My parents had this book on their bookshelf for as long as I can remember, and yet I never had any interest in trying it out during my years at home. My reasons were two-fold: first, as a youngster, I wasn’t much interested in animals (and honestly, I’m surprised my parents ever have been); and second, I had all along been under the impression that this was merely another of the many Christian biographies they had collected (and such books rarely appealed to me back then).

Now that I’m older and my horizons have broadened a bit, however, I’ve come to appreciate the natural world far more than I’d ever anticipated, and my taste for biographies and memoirs has also increased immensely. While Harriet’s book is not at all a Christian biography, I nonetheless loved this collection of essays by the celebrated Yorkshire veterinarian, and I’m glad I took the time to enjoy it all.

The fourth book in Herriot’s series about his English veterinary practice, The Lord God Made Them All follows two main threads. One, Herriot’s work among the pained animals of unique customers, and two, Herriot’s professional trips in the early 1960s to both Russia and Istanbul.

First, Herriot’s essays about the ailments that hit both farm animals and pets in the early years of his practice are both vivid and personal, recounting not only his successes, but also his failures and the many life lessons he learned along the way. A reader would be blind, however, if he didn’t notice that these essays are as much about the post-war country Englishman as they are about animals or Herriot himself. Herriot’s as much an admirer of human personality as he is of animal physiology, and this love comes through on nearly every page of the book as he levels with farmers or jaws with fellow vets. I loved the characters on those old farms, with all their warts and follies, and it’s no wonder that these books are still considered classics of literature! Herriot’s ability to find poignancy in the arbitrary is masterful. It’s books like these that remind me that an author can make even the drollest subject interesting, so long as he teaches life lesson through the details, tinging it all with self-deprecating humor.

Second, Herriot’s recounting of his two trips outside of England, to both Russia and Istanbul, are great little time-piece travelogues that offer a layman’s insight into cultures that were otherwise out of the worlds’ reach. Especially during all the snafus he experienced throughout his trip to Istanbul, I loved how Herriot records his own impressions and attitudes. It’s a strange mixture, the polished English corn-pone, but Herriot ably identifies his own peculiarities in such an exotic locale, and the reader gets to laugh and groan with him all along the way.

I especially enjoyed the audio version of this book, and I imagine that I would not have enjoyed the printed book as much. Christopher Timothy who recorded the version I heard was a gifted Englishman who could cut a country accent with the best of them. Every character and farmer seemed a unique personality, as much from the accented voice as from the text itself, and so I highly recommend that readers enjoy this one on audio rather than on paper. That’s not a normal recommendation for me to make, but this time it’s well deserved.

©2018 E.T.