<SPAN name="startofbook"></SPAN>
<h1 class="faux">THE STORY OF DOCTOR DOLITTLE</h1>
<i>TOLD BY HUGH LOFTING</i><br/>
<h2><i>INTRODUCTION TO THE TENTH PRINTING</i></h2>
<p>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 <i>for</i> children because the new psychological
business of writing <i>about</i> them as though
they were small pills or hatched in some especially
scientific method is extremely popular to-day.
Writing for children rather than about
them is very difficult as everybody who has tried
it knows. It can only be done, I am convinced,
by somebody having a great deal of the child
in his own outlook and sensibilities. Such was
the author of “The Little Duke” and “The
Dove in the Eagle’s Nest,” such the author of
“A Flatiron for a Farthing,” and “The Story
of a Short Life.” Such, above all, the author of
“Alice in Wonderland.” Grownups imagine
that they can do the trick by adopting baby<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_viii" id="Page_viii">[viii]</SPAN></span>
language and talking down to their very critical
audience. There never was a greater mistake.
The imagination of the author must be a child’s
imagination and yet maturely consistent, so that
the White Queen in “Alice,” for instance, is
seen just as a child would see her, but she continues
always herself through all her distressing
adventures. The supreme touch of the white
rabbit pulling on his white gloves as he hastens
is again absolutely the child’s vision, but the
white rabbit as guide and introducer of Alice’s
adventures belongs to mature grown insight.</p>
<p>Geniuses are rare and, without being at all
an undue praiser of times past, one can say without
hesitation that until the appearance of Hugh
Lofting, the successor of Miss Yonge, Mrs.
Ewing, Mrs. Gatty and Lewis Carroll had not
appeared. I remember the delight with which
some six months ago I picked up the first “Dolittle”
book in the Hampshire bookshop at
Smith College in Northampton. One of Mr.
Lofting’s pictures was quite enough for me.
The picture that I lighted upon when I first
opened the book was the one of the monkeys<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_ix" id="Page_ix">[ix]</SPAN></span>
making a chain with their arms across the gulf.
Then I looked further and discovered Bumpo
reading fairy stories to himself. And then
looked again and there was a picture of John
Dolittle’s house.</p>
<p>But pictures are not enough although most
authors draw so badly that if one of them happens
to have the genius for line that Mr. Lofting
shows there must be, one feels, something in his
writing as well. There is. You cannot read the
first paragraph of the book, which begins in the
right way “Once upon a time” without knowing
that Mr. Lofting believes in his story quite
as much as he expects you to. That is the first
essential for a story teller. Then you discover
as you read on that he has the right eye for the
right detail. What child-inquiring mind could
resist this intriguing sentence to be found on the
second page of the book:</p>
<div class="blockquot">
<p>“Besides the gold-fish in the pond at the bottom
of his garden, he had rabbits in the pantry,
white mice in his piano, a squirrel in the linen
closet and a hedgehog in the cellar.”</p>
</div>
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_x" id="Page_x">[x]</SPAN></span></p>
<p>And then when you read a little further you
will discover that the Doctor is not merely a
peg on whom to hang exciting and various adventures
but that he is himself a man of original
and lively character. He is a very kindly, generous
man, and anyone who has ever written
stories will know that it is much more difficult
to make kindly, generous characters interesting
than unkindly and mean ones. But Dolittle is interesting.
It is not only that he is quaint but
that he is wise and knows what he is about. The
reader, however young, who meets him gets very
soon a sense that if he were in trouble, not necessarily
medical, he would go to Dolittle and ask
his advice about it. Dolittle seems to extend
his hand from the page and grasp that of his
reader, and I can see him going down the centuries
a kind of Pied Piper with thousands of
children at his heels. But not only is he a darling
and alive and credible but his creator has
also managed to invest everybody else in the
book with the same kind of life.</p>
<p>Now this business of giving life to animals,
making them talk and behave like human<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_xi" id="Page_xi">[xi]</SPAN></span>
beings, is an extremely difficult one. Lewis Carroll
absolutely conquered the difficulties, but I
am not sure that anyone after him until Hugh
Lofting has really managed the trick; even in
such a masterpiece as “The Wind in the Willows”
we are not quite convinced. John Dolittle’s
friends are convincing because their creator
never forces them to desert their own characteristics.
