# The Story of Doctor Dolittle

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The first of the Doctor Dolittle books, a series of children's novels about a man who learns to talk to animals and becomes their champion around the world.
THE
STORY OF
DOCTOR DOLITTLE
BEING THE HISTORY OF HIS PECULIAR LIFE AT HOME AND ASTONISHING ADVENTURES IN FOREIGN PARTS. NEVER BEFORE PRINTED.
TOLD BY HUGH LOFTING
ILLUSTRATED BY THE AUTHOR
Published by FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY of 413 FOURTH AVENUE, NEW YORK.
~ A.D. 1920 ~
WITH AN INTRODUCTION TO THE TENTH PRINTING
BY HUGH WALPOLE
"A little town called Puddleby-on-the-Marsh"
TO
ALL CHILDREN
CHILDREN IN YEARS AND CHILDREN IN HEART
I DEDICATE THIS STORY
CONTENTS
ILLUSTRATIONS
| "A little town called Puddleby-on-the-Marsh" | Frontispiece |
| | PAGE |
| "And she never came to see him any more" | 3 |
| "He could see as well as ever" | 14 |
| "They came at once to his house on the edge of the town" | 15 |
| "They used to sit in chairs on the lawn" | 19 |
| "'All right,' said the Doctor, 'go and get married'" | 23 |
| "One evening when the Doctor was asleep in his chair" | 24 |
| "'I felt sure there was twopence left'" | 31 |
| "And the voyage began" | 35 |
| "'We must have run into Africa'" | 41 |
| "'I got into it because I did not want to be drowned'" | 44 |
| "And Queen Ermintrude was asleep" | 48 |
| "'Who's that?'" | 52 |
| "Cheering and waving leaves and swinging out of the branches to greet him" | 61 |
| "John Dolittle was the last to cross" | 65 |
| "He made all the monkeys who were still well come and be vaccinated" | 68 |
| "'ME, the King of Beasts, to wait on a lot of dirty monkeys?'" | 70 |
| "Then the Grand Gorilla got up" | 76 |
| "'Lord save us!' cried the duck. 'How does it make up its mind?'" | 85 ​ |
| "He began reading the fairy-stories to himself" | 96 |
| "Crying bitterly and waving till the ship was out of sight" | 109 |
| "'They are surely the pirates of Barbary'" | 114 |
| "'And you have heard that rats always leave a sinking ship?'" | 119 |
| "'Look here, Ben Ali—'" | 127 |
| "'Sh!—Listen!—I do believe there's someone in there!'" | 136 |
| "'You stupid piece of warm bacon!'" | 153 |
| "'Doctor!' he cried. 'I've got it!'" | 160 |
| "And she kissed the Doctor many times" | 170 |
| "The Doctor sat in a chair in front" | 176 |
| "He began running round the garden like a crazy thing" | 178 |
Copyright, 1920, by Frederick A. Stokes Company
All rights reserved, including that of translation
into foreign languages
| First Printing, | Aug. | 24, | 1920 |
| Second Printing, | Dec. | 17, | 1920 |
| Third Printing, | April | 16, | 1921 |
| Fourth Printing, | July | 7, | 1921 |
| Fifth Printing, | Sept. | 1, | 1921 |
| Sixth Printing, | Oct. | 26, | 1921 |
| Seventh Printing, | Dec. | 5, | 1921 |
| Eighth Printing, | April | 3, | 1922 |
| Ninth Printing, | Aug. | 18, | 1922 |
| Tenth Printing, | Nov. | 28, | 1922 |
| Eleventh Printing, | April | 2, | 1923 |
Printed in the United States of America
This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1929.
The longest-living author of this work died in 1947, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 76 years or less. This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.
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