Description
First trade edition, fourth issue of The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss.
Octavo, 61pp, [1]. Glazed paper boards, title in white on spine and front board. This is a fourth issue; one of only two in which “B-1” is listed on the spine. With “Beginner Books” series logo on front cover. Solid text block, lightly worn along edges, near fine example. In publisher’s fourth issue dust jacket, with 195/195 on front flap and “Beginner Books” logo on front panel. Lightly worn at corners, faint shelf wear, small tape remnant on verso.
(Younger & Hirsch, 7)
The Cat in the Hat was published in both an educational edition for schools and a trade edition for sale in bookstores. Dr. Seuss said The Cat in the Hat “is the book I’m proudest of because it had something to do with the death of the Dick and Jane primers.” Those primers, used frequently in schools, featured idealized children in very bland forms and emphasized word recognition, whereas Seuss focused on phonics. The Cat in the Hat is said to be the children’s book that made Dr. Seuss famous and led to the creation of Beginner Books; a publisher dedicated to producing books similar to Seuss’ imaginative readers to help promote literacy.
