Condensed versions of “The Tower” by Richard Martin Stern,
and “All Creatures Great and Small” by James Herriot

The Tower
The World Tower Building rose, slim, graceful, dominating the skyline of Manhattan – a miracle of construction, as disasterproof as the finest architects and engineers could make it. On the day of its dedication, as a glittering cast of VIPs gathers in its Tower Room, an architect learns that there may be electrical flaws in the structure. And then a deranged act of violence threatens catastrophe.

All Creatures Great and Small
James Herriot was a young veterinary surgeon when he went to the remote Yorkshire Dales to treat animals large and small. He soon discovered that calving could tax the vet as much as the cow. The profession was still relatively primitive. For some complaints, cold water and Epsom salts were the only known remedies. Now Dr. Herriot sets his experiniece down with the skill of a natural-born narrator: The Pekingese who sent out social invitations, the beloved old horses in a sun-dappled meadow, the runaway pigs, Herriot’s own courtship, which began in Yorshire mud and dancing pumps. This warm, often hilarious, thoroughly enjoyable story captures the beauty of moorland and mountain, the plain speech and thought of the Dale farmers, and the daily communion between man and beast.

-- Description from inside front cover