Gub Gub's Book, 1932; Doctor Dolittle's Return, 1933; Doctor Dolittle and the Secret Lake, 1949, all 1st edition, Jonathan Cape, colour frontispiece to each, full-page black & white illustrations, occasional minor spotting and marks, pictorial endpapers, each in original cloth with dustjacket, latter toned, with darkened spines and some edge-fraying, 8vo, together with seven other Doctor Doolittle 1st editions in original cloth (one rebacked), and two reprints in original cloth and dustjacket Central to Richard Adams's literary grounding as a child were Hugh Lofting's works, which were first being published in the 1920s and 1930s as Adams was growing up. In his autobiography 'The Day Gone By' Adams writes of the many books his parents read to him when he was a small boy, saying "Above all, we read Dr Doolittle", and it is a measure of his love for these childhood books that they remained in his library until the end of his life. Although he acknowledges that Lofting's animals "are really just human beings", he says that "Lofting wrote with warmth and humour... the characters are likeable and well-drawn... the narrative grip is powerful". He goes on to say "Above all, the author obviously felt real compassion for animals. If I am up to the neck in the animal rights movement today, Dr Dolittle must answer for it." He returns to the theme later on in his autobiography, praising the books' "buoyant optimism" and their "consistency and integrity". Again he alludes to the theme of animal abuse, saying that the Doctor's passionate concern "turned me against circuses, fur coats and other such evil things - for life." (Richard Adams, The Day Gone By, An Autobiography, 1990, pages 22, 106) (12)
Gub Gub's Book, 1932; Doctor Dolittle's Return, 1933; Doctor Dolittle and the Secret Lake, 1949, all 1st edition, Jonathan Cape, colour frontispiece to each, full-page black & white illustrations, occasional minor spotting and marks, pictorial endpapers, each in original cloth with dustjacket, latter toned, with darkened spines and some edge-fraying, 8vo, together with seven other Doctor Doolittle 1st editions in original cloth (one rebacked), and two reprints in original cloth and dustjacket Central to Richard Adams's literary grounding as a child were Hugh Lofting's works, which were first being published in the 1920s and 1930s as Adams was growing up. In his autobiography 'The Day Gone By' Adams writes of the many books his parents read to him when he was a small boy, saying "Above all, we read Dr Doolittle", and it is a measure of his love for these childhood books that they remained in his library until the end of his life. Although he acknowledges that Lofting's animals "are really just human beings", he says that "Lofting wrote with warmth and humour... the characters are likeable and well-drawn... the narrative grip is powerful". He goes on to say "Above all, the author obviously felt real compassion for animals. If I am up to the neck in the animal rights movement today, Dr Dolittle must answer for it." He returns to the theme later on in his autobiography, praising the books' "buoyant optimism" and their "consistency and integrity". Again he alludes to the theme of animal abuse, saying that the Doctor's passionate concern "turned me against circuses, fur coats and other such evil things - for life." (Richard Adams, The Day Gone By, An Autobiography, 1990, pages 22, 106) (12)
Try LotSearch and its premium features for 7 days - without any costs!
Be notified automatically about new items in upcoming auctions.
Create an alert