SEUSS, Dr. (Theodore Geisel, 1904-1991). The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins. New York: The Vanguard Press, 1938.

Fine presentation of the first edition of Dr. Seuss’s second children’s book, with the $1.50 price on inner front flap and with $1.00 price for Mulberry Street on rear inner flap. Inscribed on the verso of the front free endpaper: "For Ernst, who did the part of the book that gets me the most compliments / —Dr. Seuss.”

From context, this is almost certainly Ernst Reichl (1900-1980), the award-winning German-American typographer who designed 500 Hats. Reichl commented on the experience: “With the ‘500 Hats’ Dr. Seuss struck out for an integrated rather than illustrated presentation in which the pictures are every bit as important as the text; justly so since he himself did create both. It began with a reading of the story to Evelyn Shrifte and me, one evening at his home, simultaneously showing the lighted pictures one after the other in the darkened room. After he read the last paragraph he asked: ‘Is this a good ending? I really don’t know,’ but neither of us could think of a better one to his enchanting story. He was a joy to work with; there were any number of problems to work out. The arrangement and size of this book later became the [model?] for all his later titles, published by Random House” (quoted in online exhibition catalogue, “Ernst Reichl: Wide Awake Typographer,” Columbia University, 2013).

As with all his books, Geisel worked laboriously on the paste-up of the book, making minute changes to satisfy his vision of the book. The book received laudatory reviews, with the New York Times calling it "a lovely bit of tomfoolery which keeps up the suspense and surprise until the last page" (Morgan, p.88). The book was dedicated to Geisel's imaginary friend, Chrysanthemum-Pearl, "aged 89 months, going on 90."

Quarto. Black-and-white illustrations by the author, with Bartholomew's red hat appearing in red. Original cloth-backed pictorial boards, decorated endpapers (touch of rubbing to board edges, mild toning to endpapers); original pictorial dust jacket (spine panel sunned and with light wear to ends, light rubbing to spine panel, folds and edges). Provenance: Ernst [Reichl?] (presentation inscription from the author).