Defence Against the Dark Arts Part XXXI: Hugh Lofting's Doctor Dolittle books

Even though they don't contain material suitable for quoting on here, I felt that the Rupert Bear books deserved a mention because of the very positive effect that they had on me when I first encountered them. Featuring these books was a way of repaying my debt to them.

It is much the same with Hugh Lofting's Doctor Dolittle books, which I first came across in the public library when I was very young: I thought it time to say a few words about the books and their author in return for the great enjoyment that they gave me as a child. 

I loved the stories with their amusing and unusual illustrations by the author. I admired Doctor Dolittle for his humanitarianism and dedication to animal welfare; I envied him for his travels and adventures with his animal companions.

I didn't notice anything wrong at the time, but, just as with the Rupert books, some of the material is now considered unacceptable because of the racial stereotyping. The Dr. Dolittle books have been issued in revised editions, but it is still possible to find the original versions in the Open Library. 

Something about the Doctor Dolittle books
Although the simple text makes it easy to get through each book very quickly, it would take a while to re-read all 15 or so of them, so for now I will just mention some highlights from my memories.

I particularly liked the first two books in the series i.e. The Story of Doctor Dolittle (1920), which introduces the main characters, and The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle (1922), which features the Great Glass Sea-snail.

Honest politicians really are doomed!

This is another post in the topical series that features alarming and pessimistic politics-related quotations.

These words from Taylor Caldwell appear in the article about the lack of honour in politics:

“An honest politician is either a hypocrite—or he is doomed.” 

Upton Sinclair wrote something that supports this proposition:

“Such was the new technique for the conquest of power. Fool those who were foolable, buy those who were buyable, and kill the rest.”

From Wide Is the Gate (1943)

The above extract reminds me of how potential troublemakers are dealt with in John Christopher's Guardians:

“We are constantly on the alert for trouble...Anyone showing creative intelligence and initiative stands out conspicuously from the mob and can be dealt with.”

“Dealt with” means eliminated! 

Upton Sinclair is yet another writer whose life and works I hope to investigate when I have more time.

More alarming words from Taylor Caldwell

Taylor Caldwell has been referenced in several articles, including a recent one that features some of her alarming words about wars.

Her works, not to mention her life, deserve a closer look, but the reader's dilemma of 'so many books, so little time' applies here. It is always possible to find some good extracts and produce a short article as a compromise however, and I have come across some more quotable material that is particularly relevant to what is happening in the US and the UK - and many other nations. 

This proposition is from The Story of Honoria, an article that was first published in a magazine in 1957:

“It is a stern fact of history that no nation that rushed to the abyss ever turned back. Not ever, in the long history of the world. We are now on the edge of the abyss. Can we, for the first time in history, turn back?”

I am not knowledgeable enough to be able to confirm that in the past no nation that rushed headlong towards disaster ever turned back, but it seems very likely. Perhaps the momentum just carried them along until it was too late to stop. 

I wonder what Taylor Caldwell would think of the current UK and US political situations. We could well be on the brink of an abyss right now.

This is an extract from Captains and the Kings, a historical novel that was first published in 1972:

“...who do you honestly believe rules any nation? The apparent rulers, or the real ones behind the scenes who manipulate a nation’s finances for their own benefit? Mr. Lincoln is as helpless as you and I. He can only, unfortunate man, give his people slogans, and slogans, it would appear, are what the people want. I have yet to hear of a nation that ever rejected a war.” 

Great  minds think alike. This is very similar to what Benjamin Disraeli said about the Hidden Hand. The big question here is, who are these secret rulers and puppet masters?

More about stories as painkillers

One of the many articles inspired by Rudyard Kipling and his words quotes something he said that made a big impression when I first came across it: 

“I am, by calling, a dealer in words; and words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind…”

Words can certainly be intoxicating and inspiring; they can also be a big and positive distraction for and have a very good effect on people who are suffering. 

The article goes on to say this:

“I remember reading that Dennis Wheatley got large numbers of letters from people in hospital who said that his books helped them to forget their pain.”

An explanation of how this works comes from A House Like a Lotus by Madeleine L'Engle, another article-inspiring writer:

“She smiled. “When we are listening to stories, then it is the story center of the brain which is functioning, and the pain center is less active. I go into the children’s wards of hospitals, where there are children in great pain. When I am telling them stories they laugh and they cry and in truth their pain is less. Mine, too.“”

This makes sense. Reading stories also works for other kinds of pain. The article about the reader's dilemma mentions reading for comfort in times of trouble and desolation. Children who are suffering because of neglect and ill treatment may find that reading fiction provides solace and a means of escape.

