Geisel (Dr. Seuss) seated at desk covered with his books and holding The Cat in the Hat. The book met with immediate critical acclaim and financial success. Reviewers praised it as an exciting alternative to traditional primers. Three years after its debut, the book had already sold over a million copies, and in 2001 Publishers Weekly listed the book at number nine on its list of best-selling children's books of all time. Theodor Seuss Geisel (March 2, 1904 - September 24, 1991) was an American writer, poet, and cartoonist. He was most widely known for his children's books, which he wrote and illustrated under the pseudonym Dr. Seuss. He published 46 children's books, often characterized by imaginative characters, rhyme, and frequent use of anapestic meter. His works have spawned numerous adaptations, including 11 television specials, four feature films, a Broadway musical and four television series. He won a special Pulitzer Prize in 1984 citing his "contribution over nearly half a century to the education and enjoyment of America's children and their parents. He died of oral cancer in 1991 at the age of 87. His birthday, March 2, has been adopted as the annual date for National Read Across America Day, an initiative on reading created by the National Education Association. Photographed by Al Ravenna for New York World Telegram & Sun, 1957.