J. small Anim. Pract. (1973) 14, 373.

Book Review

All Creatures Great and Small By Mary Branker. Educational Explorers, Reading, 1972. E1.50.

It has taken me a long time to review this book: in all such delays I suppose there is an ingredient of idleness, but here I confess the ingredient is pleasure. The sheer pleasure of reading a book about our profession that successfully steers a middle course of adequate literary endeavour, safely manoeuvred between the risks of over sentimentality and the boredom of the repetitive errors of some popular science. Knowing the author, too, added to the pleasure of reading her magnum opus. Firstly, she has fulfilled her brief to link to the series of 'My Life and My Work' in an informative and breezy way: secondly, she has remained sincere and factual, and thirdly, she has adopted a readable-even cosy-style. The average reader with an interest in animals cannot fail to find much of interest in this book; any school-leaver would do well to read it before filling out their UCCA form-it might be successful either in persuading or dissuading them from a career in veterinary medicine. Much as I like the swinging style of this readable book as it alternatively meanders and rushes through under-graduate and graduate days, I must complain about the poor quality of the paper and-tragically-the photo- graphic illustrations put vision to test, and in this instance the author has been myopic. Why not one picture of her in action?

Careers masters should regard this reasonably priced work as essential reading for themselves and their pupils, and all veterinary surgeons will find much to interest and amuse them. Congratulations Mary!

0. GRAHAM-JONES

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