 Geisel agreed to write The Cat in the Hat at the request of William Spaulding of Houghton Mifflin ; however , because Geisel was under contract with Random House , the head of Random House , Bennett Cerf , made a deal with Houghton Mifflin . Random House retained the rights to trade sales , which encompassed copies of the book sold at book stores , while Houghton Mifflin retained the education rights , which encompassed copies sold to schools . 
