The points of issue
First printing August 1922. The copyright page carries no later-printing statement; later printings add a stated line (for example a Fifth Printing is noted as August 1923). Bound in grey boards with a color pictorial paste-on label and blue-and-yellow pictorial endpapers showing Dolittle as king of the island. Color frontispiece with captioned tissue guard, one color plate, and the author's black-and-white illustrations throughout.
Is this the true first?
US true first (Stokes, New York). Lofting, though English, was published in the United States first; the Jonathan Cape London edition followed.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later Stokes and successor Lippincott printings carry stated printing notices. A later second-issue dust jacket adds review blurbs and Lofting-title advertisements on the panels; the first-issue jacket lacks these. Modern reprints expurgate racial content.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: First printing August 1922. The copyright page carries no later-printing statement; later printings add a stated line (for example a Fifth Printing is noted as August 1923). Bound in grey boards with a color pictorial paste-on label and blue-and-yellow pictorial endpapers showing Dolittle as king of the island. Color frontispiece with captioned tissue guard, one color plate, and the author's black-and-white illustrations throughout.
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. US true first (Stokes, New York). Lofting, though English, was published in the United States first; the Jonathan Cape London edition followed.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
Later Stokes and successor Lippincott printings carry stated printing notices. A later second-issue dust jacket adds review blurbs and Lofting-title advertisements on the panels; the first-issue jacket lacks these. Modern reprints expurgate racial content.
I have a first edition of The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.