CAT IN THE HAT

New York: Random House, 1957. Very good.. First edition of this subversive update to DICK AND JANE — one of a small group with jackets lacking a printed price, issued between the transition from the "200/200" of the first state and the "195/195" of the second. Challenged to create a reader for young children using only 220 different words, Seuss tricked kids into enjoying learning with his destructive and charismatic house guest. Inspired in part by Krazy Kat and Felix the Cat, but with a wily mind all his own, the Cat in the Hat's humor and naughtiness are engaged in the noble cause of literacy. "Parents," notes biographer Brian Jay Jones, "were more than happy to join Dr. Seuss as fellow revolutionaries. Even if parents didn't necessarily understand the pedagogy, it was easy to see the difference between the staid DICK AND JANE and the rambunctious CAT IN THE HAT: kids wanted to read about the antics of the cat, just as Geisel had hoped." The first book featuring the American icon, this copy comes directly from the stock of Aleph-Bet Books, the firm of Seuss bibliographers Helen Younger and Marc Younger. 9'' x 6.75''. Original flat paper over boards (not glazed paper). In original dust jacket with no printed price (ref Younger, Younger, Hirsch). 61, [1] pages. Pencil gift inscription to title page. Jacket somewhat soiled, with a tiny chip to front panel and a few short closed tears repaired with tape to verso. Book with a few repairs, light soil. (Inventory #: 26525)