We specialize in hard to find items
All Categories
Dr. Seuss Goes to War: The World War II Editorial Cartoons of Theodor Seuss Geisel
Share Tweet
*Price and Stocks may change without prior notice
*Packaging of actual item may differ from photo shown
- Electrical items MAY be 110 volts.
- 7 Day Return Policy
- All products are genuine and original
About Dr. Seuss Goes To War: The World War II Editorial
Product Description Examines Theodor Geisel's early work as a political cartoonist during World War II and reproduces two hundred of his best cartoons from that time Amazon.com Review Before Yertle, before the Cat in the Hat, before Little Cindy-Lou Who (but after Mulberry Street), (Theodor Geisel) made his living as a political cartoonist for New York newspaper PM. Seuss drew over 400 cartoons in just under two years for the paper, reflecting the daily's New Deal liberal slant. Starting in early 1941, when PM advocated American involvement in World War II, Seuss savaged the fascists with cunning caricatures. He also turned his pen against America's internal enemies--isolationists, hoarders, complainers, anti-Semites, and anti-black racists--and urged Americans to work together to win the war. The cartoons are often funny, peopled with bowler-hatted "everymen" and what author calls "Seussian fauna" in his preface. They are also often very disturbing--Seuss draws brutally racist images of the Japanese and even attacks Japanese Americans on numerous occasions. Perhaps most disturbing is the realization that Seuss was just reflecting the wartime zeitgeist. Dr. Seuss Goes to War marks the first time most of these illustrations have appeared in print since they were first published. 's introduction and explanatory chapters contextualize the 200 editorial cartoons (some of whose nuances might otherwise be lost on the modern reader). Those who grew up on Seuss will enjoy early glimpses of his later work; history buffs will enjoy this new--if playful and contorted--angle on World War II. --Sunny Delaney From Library Journal Few fans of Dr. Seuss's whimsy are likely to be aware that before authoring The Cat in the Hat Theodor Seuss Geisel penned editorial cartoons for the New York daily PM. This new collection presents approximately half the newspaper cartoons that Geisel drafted for the pro-New Deal paper from the start of 1941 (when his main targets were the isolationists who opposed U.S. intervention in European and Asian affairs) until 1943 (when he accepted a commission in the U.S. Army). Minear (history, Univ. of Massachusetts) has done a fine job of selecting, arranging in thematic order, and providing historical commentary for these cartoons, which are full of Geisel's expected visual wit; seeing the early development of his eccentric animal menagerie is a special treat. As Art Spiegelman notes in his introduction, Geisel's Uncle Sam seems to have been practice for what would become the Cat in the Hat. "The prototype for the cat's famous headgear is actually...Uncle Sam's red-and-white-striped top hat! The Cat in the Hat is America!" writes Spiegelman. Recommended for larger libraries.AKent Worcester, Marymount Manhattan Coll., New York Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. Review A fascinating collection. -- The New York Times Book Review, Peggy Constantine, 9 January 2000 A revelation. -- People, Harry Bauld, 15 November 15 1999 A shocker - this cat is not in the hat! -- Studs Terkel Fascinating stuff... provides a provocative history of wartime politics. -- Entertainment Weekly, Margot Mifflin, 5 November 1999 Minear has collected over 200 of these rare cartoons and provided a fascinating historical and sociological context for them. It's an amazing piece of scholarship...I've been reading the various Seuss books to my children for several years now and, like them, I've become a big fan of the good doctor. This book offers another and not wholly flattering look at the legendary cartoonist and, while I won't be sharing it with my kids just yet, it's a welcome addition to my library. I recommend it highly. -- Tony Isabella, Tony's Online Tips, 11 January 2000 This is scathing, fascinating stuff, and with Minear's commentary, it provides a provocative history of wartime politics. -- Entertainment Weekly, Brian M. Raftery, 5 November 1999
