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Ripe Howlers

Cecil Hunt, illustrations by Blampied

Horace Cecil Hunt was a journalist, editor, novelist and anthologist. He published his first book of 'howlers' in 1928 and his last in 1951. This is the third of three books of 'howlers' collected by Hunt that were illustrated by Edmund Blampied. Here are some examples:

The officer walked in front, carrying a brightly coloured inn sign

Parsimony is money left by your father

Doctors now treat their patients with ultra-violent rays

Additional 'howlers' were published in 14 issues of The Sketch, a weekly news magazine, between December 1937 and June 1938. Each of these issues contained four 'howlers', each illustrated by Blampied except for one issue which only had three illustrations. These additional 'howlers' will be recorded in a web page for The Sketch.



Image of dust jacket



 First edition

Bibliography code: MET-39.1

Publisher: Methuen Publishers, London

Series: none

Year: 1939

Format: 4to

Pages: vi; half title, pp 55, 20 ununmbered pages, bound in

Binding: white printed boards with same illustration as on the dust jacket

Size: 203 x 139 mm

Dust jacket signed: no

Internal illustrations: Decorated endpapers, decorated title page, 20 illustrations in sepia bound in, plus 32 line illustrations on the numbered pages, 2 initialled EB

Price: 3 shillings 6 pence

Printing history: None stated

Printed by: Butler & Tanner Ltd, Frome and London

Notes: Blampied was living in Jersey in 1939 so may have travelled to London before the War broke out to be able to sign this book, but I have a copy dedicated by Cecil Hunt ot Bettine Spear dated 21.9.39, so after the war had begun.

I vigorously recommend HAND-PICKED HOWLERS, a first-rate selection from Mr Hunt's well-known books, with expressive illustrations by Edmund Blampied. - SPECTATOR



Image of autographs

Autograph of illustrator (click to enlarge)