WRITER

James Herriot

1916 - 1995

Photo of James Herriot

Icon of person James Herriot

James Alfred Wight (3 October 1916 – 23 February 1995), better known by his pen name James Herriot, was a British veterinary surgeon and author. Born in Sunderland, Wight graduated from Glasgow Veterinary College in 1939, returning to England to become a veterinary surgeon in Yorkshire, where he practised for almost 50 years. He is best known for writing a series of eight books set in the 1930s–1950s Yorkshire Dales about veterinary practice, animals, and their owners, which began with If Only They Could Talk, first published in 1970. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of James Herriot has received more than 4,054,280 page views. His biography is available in 26 different languages on Wikipedia. James Herriot is the 2,789th most popular writer (down from 2,011th in 2019), the 2,078th most popular biography from United Kingdom (down from 1,590th in 2019) and the 231st most popular British Writer.

Memorability Metrics

  • 4.1M

    Page Views (PV)

  • 53.52

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 26

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 2.22

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 4.21

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Notable Works

If only they could talk
Biography, English language, Readers
1970
Auf den Hund gekommen. Stories
1995
James Herriot
James Herriot's main character is a veterinarian in a small town and the books tell of everyday life in the small village, with uncanny perception, humor and empathy. Brilliantly written books that make for collectors items
1979
Un Veterinario En Apuros
1984
All Things Wise and Wonderful
Open Library Staff Picks, Veterinarians, Biography
1975
All Creatures Great and Small
Open Library Staff Picks, Veterinarians, Biography
1972

Page views of James Herriots by language

Over the past year James Herriot has had the most page views in the with 732,148 views, followed by German (40,185), and Russian (33,453). In terms of yearly growth of page views the top 3 wikpedia editions are French (175.52%), Spanish (77.82%), and Basque (47.88%)

Among WRITERS

Among writers, James Herriot ranks 2,789 out of 7,302. Before him are Ōtomo no Yakamochi, Carl Sandburg, Kamo no Chōmei, Matthías Jochumsson, Tadeusz Różewicz, and Philitas of Cos. After him are Symeon of Polotsk, Kristjan Jaak Peterson, Juvencus, Daniël Heinsius, Malwida von Meysenbug, and Macropedius.

Most Popular Writers in Wikipedia

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1916, James Herriot ranks 122. Before him are Giuseppe Taddei, Julian Rotter, Wilhelm Batz, Jacques Georges, Harold Robbins, and Walter Cronkite. After him are Anthony Dawson, Sangoulé Lamizana, Unica Zürn, Lars Korvald, Budd Boetticher, and Morris West. Among people deceased in 1995, James Herriot ranks 121. Before him are Viktoria Brezhneva, Albert W. Tucker, Alberto Burri, Edith Pargeter, Józef Maria Bocheński, and James Samuel Coleman. After him are Jerry Garcia, Abdul Ali Mazari, Dmitri Shepilov, Heinrich Sutermeister, Giancarlo Baghetti, and Werner Liebrich.

Others Born in 1916

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Others Deceased in 1995

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In United Kingdom

Among people born in United Kingdom, James Herriot ranks 2,078 out of 8,785. Before him are David Beatty, 1st Earl Beatty (1871), Josephine Tey (1896), Marion Chesney (1936), David Byrne (1952), Roderick Murchison (1792), and Frank Finlay (1926). After him are Eleanor, Fair Maid of Brittany (1182), Rick Davies (1944), Princess Eugenie of York (1990), Joan of the Tower (1321), Chris Menges (1940), and Thomas Andrews (1813).

Others born in United Kingdom

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Among WRITERS In United Kingdom

Among writers born in United Kingdom, James Herriot ranks 231. Before him are Thomas Gray (1716), Thomas Kyd (1558), Samuel Smiles (1812), Robert Holdstock (1948), Josephine Tey (1896), and Marion Chesney (1936). After him are George Herbert (1593), John Webster (1578), Joseph Delaney (1945), Irvine Welsh (1957), Anthony Horowitz (1955), and Michael Bond (1926).

British born Writers

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