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Theodor "Ted" Seuss Geisel (1904-1991), a parkkeeper's son from Springfield, Massachusetts, took his name when, as a student at Dartmouth College during prohibition in the Twenties, he was banned from editing a humorous magazine after throwing a party involving alcohol. Instead of resigning, he switched to his mother's maiden name (actually pronounced "zoice" in the German way).

His pre-war first book was rejected by 27 publishers. It was only in the late Fifties, when he accepted a publisher's request to limit his vocabulary to 250 words, that he had his first big success with The Cat in the Hat. The witty Green Eggs and Ham is only 50 words long.

The Seuss picture books coming out electronically include Fox in Socks, Horton Hears a Who! and Oh, the Places You'll Go!. Each of the e-books will preserve Dr Seuss's original layouts and the striking illustrations from their print editions.