The Story of Doctor Doolittle by Hugh Lofting, Illustrated, First Edition, Later Printing, 1948

Lofting, Hugh. The Story of Doctor Dolittle, Being the History of his Peculiar Life at Home and Astonishing Adventures in Foreign Parts. Philadelphia and New York: J. B. Lippincott Co., 1948. Octavo. First edition, forty-ninth impression. In publisher’s red cloth boards, stamped in black to front and spine, with pictorial inlay to the front board. Illustrated throughout. 

This is a charming first edition, later printing of Hugh Lofting’s The Story of Doctor Dolittle, Being the History of his Peculiar Life at Home and Astonishing Adventures in Foreign Parts. The book was published in 1948 by J. B. Lippincott Co., in Philadelphia and New York.  It is the forty-ninth impression of the first edition. The book is presented in its original red hardcover boards with black embossed titles and decoration to the spine and front board, and a pictorial inlay to the front. It is illustrated throughout by Lofting. 

First published in 1920, The Story of Doctor Dolittle introduced readers to a British physician who, after learning the languages of animals, becomes a veterinarian and sets off on a series of extraordinary adventures. In this opening volume of the beloved series, the first of ten books, Doctor Dolittle leaves his small English town of Puddleby-on-the-Marsh to travel to Africa. Lofting’s own illustrations, lively and humorous, perfectly complement the text and helped establish the book as an enduring classic of children’s literature.

Lofting’s Doctor Dolittle series was celebrated among early twentieth-century children’s fiction, achieving international popularity and influencing generations of young readers. Its 1922 sequel, The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle, was awarded the Newbery Medal. This 1948 forty-ninth impression stands as a testament to the book’s long-lasting appeal, evidence of the book's sustained demand nearly three decades after its initial publication.

CONDITION:

Very good condition. Octavo. Original red hardcover boards, with black embossed titles and decoration to the spine and front board, and a pictorial inlay to the front. Spots of discoloration and staining on the front and spine, light scratches to cloth on back board, with bumping and scuffing along all the corners. New linings and reinforced caps. Two pages with light fingerprint stains, three pages with creased corners, all other pages clean and bright, no tears. Light foxing to paper edges. Illustrated throughout, with 30 black and white illustrations, including frontispiece. xvi, 172 pp. Presented with a new archival cloth slipcase with inlay. 

Book Dimensions: 7 5/8" H x 5 1/2" W x 7/8" D. 

Slipcase Dimensions: 8" H x 5 5/8" W x 1 1/4" D. 

Accompanied by our company’s letter of authenticity.