All Creatures Great and Small

The Warm and Joyful Memoirs of the World's Most Beloved Animal Doctor

By: James Herriot

Narrated by: Nicholas Ralph

Length: 15 hrs and 23 mins

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

Critic Reviews

“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)

The narrator, Nicholas Ralph, is perfect

I have read the all creatures great and small series at least three times. Listening to this book was an absolute pleasure. The narrator Is a great voice actor, and got every persons personality and voice just right. It was a joy to listen to!

Fabulous narration

Much better than the original audiobook. Much more authentic accent.
The narrator really brought this story back to life.

Wonderful Book, Outstanding Narration

I first read this book about 25 years ago, long before I ever had pets of my own, but it always stuck with me and I often used terminology from the book, such as “cracker dog,” to describe my own dogs, once they came along.

In the years since, I’ve loved and lost 3 amazing dogs and have become sensitive to animals stories and often avoid them but I remembered this so fondly, I decided to give it a fresh listen. I’m so very glad I did. The stories are as funny and heartwarming as I remembered and the narration by Nicholas Ralph is superb. He turned funny into hilarious with his accents and intonations and fully conveyed the sweetness and devotion of all the characters to the animals under their care.

Highly recommend!

Refreshing and Joyfilled

Nicholas Ralph, was a perfect narrator for this book. He made the beautiful language of this book visual. I didn’t want it to end.
Thank you for a truly positive listening book experience!

Another great listen for animal lovers

Narrator's wonderful accent made it very pleasant to listen to indeed. The characters humorous interactions are always entertaining.

I think this might be the best audio book I’ve “read”

The story is nice, the performance is fantastic. I enjoyed every minute of this book.

Wonderful!!

I had heard of these books for years, but, had never read them. I saw the new series on PBS and was smitten immediately. When I saw that Nicholas Ralph was the narrator for the recorded version, I ordered it right away and could not be more thrilled!
Once I had heard the first chapter, I purchased the next in the series voiced by Mr. Ralph - All Things Bright and Beautiful and am looking forward to listening to it as soon as I finish with this one.
Beautifully narrated and a wonderful story!!

Excellent narration!

Nicholas Ralph brought this book to life. So glad he’s done the second book in the series and hoping he will narrate the other books as well!

Charmingly Captivating !!!

I remember reading this book as a little girl probably about 12 years old. As I reread the book and all the glorious scenes of the Dale‘s came back to me, I can’t imagine how I viewed it as a 12-year-old girl.Nicholas Ralph has done such an exceptional job. With his lilting Scottish brogue, I felt as if I was there among the farmers and the veterinarians.This book and his narrative makes you want to be among the dales and the people. Very good read and I would like to listen to the next book.

Will make you smile again & again!

I saw the 2021 PBS TV series but had never read the books. So glad I found this one narrated by the talented Nicholas Ralph (who plays James Herriot in the show)! Loved the TV series, but the book is even better! I got to know the young vet and appreciate all he went through those first years in Yorkshire. The other characters are also distinct and compelling.