Hugh Lofting Books in Order
25 books are credited to Hugh Lofting, published between 1920 and 2008; 13 of them appeared after Hugh Lofting's death in 1947. The first book is The Story of Doctor Dolittle / Doctor Dolittle (1920) and the newest is The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle (2008). Publication order is the reading order below. 15 of the 25 books listed here are in the Doctor Dolittle series, which has its own page: Doctor Dolittle books in order.
- Books
- 25
- Published
- 1920–2008
- Pages on record
- 4,135 in 22 of 25 books
- Reading time
- 69–103 hours
Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 4,135 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 22 of 25 titles with a page count on record.
Doctor Dolittle, the physician who talks to animals, is the creation of Hugh Lofting (1886-1947). Lofting trained as a civil engineer and was English-American. The character began in illustrated letters Lofting wrote to his children from the trenches of the First World War, and Lofting moved to the United States before the first book appeared. The Story of Doctor Dolittle (1920) opens a series that includes Doctor Dolittle's Post Office, Circus, Zoo and Caravan. The catalogue holds 25 books.
How many Hugh Lofting books are there?
Hugh Lofting has 25 books, released between 1920 and 2008. 13 of them were published after Hugh Lofting's death in 1947. 15 of them belong to the Doctor Dolittle series.
Hugh Lofting Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 25 Hugh Lofting books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.
- 119201562/4
- 2The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle / Doctor Dolittle and the PiratesDoctor Dolittle #21922 · 316 pages · confirmed 2/419223162/4
- 319232222/4
- 41924–2/4
- 51925–1/4
- 619262782/4
- 719271992/4
- 819282062/4
- 9The Twilight of Magic1930 · 243 pages · confirmed 1/419302431/4
- 1019321601/4
- 1119331762/4
- 121936–2/4
- 1319484482/4
- 1419503092/4
- 1519523042/4
- 16Doctor Dolittle Stories1998 · 368 pages · confirmed 1/419983681/4
- 17Doctor Dolittle's Animals1998 · 32 pages · confirmed 1/41998321/4
- 18Doctor Dolittle to the Rescue1999 · 91 pages · confirmed 1/41999911/4
- 19Doctor Dolittle in Trouble2000 · 88 pages · confirmed 1/42000881/4
- 20Doctor Dolittle Saves the Day2000 · 91 pages · confirmed 1/42000911/4
- 21Doctor Dolittle and the Lighthouse2000 · 64 pages · confirmed 1/42000641/4
- 22Doctor Dolittle's First Adventure2000 · 80 pages · confirmed 1/42000801/4
- 23Doctor Dolittle Takes Charge2000 · 80 pages · confirmed 1/42000801/4
- 24Doctor Dolittle's Ambulance2000 · 64 pages · confirmed 1/42000641/4
- 2520081602/4
Hugh Lofting series in order
The series linked below has its own reading-order page.
- Doctor Dolittle books in order 15 books
Hugh Lofting books grouped by series
Each title below is a row in the publication-order table above. None of these groups has a reading-order page of its own on this site.
Standalone books
10 books10 Hugh Lofting titles here are not listed as part of any series.
Do you have to read Hugh Lofting books in order?
You only need to read Hugh Lofting books in order within the Doctor Dolittle series, which holds 15 of the 25 Hugh Lofting books listed here. The numbered table above gives every book in publication order.
Where to start with Hugh Lofting
Start with The Story of Doctor Dolittle / Doctor Dolittle (1920), the first Doctor Dolittle book. It is also the earliest catalogued title.
What is the newest Hugh Lofting book?
The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle (2008) is the newest Hugh Lofting book released so far.
Is there a new Hugh Lofting book coming?
No next Hugh Lofting book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
Awards Hugh Lofting has won
Wikidata records 2 awards for Hugh Lofting. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.
- Lewis Carroll Shelf Award1958Wonfor The Story of Doctor Dolittle
- Newbery Medal1923Wonfor The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle
Hugh Lofting at a glance
- Died
- Hugh Lofting died in 1947, according to Wikidata.
- After death
- Books credited to Hugh Lofting are still being published after Hugh Lofting's death in 1947; the newest appeared in 2008.
- Release pace
- Hugh Lofting books have appeared about one every 4 years on average.
- Length
- 4,135 pages across the 22 of 25 books with a recorded length, a median of 168 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Hugh Lofting books, 8 of 25, were published in the 1920s.
What the Hugh Lofting books are about
22 of the 25 Hugh Lofting books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: animals is tagged on 17 of 22. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Animals 17 of 22 books
- Children's fiction 12 of 22 books
- Dolittle, doctor (fictitious character) 9 of 22 books
- Fantasy 8 of 22 books
- Veterinarians 4 of 22 books
- Human-animal relationships 3 of 22 books
- Birds 2 of 22 books
- Circus 2 of 22 books