Collecting wordless novels
A definitive bibliographic guide to wordless novels with detailed publication histories for fifty of the world’s finest woodcut stories; the true predecessors of the graphic novel.
For collectors, novices, experts, or anyone interested in wordless narratives, wordless novels, wordless books, or wordless stories with a focus on works published between 1918 and 1966. This free (and ad-free) site helps you make a more informed choice when buying from a dealer.
wordlessnovels.com is an electronic bibliography
This project is an ongoing work in progress—and it improves with your help.
Whether your interest is rare first editions, common reprints, corrections, or omitted titles, your input is welcome. We are looking for images, insights, background on authors, or tips on what to look out for.
You can also contribute a blog post! Whether it’s a single paragraph or an in-depth essay, any story behind a book or author enriches our collective appreciation of these original wordless novels.
How to participate:
- Submit information or images: Share your collector notes, corrections, or missing books.
- Write a post: Share your perspective on any topic related to wordless novels.
- Get credited: Every contributor receives a clear credit line.
Contrary opinions are particularly welcome. Send your contributions to wn@wordlessnovels.com.
Note: This site uses an arbitrary cut-off date – no works created after 1966.
Check out the novels under the Wordless tab
BUT
you may want to read the rest of this page to understand which books are listed on this site.
No Words to Read – Just Images
This site deals with a genre – wordless stories – what are they?
- They have a story arc – a beginning, a middle, and an end.
- Words are not used to assist in telling the story. Images must do it on their own. Strictly speaking, if words are used, then it’s not “wordless”.
- Sequential art – the story unfolds as the “reader” views a sequence of pictures in the order set by the artist, resulting in a narrative flow.
Novels vs. Stories
Apparently, the main difference between novels and stories is that novels are long and stories are short. A number of the entries on this site are short; however, they are all treated as novels.
Copyright & Fair Use Notice
Many books on this site are protected by copyright, meaning full stories and complete image sets cannot be reproduced here. To experience the entire story, please obtain a copy of the book.
Cover photos, publication pages, and select story images are shared under the Fair Use exception of copyright law, alongside brief story arcs to give you a sense of each book.
Most photos are from my personal collection. For images sourced from the web, credit is given to the original creators where known. If you own the rights to an image featured here and would like it removed, please let me know, and I will gladly take it down.
Lastly
- A tribute to David Beronä (1950 – 2015)
- Anyone interested in this genre owes a debt of gratitude for all the work David did, the numerous articles he wrote, and most importantly, his book Wordless Books: The Original Graphic Novels. New York: Abrams Books, 2008. by David A. Beronä and Peter Kuper.
- Also, I would like to thank Kurt Webb of Silent Story Books for his insights over the years.
CLICK HERE or use the Wordless tab to view the artists and their books.