Dr. Seuss is in the Neuss

What's nude with 1925's favorite author?

These days it's hard to get away from Theodor S. Geisel 25, otherwise known as Dr. Seuss. But who'd want to?

First there was the colorful article in the September Parents magazine titled Seuss on the Loose." It reported all sorts of good stuff about what he's up to, particularly praising how his oeuvre has helped children learn to read by shifting the emphasis back to phonics and using language that's lively and explosive and engaging and mischievous. Fellow Dartmouths may note with secret pleasure that Seuss's Lorax, created as a spokesperson for the environment, is described as being "a voice crying in the wilderness" against ecological pollution. Parents also reported that the only Seuss "failure," a 1939 book for adults called The Seven Lady Godivas, is being reissued this fall by Random House.

Then there was the Associated Press report on the Parents report. We hope all Dartmouth alumni who held on to their first edition of the Godivas noted that it is now worth in the $1,000 neighborhood. Oops, there goes the neighborhood. Finally, it has been revealed that, in his 84th year, the good Dr.S. is angling to get his seven Godivas on Broadway. We hope he breaks a leg.

Incidentally, we are not sure that you will want to get a copy of the book for your seven-year-old child or grandchild, who will probably be eager to point out to you that Dr. Seuss's ladies are anatomically incorrect. But nobody knew that back in 1939. Things were different then.