After Dr. Seuss Books Are Pulled, Demand Spikes

Other Seuss titles are topping bestseller lists, while 6 yanked ones are hot on eBay
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 4, 2021 11:42 AM CST
After Dr. Seuss Books Are Pulled, Demand Spikes
"If I Ran the Zoo," by Dr. Seuss is one of six titles that won't be published anymore.   (Erin McCracken/Evansville Courier & Press via AP, File)

A decision by the company that controls the Dr. Seuss name to no longer publish or sell six books in its portfolio doesn't seem to have hurt the brand. USA Today reports that, as of Thursday morning, Dr. Seuss books are selling like hotcakes online: On Amazon's bestseller list, 16 of the top 20 books are Dr. Seuss titles, while of Barnes and Noble's bestsellers, 18 of the top 20 are. None of these include the six books discontinued by Dr. Seuss Enterprises: And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, If I Ran the Zoo, McElligot's Pool, On Beyond Zebra!, Scrambled Eggs Super!, and The Cat's Quizzer. These selections aren't available online through Amazon or B&N, or via the Dr. Seuss website. They are popping up on eBay, however, where McClatchy notes some are fetching more than $500 apiece.

On Tuesday, Lark Grey Dimond-Cates, stepdaughter of the late author (real name: Theodor Geisel), told the New York Post "there wasn't a racist bone in that man's body—he was so acutely aware of the world around him and cared so much." Still, Dimond-Cates says that "in this day and age it's a wise decision" for Dr. Seuss Enterprises to cease printing and selling the books. "I think this is a world that right now is in pain, and we've all got to be very gentle and thoughtful and kind with each other," she says. She adds that she hopes someday the books will be printed again, as her stepdad's "body of work is unique." The New York Times reports more on the "'cancel culture' controversy" that has blown up because of all this, noting it's raised questions on what authors' works "should be posthumously curated to reflect evolving social attitudes, and what should be preserved as part of the cultural record." (More Dr. Seuss stories.)

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