If you have any biographic information about the author, please advise wn@wordlessnovels.com

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 here. My inclination is to include anything that comes within the strict definition of a wordless story, light hearted or not.

  • Title: Bet It’s A Boy
  • Author and Illustrator: Betty Bacon Blunt (is this a real name?)
  • Copyright Year: 1940

In 46 cartoon drawings, it tells the age old story of a young couple, first suspecting, then confirming the wife is pregnant. It is a pictorial account of a woman’s journey to childbirth. First published in 1940, the cartoons accurately depict what all pregnant women have had to cope with down through the ages including experiences with more “modern” medicine.

Comparison of the first 3 editions

QUESTION: There are 3 editions, with no date of publication except to say “Copyright 1940” so it is not possible to be certain as to the order of publication.

A hard cover came out in 1941. No other editions came out until 1948.

Any information would be appreciated.

Copyright:

  • All 3 editions are “Copyright 1940 by Betty Bacon Blunt”

Publisher:

  • Plastic comb – Cider Press; Place of publication: Brattleboro, VT
  • Plastic spiral – The General Publishing Company; Place of publication: Springfield, Mass.
  • Perfect bound – Grosset and Dunlap; Place of publication: New York

Dimensions:

  • all 3 are essentially the same size: 8 1/4 x 7 inches (comb and spiral editions are slightly wider to accommodate the binding)

Printing

  • all 3 copies are unpaginated
  • The plastic spiral and plastic comb are printed recto while the Perfect Bound is printed recto and verso. Was the Perfect Bound a War effort to save on petroleum/paper?

3 Colours:

  • All editions are done in black line drawings; all images have blue added and many images (always the mother’s hair) have gold added.
  • There are some differences in the shades of colour but nothing that can’t be explained by differences in job lots.
typical drawing in Betty Blunt's Bet It's a Boy
typical drawing in Betty Blunt’s Bet It’s a Boy

Cider Press – 1940 plastic comb binding

  • Printer: The General Printing Company Inc
  • Binding: plastic comb binding, light blue (for a boy?)
  • Cover: thin card
  • Printed: recto except copyright page
Front and back cover of 1940 "Bet It's A Boy" with plastic comb binding.
Cover: front/back
1940 Cider Press, "Bet It's A Boy" - title page.
Title Page
1940 Cider Press, "Bet It's A Boy" Copyright page.
Copyright page and first image
Copyright Page detail.Binding U.S. patent # 1,970,285

The General Publishing Company – plastic spiral binding


Printer: Lithographed by The General Printing Company Inc (as distinct from the publisher)
Binding: plastic spiral
Cover: thin card
Printed: recto

Title page; General Publishing Co; plastic spiral
Copyright page and 1st image
Copyright to Betty Bacon Blunt; lithographed by General Printing Co.
All images printed recto.

Grosset & Dunlap, NY. 1940 Perfect bound

Printer: not indicated
Binding: perfect bound, softcover wraps
Cover: thin card
Printed: recto and verso (unlike the other two editions). Was this Perfect Bound a War effort to save on petroleum/paper? Note: Grosset and Dunlap went back to spiral binding in 1953

Soft cover book.
Spine of 1940s, Bet It’s A Boy by Betty Bacon Blunt
Title page with no FFEP
Title and copyright page combined
Images printed verso and recto (to save on paper?)

1941 Hard cover

I am getting details and will post later

1941 hard cover

Later Editions

  • 1948 Angus & Robertson, 1st Australian
  • 1953 Grosset and Dunlap, Spiral binding
  • 1955 Angus & Robertson Hardcover binding and measures approximately 22 x 18.5cm x 1cm thick.
  • 1956 Angus & Robertson, London; hard cover – 7½” x 5¼”. [unpaginated] dust wrapper not price clipped 2/6