Hugh Lofting
Personal Information
Description
Hugh John Lofting was a British author, trained as a civil engineer, who created the character of Doctor Dolittle — one of the classics of children's literature. Hugh Lofting's doctor from Puddleby-on-the-Marsh who could speak to animals first saw light in the author's illustrated letters to children, written from the trenches during World War I when actual news, he later said, was either too horrible or too dull.
Books
The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle
When his colleague Long Arrow disappears, Dr. Dolittle sets off with his assistant, Tommy Stubbins, his dog, Jip, and Polynesia the parrot on an adventurous voyage over tropical seas to floating Spidermonkey Island.
The Story of Doctor Dolittle
There are some of us now reaching middle age who discover themselves to be lamenting the past in one respect if in none other, that there are no books written now for children comparable with those of thirty years ago. I say written FOR children because the new psychological business of writing ABOUT them as though they were small pills or hatched in some especially scientific method is extremely popular today.
Introducing Doctor Dolittle
An introduction to Doctor Dolittle's world of animals, including selections from eight of Lofting's books about him and many of the author's original drawings.
Doctor Dolittle and His Friends
This book was released in concert with the 1967 film starring Rex Harrison.
Doctor Dolittle and the Green Canary
The complete life story of Pippinella, which was not described in Doctor Dolittle's Caravan. Hugh Lofting had written almost all of this book before he passed away. His sister-in-law Olga Michaels provided the first and last chapters to complete it.
Doctor Dolittle and the secret lake
Dr. Dolittle revisits the ancient giant turtle Mudface (from "Doctor Dolittle's Post Office") who tells the story of the Great Flood. Per reviewers this book has a more serious tone than the other Dolittle books. Parts were published in the New York Herald Tribune in 1923, but Lofting finished the book before his death in 1947.
Doctor Doolittle's return
Doctor Dolittle's Return is lighter and more comic than other Dolittle books. Tommy Stubbins waits for Doctor Dolittle's return from the Moon. When the Doctor returns he is anxious to write of what he has experienced. This proves more difficult than expected. The poignancy of the doctor's lunar experiences is juxtaposed with his hilarious attempts to be put into jail so he will be free of all responsibilities and will be able to write his book.
Gub Gub's book
On a succession of evenings, the animals settle into Doctor Dolittle's kitchen to hear Gub-Gub the pig read parts of his book on food.
The twilight of magic
In the days when magic was on the wane, a little boy in possession of a magic whispering shell does a service for his young king.
Doctor Dolittle in the moon
Doctor Dolittle is on the moon, where he finds a whole new world of animals and vegetables to study.
Doctor Dolittle's caravan
John Dolittle takes his circus to London, where with the help of the canary Pippinella he stages a bird opera.
Doctor Doolittle's circus
The doctor needs money to pay off a voyage to Africa, so he joins the circus with the pushmi-pullyu as his attraction. He enlightens a circus owner who cares little for animals, fights against the practice of fox hunting and helps other creatures such as a circus seal and cart horses too old to work.