Margins
Doctor Dolittle book cover 1
Doctor Dolittle book cover 2
Doctor Dolittle book cover 3
Doctor Dolittle
Series · 12
books · 1920-1950

Books in series

The Story of Doctor Dolittle book cover
#1

The Story of Doctor Dolittle

1920

Doctor John Dolittle loves animals. He loves them so much that his home and office overflow with animals of every description. When Polynesia the parrot teaches him the language of the animals, Doctor Dolittle becomes a world-famous doctor, traveling even as far away as Africa to help his friends. This edition of the beloved children's classic contains black-and-white illustrations by Michael Hague and has been edited by award-winning authors Patricia and Fredrick McKissack for modern audiences.
The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle book cover
#2

The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle

1922

The delightfully eccentric Doctor Dolittle, rendered immortal on screen by the gifted Rex Harrison, has remained a firm favorite with generations of children ever since he made his debut in an earlier novel, The Story of Doctor Dolittle.In his second outing titledThe Voyages of Doctor Dolittle, the maverick physician takes on a new assistant, Tommy Stubbins. The story is structured as a first person account given by Tommy, who is now a very old man. The boy who was the son of the village cobbler first meets Doctor Dolittle when he takes a hurt squirrel to the doctor for treatment. Tommy and the doctor quickly become friends, and the boy soon learns how to communicate with animals in their own languages. The remarkable talking parrot, Polynesia and other amazing creatures from the previous book also appear in this sequel. The mysterious disappearance of a friend of the doctor's called Luke the Hermit sets off a train of strange events. And Tommy finds himself accompanying the good doctor on an exciting, hazardous voyage to find Long Arrow, a native American and the son of Golden Arrow, who is reputed to be the greatest living naturalist in the world.The kind hearted, quirky, animal rights activist Doctor Dolittle dominates the plot. His enduring humanitarian approach to the world around him, his desire for peaceful coexistence among all and his concern for the environment make him a memorable and endearing character. This as much an adventure story as a strong appeal for compassion towards the innumerable species that share our planet with us. There are shipwrecks, South American and Mediterranean locations, underwater explorations where they discover a giant sea snail and wonderful descriptions of land and sea.Critics of Hugo Lofting's work point out that there are several passages which are now politically incorrect. However, readers would do well to remember that these books were written more than a hundred years ago, when attitudes to colonization and race were quite different.In the dozen or so books featuring Doctor Dolittle, the author Hugo Lofting ensures that a wide variety of themes, locations and ideas are explored. The books were originally illustrated by the author himself, as he was a talented artist and naturalist himself.
Doctor Dolittle's Post Office book cover
#3

Doctor Dolittle's Post Office

1923

Doctor Dolittle's Post Office is the third of Hugh Lofting's Doctor Dolittle books. Set on the West Coast of Africa, the book follows the episodic format of most other books in the series. In the beginning of the book, Doctor Dolittle helps to capture a slave trader's ship, then organizes the postal service of a small African kingdom, Fantippo, ruled over by King Koko. The postal program grows into a worldwide postal and publishing service for the benefit of animals everywhere.
Doctor Dolittle's Circus book cover
#4

Doctor Dolittle's Circus

1924

Although at first he plans only to exhibit the Pushmi-pullyu, John Dolittle soon becomes manager of a very special circus.
Doctor Dolittle's Zoo book cover
#5

Doctor Dolittle's Zoo

1925

The adventures of a kind-hearted doctor, who is fond of animals and understands their language. Seeing that many of his animal friends want to live with him, Dr. Dolittle changes his zoo collection from rather unusual animals to native ones and immediately runs into trouble.
Doctor Dolittle's Caravan book cover
#6

Doctor Dolittle's Caravan

1926

John Dolittle takes his circus to London, where with the help of the canary Pippinella he stages a bird opera.
Doctor Dolittle's Garden book cover
#7

Doctor Dolittle's Garden

1927

Doctor Dolittle's garden is teeming with insects. So the Doctor decides to learn the insect languages and soon hears lots of fascinating stories. None is more fascinating than the tale of the giant moths, and the doctor starts to plan a trip to seek them out. But before he can set off, he is amazed by the arrival of one of these moths. What is the reason for the moth's visit?
Doctor Dolittle in the Moon book cover
#8

Doctor Dolittle in the Moon

1928

In Doctor Dolittle in the Moon Doctor Dolittle has landed on the Moon. He meets Otho Bludge the Moon Man, a Stone Age artist who was the only human on the Moon when it broke away from the Earth. The animals of the Moon flock to Doctor Dolittle, and he discovers how to communicate with the intelligent plants there. But will the lunar flora and fauna ever let him leave? Hugh John Lofting was a British author who created the character of Doctor Dolittle - one of the classics of children's literature. His early education was at Mount St Mary's College in Sheffield, after which he went to the United States, completing a degree in civil engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He enlisted in the Irish Guards to serve in World War I. Not wishing to write to his children of the brutality of the war, he wrote imaginative letters that were the foundation of the Doctor Dolittle novels.
Doctor Dolittle's Return book cover
#9

Doctor Dolittle's Return

1933

, 288 pages, coloured frontispiece, 14 black & white plates, illustrated endpapers
Doctor Dolittle and the Secret Lake book cover
#10

Doctor Dolittle and the Secret Lake

1948

Doctor Dolittle is determined to continue the work he started on the Moon to find the secret of everlasting life. But to carry on, he must consult Mudface, the ancient turtle who lives in the Secret Lake in Africa. And when the doctor hears that Mudface has been burried during an Earthquake, the Doctor's journey becomes an emergancy rescue mission
Doctor Dolittle and the Green Canary book cover
#11

Doctor Dolittle and the Green Canary

1950

Although much of the material had been printed originally in 1924 for the Herald Tribune Syndicate, Lofting planned to complete the story in book form but never finished before he died. Lofting's wife's sister, Olga Michael, completed the book and it was published posthumously in 1950. Everything except the first and last chapter are by Lofting. Much of the material in this book is repeated from the earlier novel Doctor Dolittle's Caravan and tells the story of the Doctor's friend Pippinella the Green Canary, in slightly greater depth.
Doctor Dolittle's Puddleby Adventures book cover
#12

Doctor Dolittle's Puddleby Adventures

1928

Hardcover 1952 149p.8.25x5.50 HUMOR BOOK PUDDLEBY ADVENTURES. DAPPLE ; THE DOG AMBULANCE; THE STUNNED MAN; THE CRESTED SCREAMERS; THE GREEN BREASTED MARTINS; THE LOST BOY.

Author

548 Market St PMB 65688, San Francisco California 94104-5401 USA
© 2025 Paratext Inc. All rights reserved