Hugh Lofting

Hugh Lofting (1886–1947) was a British writer. Born in England, he studied in England and the United States and initially worked as a surveyor and for railways before settling in the United States in 1912 as a freelance writer. During the First World War, he wrote illustrated letters to his children from Flanders, creating the character of Doctor Dolittle. His first children’s book, “The Story of Doctor Dolittle,” was published in 1920 and illustrated by Lofting himself. It was followed by numerous further adventures of the famous animal doctor.