"A book should serve as the axe for the frozen sea within us."
— Franz Kafka
Hugh Lofting | First Editions
1886 - 1947
Hugh John Lofting (14 January 1886 – 26 September 1947) was a British author, and was also trained as a civil engineer. He is best remembered for creating the character of Doctor Dolittle, one of the classics of children's literature.Hugh Lofting's character Doctor John Dolittle is an English physician from Puddleby-on-the-Marsh in the West Country, who could speak to animals. The character first saw light in the author's illustrated letters to children, written from the trenches during the War of 1914 to 1918; Lofting claimed that writing about actual news was either too horrible or too dull. The stories are set in early Victorian England in the 1820s-1840s (The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle gives a date of 1839). The award-winning series has been adapted for film and television many times, for stage twice, and for radio too.
See below our stock of Hugh Lofting First Editions, fine bindings, sets, and signed copies.
Results 1 - 6 (of 6)
Doctor Dolittle and the Green Canary.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1951. [Children's Literature] FIRST UK EDITION. Octavo (21 x 14cm), pp.286 [2]. With a colour frontispiece, colour-illustrated endpapers, and frequent in-text illustrations by the author. Publisher's green cloth with darker green titles to spine and upper. Toning and spotting to edges. A little toning to spine, and..... More
Doctor Dolittle in the Moon.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1929. [Children's Literature] FIRST UK EDITION. Octavo (21 x 14cm), pp.320. With a colour frontispiece, one colour plate, colour-illustrated endpapers, and frequent in-text illustrations by the author. Publisher's grey cloth with deep purple titles to spine and upper. Blue ink gift inscription to verso of fly-leaf. Toning..... More
Doctor Dolittle's Caravan.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1927. [Children's Literature] FIRST UK EDITION. Octavo (21 x 14cm), pp.319 [1]. With a colour frontispiece, colour-illustrated endpapers, and frequent in-text illustrations by the author. Publisher's grey cloth with purple titles to spine and upper. Toning and marks to edges. Spine heavily toned, with a strip of..... More
Doctor Dolittle's Garden.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1928. [Children's Literature] FIRST UK EDITION. Octavo (21 x 14cm), pp.317 [3]. With a colour frontispiece, colour-illustrated endpapers, and frequent in-text illustrations by the author. Publisher's grey cloth with orange titles to spine and upper. A little spotting to blanks and facing leaves. Toning to edges, otherwise..... More
Doctor Dolittle's Return.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1933. [Children's Literature] FIRST UK EDITION. Octavo (21 x 14cm), pp.288. With a colour frontispiece, colour-illustrated endpapers, and frequent in-text illustrations by the author. Publisher's grey cloth with orange titles to spine and upper. A little spotting to fly-leaves and facing leaves. Toning to edges, otherwise a...... More
Doctor Dolittle's Zoo.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1926. [Children's Literature] FIRST UK EDITION. Octavo (21 x 14cm), pp.320. With a colour frontispiece, colour-illustrated endpapers, and frequent in-text illustrations by the author. Publisher's grey cloth with blue titles to spine and upper. Black ink gift inscription to verso of fly-leaf. Toning to edges, otherwise a...... More
Results 1 - 6 (of 6)