Cold Steal — Alice Tilton (Phoebe Atwood Taylor), Dell 1946

Cold Steal is a screwball Golden Age mystery by Phoebe Atwood Taylor, writing under the pseudonym Alice Tilton. The novel introduces the eccentric Leonidas Witherall, a retired professor and rare book dealer who finds himself perpetually entangled in comedic murder investigations.

This specific 1946 edition is a prized Dell Mapback (Mystery #142), a format renowned among collectors for its integration of narrative and visual clues. The rear cover features an intricate, isometric “Crime Map” of the Witherall House, allowing readers to track the movements of suspects and victims across ten distinct rooms.

Quick Facts

• Title: Cold Steal
• Author: Phoebe Atwood Taylor (as Alice Tilton)
• Series: Leonidas Witherall mysteries (#3)
• Publisher: Dell Publishing (Dell Mystery #142)
• Year: 1946 (Dell edition) / 1939 (Original)
• Format: Vintage Paperback / Mapback
• Special Feature: Detailed floorplan crime map of Witherall House on the rear panel

Collector’s Note

Phoebe Atwood Taylor’s Alice Tilton novels are celebrated for their “Marx Brotherish” energy, blending genuine whodunnit puzzles with a light-hearted, fast-paced tone. As a bibliomystery, the series is of particular interest to book collectors, as the protagonist’s professional background as a book dealer frequently informs the plots. The Dell Mapback editions from the 1940s are high-point collectibles due to their unique layout and period-specific graphic design.

Visual Analysis

The cover features a striking deep blue background with stylized, abstract art including a black mask and a white handkerchief with pink lips. The rear panel is the highlight: a detailed isometric illustration of the house (408 Hrd Witherall House) set in a snowy landscape, with a numbered key identifying the living room, library, and other critical scenes of the crime.

#### **Condition Report**
* **Overall Grade:** Good (G)
* **Cover & Spine:** Laminate chipping and surface loss at the spine tail and along joints; moderate edge rubbing and corner creasing on the front wrapper; rear map remains intact and vibrant.
* **Text Block & Pages:** Uniform lightly age-toned text block; pages are complete and remain flexible.
* **Binding:** Spine tail frayed and separated, but holding securely, text block is complete, no loose or torn pages.
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See accompanying images for full condition details. Will ship promptly, carefully packaged.

HFB-SEO-v1: 2026-10-19

Shelf: 3-Top

1 in stock