Polynesia, for instance, is natural
from first to last. She really does care about
the Doctor but she cares as a bird would care,
having always some place to which she is going
when her business with her friends is over. And
when Mr. Lofting invents fantastic animals he
gives them a kind of credible possibility which
is extraordinarily convincing. It will be impossible
for anyone who has read this book not
to believe in the existence of the pushmi-pullyu,
who would be credible enough even were there
no drawing of it, but the picture on page 153
settles the matter of his truth once and for all.</p>
<p>In fact this book is a work of genius and, as
always with works of genius, it is difficult to
analyze the elements that have gone to make<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_xii" id="Page_xii">[xii]</SPAN></span>
it. There is poetry here and fantasy and humor,
a little pathos but, above all, a number of creations
in whose existence everybody must believe
whether they be children of four or old men of
ninety or prosperous bankers of forty-five. I
don’t know how Mr. Lofting has done it; I
don’t suppose that he knows himself. There it
is—the first real children’s classic since “Alice.”</p>
<div class="sig">
<span class="smcap">Hugh Walpole.</span><br/></div>
<hr class="chap" />
<div class="chapter"></div>
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_xiii" id="Page_xiii">[xiii]</SPAN></span></p>
<h2><i>CONTENTS</i></h2>
<div class="center">
<table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" summary="Contents">
<tr>
<td align="left" colspan="2"><span class="smcap">Introduction</span></td>
<td align="right"><SPAN href="#Page_vii">vii</SPAN></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left" colspan="2"><small>CHAPTER</small></td>
<td align="right"><small>PAGE</small></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">I </td>
<td align="left"><span class="smcap">Puddleby</span></td>
<td align="right"><SPAN href="#Page_1">1</SPAN></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">II </td>
<td align="left"><span class="smcap">Animal Language</span></td>
<td align="right"><SPAN href="#Page_7">7</SPAN></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">III </td>
<td align="left"><span class="smcap">More Money Troubles</span></td>
<td align="right"><SPAN href="#Page_19">19</SPAN></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">IV </td>
<td align="left"><span class="smcap">A Message from Africa</span></td>
<td align="right"><SPAN href="#Page_29">29</SPAN></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">V </td>
<td align="left"><span class="smcap">The Great Journey</span></td>
<td align="right"><SPAN href="#Page_37">37</SPAN></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">VI </td>
<td align="left"><span class="smcap">Polynesia and the King</span></td>
<td align="right"><SPAN href="#Page_47">47</SPAN></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">VII </td>
<td align="left"><span class="smcap">The Bridge of Apes</span></td>
<td align="right"><SPAN href="#Page_55">55</SPAN></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">VIII </td>
<td align="left"><span class="smcap">The Leader of the Lions</span></td>
<td align="right"><SPAN href="#Page_67">67</SPAN></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">IX </td>
<td align="left"><span class="smcap">The Monkeys’ Council</span></td>
<td align="right"><SPAN href="#Page_75">75</SPAN></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">X </td>
<td align="left"><span class="smcap">The Rarest Animal of All</span></td>
<td align="right"><SPAN href="#Page_81">81</SPAN></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">XI </td>
<td align="left"><span class="smcap">The Black Prince</span></td>
<td align="right"><SPAN href="#Page_91">91</SPAN></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">XII </td>
<td align="left"><span class="smcap">Medicine and Magic</span></td>
<td align="right"><SPAN href="#Page_99">99</SPAN></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">XIII </td>
<td align="left"><span class="smcap">Red Sails and Blue Wings</span></td>
<td align="right"><SPAN href="#Page_111">111</SPAN></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">XIV </td>
<td align="left"><span class="smcap">The Rats’ Warning</span></td>
<td align="right"><SPAN href="#Page_117">117</SPAN></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">XV </td>
<td align="left"><span class="smcap">The Barbary Dragon</span></td>
<td align="right"><SPAN href="#Page_125">125</SPAN></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">XVI </td>
<td align="left"><span class="smcap">Too-Too, the Listener</span></td>
<td align="right"><SPAN href="#Page_133">133</SPAN></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">XVII </td>
<td align="left"><span class="smcap">The Ocean Gossips</span></td>
<td align="right"><SPAN href="#Page_141">141</SPAN></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">XVIII </td>
<td align="left"><span class="smcap">Smells</span></td>
<td align="right"><SPAN href="#Page_149">149</SPAN></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">XIX </td>
<td align="left"><span class="smcap">The Rock</span></td>
<td align="right"><SPAN href="#Page_159">159</SPAN></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">XX </td>
<td align="left"><span class="smcap">The Fisherman’s Town</span></td>
<td align="right"><SPAN href="#Page_167">167</SPAN></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="right">XXI </td>
<td align="left"><span class="smcap">Home Again</span></td>
<td align="right"><SPAN href="#Page_174">174</SPAN></td>
</tr>
</table></div>
<hr class="chap" />
<div class="chapter"></div>
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_xiv" id="Page_xiv">[xiv]</SPAN><br/><SPAN name="Page_xv" id="Page_xv">[xv]</SPAN></span></p>
<h2><i>ILLUSTRATIONS</i></h2>
<div class="center">
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary="Illustrations">