More about Richard Barham and his Ingoldsby Legends

The article about The Reverend Richard Harris Barham (December 6th 1788 to June 17th 1845), who wrote his Legends using the pen name Thomas Ingoldsby, introduces and gives a few extracts from the book.

There is a little more to say about The Ingoldsby Legends and its author, and the 180th anniversary of Richard Barham's death is a very suitable occasion for another article.

The Legends
The Legends first appeared as a magazine series in 1837, and they were first published in book form in 1840. 

The Legends were immensely popular in the 19th century. They went to many different editions, often with some variations in the contents, the illustrations, the punctuation and the introductions and prefaces.

The various editions of The Ingoldsby Legends were greatly enhanced by illustrations created by a variety of artists.

The illustrators
The Legends were illustrated by some of the biggest names of the day: George Cruickshank, John Leech, John Tenniel and  Arthur Rackham all produced pictures for the book.  

George Cruikshank illustrated some of the early editions. This is his depiction of the Spectre of Tappington:

A few wise words from William Gladstone

The UK statesman and former four-time Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone has been mentioned in a few articles, including one about his enemy and rival Benjamin Disraeli's rise to political power.

I knew very little about Gladstone at the time; unlike Disraeli, he had never caught my interest or imagination. I did know though that he is mentioned many times in Jonathan Stroud's Bartimaeus books, the wonderful fantasy trilogy that features London, magic and alternative history.

This extract is from The Amulet of Samarkand, the first book in the series:

"...Gladstone...was the most powerful magician ever to become Prime Minister. He dominated the Victorian Age for thirty years and brought the feuding factions of magicians under government control. You must have heard of his duel with the sorcerer Disraeli on Westminster Green?”

I suddenly remembered the Bartimaeus references recently; it then occurred to me that if Gladstone had inspired Jonathan Stroud enough to be featured in his books, the great Victorian politician might be worth a quick investigation.

I soon found a few good quotations to highlight here.

Feeling versus thinking
I have found this statement to be very true – and the examples I have seen very annoying:

“Men are apt to mistake the strength of their feeling for the strength of their argument. The heated mind resents the chill touch and relentless scrutiny of logic.”

These words may seem unoriginal and to state the very obvious, but they come close to home. People who get all emotional, won't listen to reason and ignore the evidence are a big pain!

The love of books and reading
William Gladstone is said to have been a voracious reader and great scholar from an early age.

Sir Henry Rider Haggard died on May 14th 1925

The death of Sir Henry Rider Haggard occurred on May 14th 1925, one hundred years ago today. 

I was addicted to his novels throughout much of my childhood, so I decided to mark the occasion with a few words in recognition of the huge amounts of enjoyment – and the education - that they gave me. 

My first encounter with Rider Haggard's stories
I remember my introduction to Rider Haggard's romantic and exciting adventure stories very clearly. King Solomon's Mines and its sequel Allan Quatermain were published in strip form in a children's comic that I used to buy each week; there were strings of colourful pictures, each with a block of text underneath. 

I enjoyed my first encounter with these fascinating stories very much. I remember finding Captain Good's white legs in King Solomon's Mines very amusing, but the portrayals of the old witch Gagool in the same story and the attack by giant intelligent crabs in Allan Quatermain were rather scary!

Not exactly the same, but fairly similar to what I read in the comic:

My next encounter with Rider Haggard's stories
I soon graduated from the simplified and condensed adaptions to the complete versions of Rider Haggard's two adventure stories: books from the public library intensified the addiction that the comic strips had started. I also discovered several more of his novels that were just as enjoyable as the first two.

These stories provided more than just entertainment and escape: they expanded my vocabulary and increased my knowledge of history, geography and politics.

A major problem was that my library stocked only the most popular novels; it was very frustrating to see the long list of Rider Haggard's other works on the 'By the same Author' page in the books and be unable to read any of them!

Getting most of the remaining books on a plate
As mentioned in one of the many articles about public libraries, soon after my family moved to London I joined a very good local library; the new school I went to had a library with a stock of good books too. Even so, there were still many unread Rider Haggard books that I wished and wished I could get hold of.