James Herriot, pen name of James Alfred Wight, (born October 3, 1916, Glasgow, Scotland—died February 23, 1995, Thirlby, near Thirsk, Yorkshire, England), British veterinarian and writer. Wight joined the practice of two veterinarian brothers working in the Yorkshire Dales and at age 50 was persuaded by his wife to write down his collection of anecdotes. His humorous, fictionalized reminiscences were published under the name James Herriot in If Only They Could Talk (1970) and It Shouldn’t Happen to a Vet (1972), which were issued in the U.S. as All Creatures Great and Small (1972). The instant best-seller inaugurated a series of highly popular books, which was adapted for two films, a long-running television series, and a miniseries.