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Biography
British-American

Hugh Lofting

1886 — 1947

British-born American author and illustrator who created Doctor Dolittle, the eccentric physician who abandons human patients to learn animal languages and treat animal ailments. The Story of Doctor Dolittle (1920) launched a series that won the Newbery Medal in 1923 for The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle and became one of the most beloved children's franchises of the twentieth century, though modern editions have had to address the racial stereotypes present in the original texts.

Past sales0
PeriodModernist
NationalityBritish-American
1. Biography

A short life of the author

Hugh John Lofting (1886–1947) was a British-born American author and illustrator who created Doctor Dolittle, one of the most enduring characters in children’s literature. Lofting conceived the character while serving in the trenches of World War I, writing illustrated letters home to his children about a kindly doctor who could talk to animals.

The Story of Doctor Dolittle (1920) was followed by The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle (1922), which won the Newbery Medal in 1923. The series eventually expanded to twelve books, all illustrated by Lofting himself in a distinctive, charming style.

The original texts contain racial caricatures and colonial attitudes typical of the era that have been substantially revised in modern editions — a significant issue for collectors, who must navigate between unaltered first editions (valued for their historical completeness) and the bowdlerised reprints.

Collecting Lofting

First editions of The Story of Doctor Dolittle (1920, Frederick A. Stokes) and The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle (1922) are highly collectible children’s books, with fine copies in dust jacket bringing $2,000–$8,000. Lofting’s own illustrations add to the appeal. The Newbery Medal winner (Voyages) is particularly sought. Later titles in the series are more common but still collected in first editions.