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Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss: 7 Facts You Didn't Know About The Author

  First Posted: 03/ 2/2012 8:35 am   Updated: 03/ 2/2012 8:48 am

By Margaret Bristol for Bookish

Theodor Seuss Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss, wrote more than 60 children’s books, many of which became must-haves for every kid’s library before his death in 1991. Most recently, fans got to read one more posthumous release: Seven short works originally published in '50s magazines were released as an anthology last fall called "The Bippolo Seed and Other Lost Stories." In honor of the latest Seuss-to-screen adaptation, "The Lorax," hitting theaters this weekend, we've dug up seven fun facts about Seuss that may surprise you.

Making a Name for Himself
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How did Geisel adopt the nom de plume Dr. Seuss? According to Philip Nel, author of "Dr. Seuss: American Icon," the pen name appeared years before Geisel published his first children's book, "And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street!"

In 1925, Dartmouth student Geisel was caught drinking gin with some buddie--during Prohibition. As punishment, Geisel was forced to pull out of extracurricular activities, including his role as editor-in-chief at a student magazine. After that, Geisel chose to publish his work under a variety of assumed names, one of which was Dr. Seuss. Geisel later also published children's books under the names Theo LeSieg and Rosetta Stone--these pseudonyms appear on books that he wrote but didn't illustrate.
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By Margaret Bristol for Bookish Theodor Seuss Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss, wrote more than 60 children’s books, many of which became must-haves for every kid’s library before his death in 1991. Most ...
By Margaret Bristol for Bookish Theodor Seuss Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss, wrote more than 60 children’s books, many of which became must-haves for every kid’s library before his death in 1991. Most ...
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