Readers of all ages have enjoyed the best-selling books of James Wight, written under the pseudonym James Herriot. Wight's memoirs chronicle over forty years of his life as a country vet in the uplands of Yorkshire, England--commencing with his first harrowing year as a newly-qualified veterinary surgeon during the late 1930s, and continuing through the early days of his marriage, the turbulent years of World War II when he served in the R.A.F., and the post-war years.

1916. James Alfred Wight, or "Alf," as he's known locally, was born in Sunderland, a small town in Yorkshire on October 3. Three weeks later, the family moved to Glasgow. As the son of a mother who sang professionally and a father who played piano and organ, music played a large part in the household, and Wight grew up with an especial love for Elgar, Beethoven, and Mozart. He lived in...