Dell Mapback The Lady Is Afraid 1943 George Harmon Coxe Gerald Gregg Dell 147

🔍 Dell Mapback No. 147 — one of the most collectible paperbacks in American publishing history

“The Lady Is Afraid” by George Harmon Coxe, with cover art by Gerald Gregg

**ABOUT DELL MAPBACKS**

From 1943 to 1947, Dell Publishing released 166 mystery paperbacks featuring a unique gimmick: a detailed crime-scene map printed on the back cover. No other publisher attempted anything like it. Mapbacks are among the most sought-after vintage paperbacks today, prized for their bold graphic design, signed cover art, and the cartographic mystery element that made each one a miniature puzzle.

**THE STORY**

George Harmon Coxe (1893-1976) was one of the most productive mystery writers of the mid-20th century, publishing over 100 novels between 1935 and 1975. Several of his works were adapted for radio and film, and he was the only author to have two Dell mapbacks in the original series — including “Four Frightened Women” (No. 5), the very first mapback ever published in 1943. “The Lady Is Afraid” continues the suspenseful, plot-driven style that made Coxe a household name in detective fiction.

**COVER ART AND DESIGN**

The front cover features a striking illustration by Gerald Gregg (1907-1985), the most prolific mapback artist who painted over 170 Dell mapback covers. Gregg’s composition shows a dark gloved hand holding a document marked “BOND” against a vivid green background, with a figure in a brown suit fallen below — a classic pulp-era tableau of crime and suspense. The back cover carries the signature mapback feature: an isometric floor plan of “Don Washburn’s Apt” labeled “Scene of a Murder,” with rooms identified (bedroom, bath, kitchen, hall, alcove, living room) in yellow banners against a bold red background. The keyhole emblem displaying the number “147” appears on both the cover and spine — an iconic mapback design element.

**WHY IT MATTERS**

– Dell Mapback No. 147 in a series of only 166 ever published (1943-1947)
– Cover art by Gerald Gregg, the signature mapback illustrator
– One of two mapbacks by George Harmon Coxe, who also wrote the series debut
– Back cover features the original crime-scene map of Don Washburn’s apartment
– “Complete with Crime Map on Back Cover” — the full gimmick intact

**FOR COLLECTORS**

Dell mapbacks represent a brief but brilliant moment in paperback design history. This copy of No. 147 preserves the complete mapback experience — the Gregg cover art, the crime map, and the keyhole numbering that made these books instantly recognizable on any newsstand shelf.

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**CONDITION:**

This is a “very good” vintage paperback from the desirable “mapback” series that Dell Books popularized in the Forties, published circa 1943.

George Harmon Coxe was a popular mystery author with an active career running from 1935 to 1975. Several of his works were adapted to radio and film.

The binding is solid, not cracked, not rolled, complete and solid. Text block closes tightly and is flat and square. The glossy cover coating is complete, front and back, corners front and back some slight chipping. Front covers mostly crease free, two slight horizontals, not color breaking, at out edge. Back cover is split at upper 1/3 along spine crease. Spine canted along length. No loose, torn or folded pages.

Please see the images for complete condition details.

Will ship promptly, carefully packaged.

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