I Was Hoping to Have the Tower Room Myself

Rex Parker at Pop Sensation featured this back cover for a paperback edition of John Dickson Carr’s The Case of the Constant Suicides: The web tells me that Dell published many of these “mapback” editions in the 1940s. Commenters at Parker’s blog point out that the approach isn’t ideal for this particular setting. There is, after all, only one door visible, and it’s quite big; only one road that leads anywhere; only one wooden structure built out over the water. A reader doesn’t really need the map and labels.

On the other hand, an image of the Castle of Shira on the book exterior makes it look like an exciting place to visit. Except for the constant suicides, of course.

Pop Sensation’s asking price for this back cover is only $9, and for that you get an entire murder mystery as well.