SEUSS, Dr.

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

The Cat in the Hat. First edition, first printing. Welcomed by adults and children for its revolutionary blend of educational potential and entertainment value, The Cat in the Hat sold over a million copies within three years of its publication, led to the establishment of Beginner Books (incorporated by Random House), and was the first title in a hugely popular series.Seuss was challenged to compose a rhyming story using a short list of simple first-grade words "amidst a national debate over growing illiteracy among children. More than one critic demanded a new type of school primer, one that was fun to read and creatively illustrated so that it could better compete with its nemesis, television" (ANB). His project took over a year. Part of the appeal was that Seuss's book centred on a feline lord of misrule, unlike the typically prim children's reading material which was populated with "abnormally courteous, unnaturally clean boys and girls" (Hersey, p. 136). Seuss was posthumously praised for the "murder of Dick and Jane", characters of one famously terrible primer, "which was a mercy killing of the highest order" (Quindlen, p. 19).This copy has the relevant points for the first printing: the jacket priced 200/200, and the boards not laminated as they are in later issues.

• Printing: first

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