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Dr Seuss and the real Lorax

Nature Ecology & Evolution volume 2, pages 1196–1198 (2018)Cite this article

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The modern US environmental movement was born in 1970. The year began with the National Environmental Policy Act on 1 January and closed with the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency on 2 December. Other milestones occurred in April, including the first observance of Earth Day — then the largest grassroots demonstration in history, drawing an estimated 20 million people globally1 — and the release of ‘Big Yellow Taxi’, a folksong by Joni Mitchell that quickly became the eco-anthem for the environmental movement. It was in this highly charged atmosphere that Theodor ‘Dr Seuss’ Geisel resolved to write an environmental book for children.

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Fig. 1: Inception of The Lorax.

a,d, Yvonne A. de Jong and Thomas M. Butynski; b,c, Dr. Seuss Enterprises; e, Anup Shah, courtesy of Nature Picture Library

Fig. 2: Pre-publication drawing of the Lorax.

Dr. Seuss Enterprises

Fig. 3: Perceptual face space.

Dr. Seuss Enterprises

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Acknowledgements

This project was conceived at a dinner hosted by the Dartmouth Society of Fellows. D.E.P. is author of Theodor SEUSS Geisel and he is the Ted and Helen Geisel Third Century Professor in the Humanities, an endowed position that supported aspects of this work. For valuable comments and contributions, we thank W. Allen, T. Butynski, P. Carini, L. Claassen, Y. de Jong, N. Diller, J. Estes, S. Gaughan, J. Pitt, C. Sandbrook, J. E. Terp and D. E. White.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Anthropology and Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA

    Nathaniel J. Dominy

  2. Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, NY, USA

    Sandra Winters & James P. Higham

  3. Department of English and Creative Writing, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA

    Donald E. Pease

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  1. Nathaniel J. Dominy
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  2. Sandra Winters
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Correspondence to Nathaniel J. Dominy or James P. Higham.

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Dominy, N.J., Winters, S., Pease, D.E. et al. Dr Seuss and the real Lorax. Nat Ecol Evol 2, 1196–1198 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-018-0628-x

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