First Edition Identification
Dr. Seuss Beginner Books B-02
1958 The Cat In The Hat Comes Back
1958 B-02 The Cat In The Hat Comes Back
Dr. Seuss. The Cat In The Hat Comes Back. New York. Beginner Books: 1958.
Pages#: 64 pages.
Book Description: Color illustrated boards wrapped in matching dust jacket. The second Beginner Books and sequel to The Cat In The Hat, where the protagonist returns to take a bath and hilarious chaos ensues. Story told in a familiar ‘Seuss-ian’ rhyming scheme. One of the ‘All-Time Bestselling Children’s Books’ according to Publisher’s Weekly.
Pagination: Front fixed and free endpapers illustrated in color; [i] title; [ii] copyright; 3-63 story; [64] blank; [blank recto of back free endpaper]; back free and fixed endpaper illustrated in color.
Collectibility Context
The first edition book in its original first edition DJ is a Prestige Collectible: Early book in ground breaking Beginner Books series, which changed the way children learned to read in America. Embraced by the public for 66 years with millions of copies sold. The 26th bestselling children’s hardback of all-time.
The Collectibility of a first edition American picturebook is comprised of specific factors, as explained in detail at Factors Affecting Collectibility.
| Scarcity | Collect ibility | Illust. | 1st Early Late | Author | Awards | Pop Culture | Copies Sold | Fran chise |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 9 | 10 | 5 | 10 | 2 | 9 | 9 | 10 |
Scarcity Context
The first edition book in its original first edition DJ is Uncommon: There were 25 first editions found in the March 2024 survey, with an average price of $896, ranging from $3,000 to $175.
First Edition Book & Dust Jacket Descriptions
Book Front: Bound in glossy paper covered boards with color illustration. “CAT In The HAT / COMES BACK / [FOR BEGINNING READERS logo] / By Dr. Seuss [lower right in red]”
Note: Click on any of the book’s images to see at larger scale.
Book Back: Bound in illustrated paper covered boards. “What are Beginner Books? / They are the answer to millions of parents … […paragraph] / [FOR BEGINNING READERS Logo] / BEGIN YOUR CHILD’S LIBRARY WITH / THESE BEGINNER BOOKS! / [Bennett Cerf signature] / President of Random House / [Chalkboard graphic with six books listed as follows.] / 1. The Cat in the Hat / 2. The Cat in the Hat Comes Back / 3. A Fly Went By / 4. The Big Jump / A Big Ball of String / Sam and the Firefly / AT ALL BOOK STORES $1.95 / Beginner Books, Inc. / Distributed by RANDOM HOUSE, 437 Madison Ave. New York 22, N.Y.”
Book Spine: “THE CAT IN THE HAT COMES BACK Dr. Seuss Beginner Books, Inc. “
Title Page: “The Cat / In The Hat / Comes Back / By Dr. Seuss / Beginner Books / DISTRIBUTED BY RANDOM HOUSE / [Cat holding Hat illustration bottom right]”
Copyright: “FIRST PRINTING / (c) COPYRIGHT 1958 by DR. SEUSS / ALL RIGHTS RESERVED UNDER INTERNATIONAL AND PAN-AMERICAN COPYRIGHT CONVENTIONS / PUBLISHED IN NEW YORK BY BEGINNER BOOKS, INC., AND SIMULTANEOUSLY IN / TORONTO, CANADA, BY RANDOM HOUSE OF CANADA, LIMITED. / EDUCATIONAL EDITION PUBLISHED BY HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY, BOSTON / LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOG CARD NUMBER: 58-9017 / MANUFACTURED IN UNITED STATES OF AMERICA”
DJ Front: Color illustration matching book front. “CAT In The HAT / COMES BACK / [FOR BEGINNING READERS logo] / By Dr. Seuss [lower right in red]”
DJ Back: Beginner Books DJ Back ‘B’: 1958 6 Titles
“What are Beginner Books? / They are the answer to millions of parents and educators who have begged … […paragraph] / [FOR BEGINNING READERS’ logo] / BEGIN YOUR CHILD’S LIBRARY WITH THESE BEGINNER BOOKS / [Bennett Cerf Signature] / Bennett Cerf / President of Random House / [Chalkboard with numbered list of first 6 Beginner Books] / AT ALL BOOK STORES $1.94 / Beginner Books, Inc. / Distributed by RANDOM HOUSE, 457 Madison Ave., New York 22, N. Y.” [Note: lacks ‘Trademark of Beginner Books, Inc.’ bottom left.]
DJ Spine: “THE CAT IN THE HAT COMES BACK Dr. Seuss Beginner Books, Inc. “
DJ Price: $1.95 (on back cover)
DJ Flap Front: “This / is / THE / CAT / IN / THE /HAT / [CITH image at top right] / invented by the wondrous Dr. Seuss to … [… paragraph] / THE CAT IN THE HAT COMES BACK [red] / One quick glimpse will tell you there is … […paragraph] / *To see what reviewers thought of THE CAT IN THE / HAT, see back flap of jacket. / [Beginner Books Logo] / *Trademark of Beginner Books [very small at bottom of flap]”
DJ Flap Back: “The critics purr-r-r over / THE CAT IN THE HAT! / [Seven Reviews]”
First Edition Identification
First edition book states ‘First Printing’ on the copyright page.
First edition dust jacket is Beginner Books 1958 DJ ‘B’ with six titles listed,
Second Printings and Later
Front cover for the second printing changes dramatically with white lettering for the title (versus blue lettering on the first printing) against a solid blue background, and omits the ‘wind’ and snowball on the left. Back cover is identical to first print listing six Beginner Books on a chalk board. No ‘First Printing’ on the copyright page.
Cat In The Hat Comes Back Second Printing Book Cover \
Front of the second printing DJ matches the second printing book (changes dramatically from the first printing DJ). No ‘B-1’ on the DJ spine.
Front cover for the third printing book omits the ‘FOR BEGINNING READERS’ logo on the front, and the back cover is blank.
Third printing DJ adds ‘B-2’ to the bottom of the spine.
Note: The back dust jacket on all these printings have only the six Beginner Books listed on the chalkboard – this implies that these were printed prior to the 1959 titles being released.
See First Fifty Beginner Books for first edition identification of the first 50 Beginner Books.
See Beginner Books Dust Jacket Backs to see the chronological sequence of the Beginner Books dust jackets.
All of this information is sourced from the First Edition Identification Guide: Beginner Books (2024, Flying Moose Books), by Stan Zielinski.