Betty Bacon Blunt’s wordless novel, Bet It’s A Boy, in 46 drawings is a lighthearted pictorial account of a woman’s journey to childbirth.

It tells the age old story of a young couple, first suspecting, then confirming the wife is pregnant. 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.

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, lighthearted or not.

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

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

Four editions were issued during 1940 and 1941. For a discussion of the different production processes used for the four CLICK HERE.

Comparison of the first 4 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 for these three.

In addition a hard cover came out in 1941. No other editions came out until 1948.

Any information would be appreciated.

Copyright:

  • All 4 editions are “Copyright 1940 by Betty Bacon Blunt”

Publisher:

  • Plastic comb binding – Cider Press; Place of publication: Brattleboro, VT
  • Plastic spiral binding – The General Publishing Company; Place of publication: Springfield, Mass.
  • Perfect bound binding – Grosset and Dunlap; Place of publication: New York
  • 1941 hardcover – Publisher not indicated but the title page used the same apple logo (without any name) as the blue plastic comb edition.

Dimensions:

  • 1940 – all 3 are essentially the same size: 8 1/4 x 7 inches (comb and spiral editions are slightly wider to accommodate the binding)
  • 1941 hardcover – 8 5/8 x 7 1/8″ (22 x 18 cm) slightly larger than the 1940 publications.
Comparison of thickness for the first four editions.

Printing

  • all 4 copies are unpaginated
  • The plastic spiral and plastic comb are printed recto
  • the Perfect Bound is printed recto and verso. Was the Perfect Bound a war effort to save on petroleum or paper?
  • 1941 Hard cover – printed recto.

3 Colours:

  • All 4 editions are done in black line drawings; all images have blue added and many images have gold added (always the mother’s hair).
  • 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
Sample page; all images printed recto.

The General Publishing Company – plastic spiral binding

Printer: Lithographed by The General Printing Company Inc (as distinct from the publisher)
Binding: plastic wire 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 later war effort to save on petroleum/paper?
  • Note: Grosset and Dunlap went back to spiral binding for this book 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

  • Publisher: not indicated
  • Printer: Halstead Press Pty Limited; Sydney, Australia 1941
  • Copyright: Betty Bacon Blunt
  • Binding: hard cover
  • Printed: recto
  • Size: 8 5/8 x 7 1/8″ (22 x 18 cm) slightly larger than the 1940 publications.
1941 hardcover Title page
Printed by
Halstead Press Pty Limited
9-19 Nickson Street, Sydney
1941
1941 hardcover printed recto.

Later Editions

  • 1948 Angus & Robertson, 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

COMMENTS

If you disagree with something on this page or have a comment please contact me
wn at wordlessnovels.com

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