The Dr. Seuss issue

[Pajamaman]

I blame the Enlightenment.

[pwalker8]

Dr Seuss sells 1.2 million books the week after it was announced that 6 books were being pulled.

https://apnews.com/article/dr-seuss-...5f02d335236db1

The story doesn't list how many copies the books that are being pulled sold, but Cat in the Hat sold more than 100 K copies after selling 17 K the week before.

I guess the poor selling narrative needs to be re-spun to account for this.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by pwalker8

I guess the poor selling narrative needs to be re-spun to account for this.

Nope. No adjustment necessary. I can't help it if you're incapable of grasping the fact that the poor-selling fact (not "narrative"--learn the difference) was never about Seuss books in general. It is, and always was, about the six book in question. Which were absolutely very slow movers compared to the rest of the popular Seuss titles.

Whatever happened AFTER the news broke and the pointless kerfuffle began, there is no question that the titles in question were poor sellers. Hence, a big part of the reason the decision to stop printing them didn't hurt them financially.

Please try to keep up.

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

Nope. No adjustment necessary. I can't help it if you're incapable of grasping the fact that the poor-selling fact (not "narrative"--learn the difference) was never about Seuss books in general. It is, and always was, about the six book in question. Which were absolutely very slow movers compared to the rest of the popular Seuss titles.

Whatever happened AFTER the news broke and the pointless kerfuffle began, there is no question that the titles in question were poor sellers. Hence, a big part of the reason the decision to stop printing them didn't hurt them financially.

Please try to keep up.

You know, insulting people and then stamping your foot and denying reality really isn't a particularly impressive way to make a point. What part of "the sales figures were not given" is so incredibly difficult for you to understand? You simply assert things, then get red faced and insult when people don't accept your spin. Most of us got over acting that way back in middle school.

[DiapDealer]

Are you seriously trying to deny that the 6 books in question were poor sellers?

I don't really care what you think of me personally, so your attempts to paint me as a pouty teenager are wasted.

https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertain...ngs-2020.html/

The Dr. Seuss books that have been pulled were not very popular. Last year, Green Eggs and Ham sold 338,000 copies, while Oh, the Places You’ll Go! sold 513,000 copies, the New York Times reported. In comparison, And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street sold 5,000 copies, while lesser-known titles like McElligot’s Pool and The Cat’s Quizzer “haven’t sold in years” through retailers BookScan tracks.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/maddieb...h=600474a4e935

The store only had one copy of If I Ran the Zoo, she added, explaining that none of the titles listed were popular enough to keep in stock.

What they didn’t acknowledge is that these six books make up only a sliver of the Seuss library—and the money-making machine that that library has become.

[tomsem]

FWIW the Kindle Store’s Classic Suess collection has 29 books, and only 3 of the 6 discontinued books are in it (so there are effectively only 26 in the series now). Apparently the other 3 never made ‘classic’ status.

[MarjaE]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the Seuss/Geisel estate has decided to stop publishing some of his older children's books.

If they don't think these are appropriate as children's books, current law allows them to stop publishing. And possibly republishing them with notes about these issues.

Even if it were public domain, or subect to mandatory licensing, and other parties could start publishing, the Seuss/Geisel estate would still be able to recommend and publish some books and un-recommend and stop publishing others.

I don't think it's appropriate to compare their decision to burning research libraries with irreplacable documents.

[Pajamaman]

Originally Posted by MarjaE

I don't think it's appropriate to compare their decision to burning research libraries with irreplacable documents.

Did I miss something? Who said that?

[MarjaE]

Originally Posted by Pajamaman

Did I miss something? Who said that?

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...&postcount=135

[SteveEisenberg]

I’m wondering where they go next:

https://www.seussville.com/statement...s-enterprises/

Ceasing sales of these books is only part of our commitment and our broader plan to ensure Dr. Seuss Enterprises’s catalog represents and supports all communities and families.

Theodor Geisel did not support all communities. Instead he was a radical integrationist who wanted to break down barriers between them:

Teaching Children Philosphy: The Sneetches

Am I a radical integrationist? No. Do I think children should be shielded from books like that? No, just as they shouldn’t be shielded from books that celebrate diversity.

Maybe I am wrong, but I find it hard to believe this is just about a few drawings that make people who dress congruent with their race or ethnicity look silly. It will take a few years to see where the promised “broader plan” takes us.

[Pajamaman]

Originally Posted by SteveEisenberg

Teaching Children Philosphy: The Sneetches

As a kid, I didn't see the sneetches as about race. It was more about elitism.

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

Are you seriously trying to deny that the 6 books in question were poor sellers?

I don't really care what you think of me personally, so your attempts to paint me as a pouty teenager are wasted.

https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertain...ngs-2020.html/


https://www.forbes.com/sites/maddieb...h=600474a4e935

If you don't want to be painted as a pouty teenager, don't act like a 9th grade who is trying to be cool by snarking at people. Most of us outgrew that sort of behavior.

Do you seriously deny that this triggered a run on Dr Seuss books? The data does back you. Heck, the Forbes article you cite confirms it.

[John F]

Originally Posted by MarjaE

...

If they don't think these are appropriate as children's books, current law allows them to stop publishing. And possibly republishing them with notes about these issues.

...

So this is an actual law? Any chance for a link to the law?

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by pwalker8

If you don't want to be painted as a pouty teenager, don't act like a 9th grade who is trying to be cool by snarking at people. Most of us outgrew that sort of behavior.

Again: I don't care what you think of me personally. But if it makes you feel better to type it--have at it.

As for the data: I can only assume you're being deliberately obtuse.

Me: the 6 books in question were poor sellers
You: Seuss a poor seller? You want to stick with that?
Me: yes the 6 books in question were poor sellers.
You: there's been a huge surge in Seuss sales after the kerfuffle. Do you still want to stick with your story?
Me: Yes. The 6 books in question were (and still are poor sellers).
You: Do you deny that this triggered a run on Seuss books?
Me:

I've never once denied that this tempest in a teapot caused Seuss sales to spike after the fact. But primarily because it wasn't relevant AT ALL to my point that the 6 books that the Seuss Foundation decided not to reprint were poor sellers.

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by SteveEisenberg

I’m wondering where they go next:

https://www.seussville.com/statement...s-enterprises/



Theodor Geisel did not support all communities. Instead he was a radical integrationist who wanted to break down barriers between them:

Teaching Children Philosphy: The Sneetches

Am I a radical integrationist? No. Do I think children should be shielded from books like that? No, just as they shouldn’t be shielded from books that celebrate diversity.

Maybe I am wrong, but I find it hard to believe this is just about a few drawings that make people who dress congruent with their race or ethnicity look silly. It will take a few years to see where the promised “broader plan” takes us.

I'm sure that the run on Dr Suess books was triggered by the concern of "what's next". There are already articles saying that the Cat in the Hat is a racist book.

https://rapidcityjournal.com/lifesty...b7be8d8c5.html