<tr>
<td align="left"><div class="hang1">“A little town called Puddleby-on-the-Marsh”</div>
</td>
<td align="right"><i><SPAN href="#Frontispiece">Frontispiece</SPAN></i></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"><div class="hang1"> </div>
</td>
<td align="right"><small>PAGE</small></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"><div class="hang1">“And she never came to see him any more”</div>
</td>
<td align="right"><SPAN href="#Page_3">3</SPAN></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"><div class="hang1">“He could see as well as ever”</div>
</td>
<td align="right"><SPAN href="#Page_14">14</SPAN></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"><div class="hang1">“They came at once to his house on the edge of the town”</div>
</td>
<td align="right"><SPAN href="#Page_15">15</SPAN></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"><div class="hang1">“They used to sit in chairs on the lawn”</div>
</td>
<td align="right"><SPAN href="#Page_19">19</SPAN></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"><div class="hang1">“‘All right,’ said the Doctor, ‘go and get married’”</div>
</td>
<td align="right"><SPAN href="#Page_23">23</SPAN></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"><div class="hang1">“One evening when the Doctor was asleep in his chair”</div>
</td>
<td align="right"><SPAN href="#Page_24">24</SPAN></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"><div class="hang1">“‘I felt sure there was twopence left’”</div>
</td>
<td align="right"><SPAN href="#Page_31">31</SPAN></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"><div class="hang1">“And the voyage began”</div>
</td>
<td align="right"><SPAN href="#Page_35">35</SPAN></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"><div class="hang1">“‘We must have run into Africa’”</div>
</td>
<td align="right"><SPAN href="#Page_41">41</SPAN></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"><div class="hang1">“‘I got into it because I did not want to be drowned’”</div>
</td>
<td align="right"><SPAN href="#Page_44">44</SPAN></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"><div class="hang1">“And Queen Ermintrude was asleep”</div>
</td>
<td align="right"><SPAN href="#Page_48">48</SPAN></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"><div class="hang1">“‘Who’s that?’”</div>
</td>
<td align="right"><SPAN href="#Page_52">52</SPAN></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"><div class="hang1">“Cheering and waving leaves and swinging out of the branches to greet him”</div>
</td>
<td align="right"><SPAN href="#Page_61">61</SPAN></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"><div class="hang1">“John Dolittle was the last to cross”</div>
</td>
<td align="right"><SPAN href="#Page_65">65</SPAN></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"><div class="hang1">“He made all the monkeys who were still well come and be vaccinated”</div>
</td>
<td align="right"><SPAN href="#Page_68">68</SPAN></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"><div class="hang1">“‘<i>ME, the King of Beasts</i>, to wait on a lot of dirty monkeys?’”</div>
</td>
<td align="right"><SPAN href="#Page_70">70</SPAN></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"><div class="hang1">“Then the Grand Gorilla got up”</div>
</td>
<td align="right"><SPAN href="#Page_76">76</SPAN></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"><div class="hang1"><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_xvi" id="Page_xvi">[xvi]</SPAN></span>“‘Lord save us!’ cried the duck. ‘How does it make up its mind?’”</div>
</td>
<td align="right"><SPAN href="#Page_85">85</SPAN></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"><div class="hang1">“He began reading the fairy-stories to himself”</div>
</td>
<td align="right"><SPAN href="#Page_96">96</SPAN></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"><div class="hang1">“Crying bitterly and waving till the ship was out of sight”</div>
</td>
<td align="right"><SPAN href="#Page_109">109</SPAN></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"><div class="hang1">“‘They are surely the pirates of Barbary’”</div>
</td>
<td align="right"><SPAN href="#Page_114">114</SPAN></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"><div class="hang1">“‘And you have heard that rats always leave a sinking ship?’”</div>
</td>
<td align="right"><SPAN href="#Page_119">119</SPAN></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"><div class="hang1">“‘Look here, Ben Ali—’”</div>
</td>
<td align="right"><SPAN href="#Page_127">127</SPAN></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"><div class="hang1">“‘Sh!—Listen!—I do believe there’s someone in there!’”</div>
</td>
<td align="right"><SPAN href="#Page_136">136</SPAN></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"><div class="hang1">“‘You stupid piece of warm bacon!’”</div>
</td>
<td align="right"><SPAN href="#Page_153">153</SPAN></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"><div class="hang1">“‘Doctor!’ he cried. ‘I’ve got it!’”</div>
</td>
<td align="right"><SPAN href="#Page_160">160</SPAN></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"><div class="hang1">“And she kissed the Doctor many times”</div>
</td>
<td align="right"><SPAN href="#Page_170">170</SPAN></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"><div class="hang1">“The Doctor sat in a chair in front”</div>
</td>
<td align="right"><SPAN href="#Page_176">176</SPAN></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"><div class="hang1">“He began running round the garden like a crazy thing”</div>
</td>
<td align="right"><SPAN href="#Page_178">178</SPAN></td>
</tr>
</table></div>
<hr class="chap" />
<div class="chapter"></div>
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_xvii" id="Page_xvii">[xvii]</SPAN></span></p>
<div class="maintitle"><i>THE STORY OF DOCTOR DOLITTLE</i></div>
<hr class="chap" />
<div class="chapter"></div>
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