Betty Bacon Blunt’s 1941 wordless novel, Oh, Doctor!, with 48 coloured line drawings, is an auto-biographical, humorous look, poking fun at the indignities of being a patient.
Most wordless novels, especially those pre-1960, deal with social realism and rather grim themes. This story lacks the gravitas often associated with wordless novels and some would question the appropriateness of including it with the other wordless novels. My inclination is to include anything that comes within the strict definition of a wordless story, lighthearted or not.
Story Arc
The narrative follows a linear, comedic trajectory from initial diagnosis, to testing, to operating procedures, to recovery, and walking out of the hospital only to trip at the exit and suffer a foot injury requiring a further hospital stay.
Auto-biographical
There is very little information about Betty Bacon Blunt on the internet or elsewhere. If anyone has information or copies of interviews given by Blunt please contact this site so it can be added (with credit to you).
Betty Bacon Blunt’s four wordless novels all have the feel of something that is based at least in part, on her life. With Oh Doctor! there are some concrete clues. One copy of her book has an inscription to William Bullitt (a former American diplomat, journalist, and novelist) as well as a hand drawn illustration by Blunt on the inside cover.
on the inside front cover of her wordless novel, Oh Doctor!.
Blunt’s inscription, in part reads, “Knowing what you are going thru — my deepest feelings”.
Also, the very last image in the novel shows her in a hospital bed after she tripped exiting the hospital.
the last page of her wordless novel, Oh Doctor!.
The wording at the top of the last page read, “This happened–was back in for two weeks!!”.
Metal spiral vs plastic comb binding
Two versions of Oh Doctor! were published, both with the same date and the contents appear to be identical. Both have the same dust jacket. The only difference is that one has a plastic comb binding and the other has a metal spiral binding. There is nothing to indicate if one was done before the other or the reason for the differences. They were both priced at $1.00.
binding and a dust jacket as well as the front
and back cover of the book.
binding and a dust jacket as well as the front
and back cover of the book.
Condition issues
Wire spiral bindings – the few copies with wire spiral bindings that I have seen all have extensive spotting (looks similar to foxing) on the front and back covers and to some extent it appears on the inside of the dust jacket. The interior pages do not seem to be affected.
novel, Oh, Doctor! showing extensive spotting
similar to foxing.
Bibliographic details common to both versions
Title: Oh Doctor!: The Book with a Bedside Manner
Author: Betty Bacon Blunt
Illustrator: Betty Bacon Blunt
Introduction: comments on the flaps
Date of publication: 1941
ISBN: not applicable
Publisher: A Cider Press Book published by Stephen Daye Press
Place of publication: Brattleboro, Vermont
Printer: General Printing Company
Copyright: Artist?
Dimensions: 8.5 x 7.25 inches; H 21.8cm x L 18.5cm.
Dust jacket: Yes – designed by the artist
Binding: two versions – metal spiral bindings or plastic comb binding
Boards: Stiff color illustrated wraps
Language: English titles, etc
Paginated: unpaginated
Printed: recto on thick paper
Edition: Trade only
Lithos of original drawings
Description:
- Title page + 48 leaves (images printed recto only) 1 leaf is a double page foldout
- Black line drawings with parts of the lines augmented with a blue shadow line. Portions are filled in with blue, orange, and in a few cases black (eg nurse’s stockings are sometimes filled in with black).
- no text or captions.
- Same dust jacket for both the metal and plastic bindings with color pictorial front and rear panels
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