Summer Doctor by Charles H. Knickerbocker (1963, Hardcover)

Summer Doctor
by Charles H. Knickerbocker
Publisher: Doubleday & Company, Inc.
Copyright 1963
Book Club Edition

This is a novel about a very unusual kind of doctor.  Daniel van Dine, M.D. is inclined to wear coveralls, a flannel shirt, and hip-length fisherman's boots, and he has a sense of humor.  He is a nonconformist and a humanist with a keen sense of history.  His religious inclinations are rather strong.  He is constantly seeking the reason for human suffering and pain.  He feels that a deeply personal doctor-patient relationship is more important than the glamor of medical progress.

Dr. Dan decides to locate on a remote island off the coast of Maine.  Here, he will be very busy ten weeks out of every year, for Juniper Island is a summer resort.  HEre, also, he will be lonely, for the conditions in the winter are primitive and the island is inhabited then only by stubborn and cantankerous fishermen.

This is Dr. Dan's own story of his first three years on Juniper Island.  He treats his patients with compassion and individual understanding.  He discovers that a doctor can learn more from his patients than he is ever taught in medical school.

Among his patients and neighbors are a much-married millionaire, a fisherman with a curious sense of ethics, a gloomy anthropologist, a violent artist, and a displaced cleric.  Among the women who influence him are a city fashion editor, an ex-chorus girl, a spinster librarian, a gin-loving Indian midwife, and an unusual adolescent.  One of these manages to marry him.  Also, he owns a dog, a mangy hound answering to the unlikely name of Slob.

Dr. Dan tells his story with wit and wisdom.  His career is one of growth, and he reaches certain conclusions of interest to doctors and patients alike.

Condition:  Used.  Hardcover.  Dust cover.  Pages are tanned and darkening from age.  Previous owner's name and date are written on the front endpaper.  The front endpaper is darkened where the book club flyer was tucked inside the book.  The dust cover is darkening and what looks like a waterstain on the front and back dust cover flaps.  Binding is in the beginning stages of splitting but pages are still in tact.

**************************

Don't Delay. Buy It Now!

Why Buy From Me?

* Shipping Speed Most people are extremely amazed at how fast I get their item delivered to them. I ship the same day you pay for your item, whenever possible.

• Strong Positive Feedback 100% positive feedback. Customers are overwhelmingly pleased with the quality of the item they receive, the accuracy of the item's description, the prompt and informative email notifications, and of course the speedy delivery.
  
  * Blujay Member Since 2005 I'm here to stay.
  
  * ID Verified My feedback profile also displays the ID Verified icon. An extra level of safety and security for buyers to know.
  
  * PayPal Buyer Protection All of my listings display the PayPal Buyer Protection icon to qualify for up to $1000.00 of protection for you, the buyer.