Sources & citations

How Dr. Seuss Got His Name

Each citation below includes the original publisher, address, and a reliable copy or share option for readers using an in-app browser.

← Return to Stories from History

Some in-app browsers prevent outside websites from replacing the current page. If an original source does not open directly, use Open or share source or copy its address into your browser.

  1. Dartmouth Alumni Magazine

    Words and Pictures Married: The Beginnings of Dr. Seuss

    Geisel’s account of the 1925 gin incident, his continued work under pseudonyms, and his explanation for adding “Dr.” to “Seuss.”

    https://archive.dartmouthalumnimagazine.com/article/1976/4/1/words-and-pictures-married-the-beginnings-of-drseuss
  2. National Endowment for the Humanities

    Impertinent Questions with Philip Nel

    The origin of “Seuss” as Geisel’s middle name and his mother’s maiden name, along with the early development of the pseudonym.

    https://www.neh.gov/humanities/2009/marchapril/iq/impertinent-question-philip-nel
  3. Penguin Random House

    Dr. Seuss

    The publisher’s author record documenting the pseudonyms Theo. LeSieg and Rosetta Stone alongside the Dr. Seuss name.

    https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/2000585/dr-seuss/