Dr. Seuss: The Cat Behind the Hat

Those who know Dr. Seuss mostly via his Cat or Grinch will appreciate the portrait of the artist as a young man named Ted Geisel contained in this volume of reminiscences and art work (originally published as Secrets of the Deep). Geisel graduated from Dartmouth in 1925 and pursued graduate studies at Oxford, hoping to become a professor. A suggestion from his classmate and future wife prompted a move to New York City, where Geisel drew advertisements and cartoons. His early work balances na%C3%AFvet%C3%A9 and sophistication: the marrying bugs in "The Flit Gun Wedding" live under threat of insecticide, while a Ballyhoo magazine cover boy reads The Facts of Life. Even in his so-called serious artwork, Geisel seemed compelled to embellish his images with clever turns of phrase: a man carrying a very large, long-necked, yellow bird is described as "A Man Who Has Made an Unwise Purchase." Geisel's animal sculptures%E2%80%94the heads of imaginary creatures mounted like game for display%E2%80%94have wonderful monikers, such as "Semi-Normal Green-Lidded Fawn." The book also features original layouts from Geisel's most famous children's books. Altogether, this collection makes it easy to fall in love with Dr. Seuss again. Illus. (Nov.)