Any child who is not given the opportunity to make the acquaintance of this rotund, kindly and enthusiastic doctor/naturalist and all of his animal friends will miss out on something important -- Jane Goodall The first real children's classic since Alice -- Hugh Walpole He is scornful of the class system . . . hates zoos; couldn't care twopence for money; and takes the side of the little man against the big * Guardian *

Designed to appeal to the booklover, the Macmillan Collector's Library is a series of beautiful gift editions of much loved classic titles. Macmillan Collector's Library are books to love and treasure. Doctor Dolittle is one of the most delightful and fascinating characters in children's literature. This Macmillan Collector's Library edition of The Story of Doctor Dolittle is illustrated with Hugh Lofting's own drawings, and includes updated material and an afterword by author Philip Ardagh. Doctor Dolittle's house in Puddleby-on-the-Marsh is full to the brim with eccentric characters, from Polynesia the parrot to Gub-Gub the pig. After learning the languages of all his animals, the gracious and kind-hearted doctor hears that the monkeys in Africa have become inflicted with a terrible disease. So with a team of trusty creatures by his side, the doctor sets sail on an action-packed adventure to save them.