The author of numerous influential books and magazine stories, the Prague native practiced a kind of post-modern style in which she often called attention to her own role in the narrative.

Carle wrote and-or illustrated more than 75 books, and his signature illustrations were made by piecing together chiefly tissue paper that he had painted with various colors and textures.

While hundreds of thousands of copies of Action Comics #1 were initially published, it’s estimated only about 100 exist today, and in varying conditions.