the pen name of James Alfred Wight (1916–1995), a veterinary surgeon who practised in Thirsk, Yorkshire, for over fifty years. He wrote under a pseudonym to comply with professional regulations prohibiting self-promotion by veterinarians. The characters Siegfried and Tristan Farnon are based on his real partners Donald and Brian Sinclair.
What is the difference between the UK and US editions? The UK editions were published as separate shorter books (If Only They Could Talk, It Shouldn’t Happen to a Vet, etc.) while the US editions combined pairs of UK books into longer volumes (All Creatures Great and Small = books 1+2). Collectors value both configurations.