Hugh Lofting, a British children’s author, wrote the Doctor Dolittle series of books while serving in World War I. The books, about a man who talks to animals, were adapted into films. Lofting’s vivid writing and art conveyed a message of kindness to animals and respect for others. Recent versions of the books have been edited to remove racist content. Lofting died in 1947.
Hugh Lofting was a British children’s author, best known for writing the Doctor Dolittle series of books. The books, about a man who talks to animals, were later adapted into several films. Hugh Lofting originally began writing the series in letters to his children’s homes from the front lines of World War I, and his family were so delighted with the stories that they suggested he look for a publisher for them.
Although the Dr. Dolittle books have declined in popularity in recent years, many people who grew up in the 1950s remember reading Hugh Lofting fondly. Dab Dab, Gub Gub, Polynesia and other animal characters were brought to life by Lofting’s vivid writing and art, which also included a message of kindness to animals and respect for others. Doctor Dolittle and his animal companions have traveled around the world in the Lofting books, each opening in a new and fantastical place, ranging from Africa to the ocean floor inside a giant glass snail .
Hugh Lofting was born in Maidenhead, England, in 1886, and after finishing school at Mount Saint Mary’s, a Jesuit boarding school, he decided to become a civil engineer, as he was interested in traveling the world. He studied in America at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for a year before returning to England to finish his degree at London Polytechnic. Hugh Lofting quickly realized his travel dreams, taking assignments in Rhodesia, Canada and Cuba before returning to America and marrying Flora Small in 1912.
In the United States, Hugh Lofting and Flora started a family and he took a job writing technical and illustration. However, World War I broke out and, as Hugh Lofting was a British citizen, he was drafted. At first, he was able to work for the British Foreign Office in New York, but then he was commissioned and went to Europe to take part in the war. The front had a profound effect on Hugh Lofting, and it was there that he was first struck by the character of Doctor Dolittle, seeing military horses in action and wishing there was someone to tell their story. In letters home, instead of dealing with the grim and depressing world of war, Lofting began sending illustrated stories about Doctor Dolittle and his animal friends.
Wounded in the war, Hugh Lofting returned to America and found a publisher for his stories. The Story of Doctor Dolittle, published in 1920, became an instant hit. It would follow with 12 more Dr. Dolittle books, the last one to come out after his death. Flora died in 1927 and Hugh Lofting remarried soon after, only to see his new wife fall ill and also die. In 1935, Hugh Lofting remarried for the last time, to Josephine Fricker, and the family moved to Topanga, California, where Lofting died in 1947.
Recent versions of Hugh Lofting’s books have been edited to eliminate content deemed racist. Hugh Lofting’s era saw the beginning of great changes in racial attitudes, but this did not seem to be reflected in his books, many of which featured highly formulaic characters and illustrations. His family remembered him as a loving and caring man and wanted his books to reflect that image rather than dated material. As a result, some of the text has been changed and several images have been removed.
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