Photo of Hugh Lofting
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Hugh Lofting

1 series 15 books in order

Hugh John Lofting was a British author, born in 1886 and died in 1947, trained as a civil engineer, who created the character of Doctor Dolittle, one of the classics of children's literature. His doctor from Puddleby-on-the-Marsh who could speak to animals first appeared in the author's illustrated letters to children, written from the trenches during World War I when actual news was, he later said, either too horrible or too dull.

Born
1886
Known for
Doctor Dolittle

Series by Hugh Lofting

Doctor Dolittle

15 books in order · 1920–1936

  1. Cover of The Story of Doctor Dolittle (Dalmatian Press Adapted Classic)
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  2. Cover of The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle

    The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle

    1922 · Hugh Lofting

    Dr. Dolittle travels with his assistant, Tommy Stubbins, his dog Jip, and his parrot Polynesia on a voyage across tropical seas. They search for his…

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  3. Cover of Doctor Dolittle's post office

    Doctor Dolittle's post office

    1923 · Hugh Lofting

    Doctor Dolittle establishes a swallow mail service for the animals after discovering they have their own system of writing. This allows the animals…

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  4. Cover of Doctor Dolittle's Circus
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  5. Cover of Doctor Dolittle's zoo

    Doctor Dolittle's zoo

    1925 · Hugh Lofting

    Doctor Dolittle's zoo is located in the garden of his house in Puddleby. Unlike a typical zoo, the doors have locks on the inside, allowing the…

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  7. Cover of Doctor Dolittle's caravan

    Doctor Dolittle's caravan

    1926 · Hugh Lofting

    John Dolittle takes his circus to London, where he stages a bird opera with the help of the canary Pippinella. The story is part of the Doctor…

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  8. Cover of Doctor Dolittle's Garden
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  9. Cover of Doctor Dolittle in the moon

    Doctor Dolittle in the moon

    1928 · Hugh Lofting

    The eighth work in the Doctor Dolittle Books by Hugh Lofting. Doctor Dolittle travels to the moon, where he finds a whole new world of animals and…

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  10. Cover of Gub-Gub's Book: An Encyclopedia of Food

    Gub-Gub's Book: An Encyclopedia of Food

    1932 · Hugh Lofting

    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 story…

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Show all 15 Doctor Dolittle books in order →

Frequently asked questions

How many books has Hugh Lofting written?

We list 15 books by Hugh Lofting across 1 series, published between 1920–1936 — each shown in full reading order.

What order should I read Hugh Lofting's books?

Read each series in publication order. A good place to start is “The Story of Doctor Dolittle (Dalmatian Press Adapted Classic).” Open any series above for its complete numbered reading order.

Where can I buy Hugh Lofting's books?

Every title links to Amazon from its series page — see our affiliate disclosure in the footer for how that supports the site.

Reading order compiled from author/publisher guidance and verified bibliographic data. Spotted a wrong order, a missing book, or any other mistake? and we'll correct it.