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  • All Creatures Great and Small

  • The Warm and Joyful Memoirs of the World's Most Beloved Animal Doctor
  • Written by: James Herriot
  • Narrated by: Nicholas Ralph
  • Length: 15 hrs and 23 mins
  • 4.9 out of 5 stars (38 ratings)

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All Creatures Great and Small

Written by: James Herriot
Narrated by: Nicholas Ralph
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Publisher's Summary

**This program is read by Nicholas Ralph, star of the PBS Masterpiece series**

"Nicholas Ralph's narration is grand. His Yorkshire dialect is as genuine as the pudding, as authentic as it is possible to be while remaining comprehensible." (AudioFile Magazine, Earphones Award Winner)

A tie-in to the PBS Masterpiece series and Christmas special.

The first volume in the multimillion copy best-selling series.

Delve into the magical, unforgettable world of James Herriot, the world's most beloved veterinarian, and his menagerie of heartwarming, funny, and tragic animal patients.

For 50 years, generations of readers have flocked to Herriot's marvelous tales, deep love of life, and extraordinary storytelling abilities. For decades, Herriot roamed the remote, beautiful Yorkshire Dales, treating every patient that came his way from smallest to largest, and observing animals and humans alike with his keen, loving eye.

In All Creatures Great and Small, we meet the young Herriot as he takes up his calling and discovers that the realities of veterinary practice in rural Yorkshire are very different from the sterile setting of veterinary school.

James Herriot's memoirs have sold 80 million copies worldwide, and continue to delight and entertain listeners and readers of all ages.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press

All Creatures Great and Small is available on Blu-ray and DVD. To purchase, visit shop.pbs.org. MASTERPIECE® is a registered trademark of the WGBH Educational Foundation. Used with permission. A Playground production for MASTERPIECE and Channel 5 in association with All3Media and Screen Yorkshire. Cover photo © Playground Television UK Ltd / Photographer: Ed Miller

©1972 James Herriot (P)2020 Macmillan Audio

What the critics say

“One of the funniest and most likeable books around.” (Atlantic Monthly)

“If there is any justice, All Creatures Great And Small will become a classic of its kind.... With seemingly effortless art, this man tells his stories with perfect timing and optimum scale. Many more famous authors could work for a lifetime and not achieve more flawless literary control.” (Chicago Tribune Book World)

“Herriot charms because he delights in life, embraces it with sensitivity and gust and writes with grace. All Creatures Great And Small may well be the happiest book of the year.” (The New York Times Book Review)

What listeners say about All Creatures Great and Small

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An excellent listen

The stories are classic and this new version is delightful, after having viewed the updates tv series. He is a wonderful narrator.

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Loved it!

Always loved the story but what made it really special was the narration by Nicholas Ralph.

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  • 2021-06-01

Wonderful!

This was a joy to listen to. The story is a beautiful descriptive tale of the life of a country vet in the 3o’s. Nicholas Ralph is a great narrator and I felt like he was the real James Herriot. He has a real talent for this. Hope he does more!

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Love the series love the book!

Hi my name is Roberta tonsils and I love James Harriet he was my vet in the forties actually I was his secret wife
💋👨‍👩‍👧💍👰‍♀️

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Wonderful!

A great narrator. proper accents all round. Such fun to listen to
The stories are great. Mr Heriot loves the animals and the people and the land equally. I must go and see it.

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Exceptional Narration

Nicholas Ralph does a remarkable job with the many voices in these stories. Gruff Yorkshire farmers, affluent women with pedigree dogs...even the interplay between Siegfried and his brother, Ralph’s versatility is seriously amazing. And especially his voicing of the protagonist is wonderful. Which is why I’m a bit disappointed that he only does two of the four omnibus narrations. I realize both Christoper Timothy and he played the vet on TV, but I just can’t seem to square Timothy’s polished English accent with the old cassettes I used to have of the author reading his own works. I’ve bought the first two books here...but I’m undecided if I’ll buy the others.

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Best narration!

No one can read this book like Nicholas Ralph. He brings it to life. I felt transported back in the Dales. It’s perfect.

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Perfection

Having watched the new PBS remake which takes a lot of liberties with the original stories but really liking Nicholas Ralph in the leading role I thought I would reread the books with his narration. He is fantastic taking on other voices of characters in a way that allows one to envisage this as if watching it on screen. Of all the audiobooks this year this one is by far the best!

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All Creatures Great and Small

I felt as though I was right there along with James Herriot on his rounds throughout the countryside.
I could not give it a 100% review due to the fact that the dialogue was indecipherable.
Otherwise it was very enjoyable.

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