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I think that Bilbo remaining a bachelor doesn't seem so odd put into the context of Hobbit society.
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Excellent point. If you look at the dates of the family trees in the back of LotR, many hobbits did not have any kids until they were around 50; 40-50 seems to be a reasonable age for first kids, and considering the number of kids many hobbits have, the 60's and maybe even early 70's aren't completely illogical ages for later kids. So while people might be expecting Bilbo to sort of get on with it by the time he's 50, this is not what could be called completely unusual.
But the unmarried status, however old Bilbo is and however normal this would be, is definitely something that would appeal to children. Consider Pooh... you don't even see a "Mr. Kanga" running around. "Married" is a very adult status and would probably distance the Hobbit as being a children's or an adventure book. Somehow Bilbo being a married old hobbit running off on an adventure is not quite so appealing. Imagine Mrs. Bilbo running around serving fruit cakes at the unexpected party...
