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Mapback is a term used by paperback collectors to refer to the earliest paperback books published by Dell Books, beginning in 1943. The books are known as mapbacks because the back cover of the book contains a map that illustrates the location of the action. Dell books were numbered in series. Mapbacks extend from #5 to at least #550; then maps became less of a fixed feature of the books and disappeared entirely in 1951. (Numbers 1 through 4 had no map, although a later re-publication of #4, ''The American Gun Mystery'' by Ellery Queen, added a map.) The occasional number in the series between #5 and #550 contains no map, but some sort of full-page graphic or text connected with the book's contents. The artwork of the maps began with quite detailed maps, and later numbers contain more stylized ones. "The back cover map was very popular with readers and remains popular with collectors ... the Dell "mapbacks" are among the most well known vintage paperbacks."〔Canja, Jeff (2002). ''Collectable Paperback Books: A new vintage paperback price reference (Second edition)''. East Lansing, MI: Glenmoor Publishing.〕 "Dell's most memorable design innovation was not on the front but on the back covers ... the entire back covers given over to maps, or variously charts, blueprints, or what have you to represent story locale or scene of the crime: a stretch of California highway, the interior of an apartment, a sheik's "city of stones". It was an enjoyable if slightly goofy gimmick and, amazingly, managed to last nearly ten years."〔Server, Lee (1994). ''Over My Dead Body: The Sensational Age of the American Paperback: 1945-1955''. San Francisco: Chronicle Books.〕 ==Other features== "Besides distinctive front covers and back-cover maps, Dell paperbacks also had a number of other interesting features, including an "eye-in-keyhole" logo, front-cover blurbs, character lists, lists of key items or events in the book ("tantalizer-pages"), crowded title pages, and special chapter titles."〔Lyles, William H (1983). ''Putting Dell on the Map: A History of the Dell Paperbacks''. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press.〕 Some publishers, including Dell, thoughtfully included brief lists of the main characters in their books -- especially in mysteries -- to allow readers to keep the characters straight. In mapbacks, "Persons this Mystery is about" followed the inside flyleaf, and gave a short descriptive paragraph. For instance, the protagonist of the mapback shown at right is described as follows: :"Rogan Kincaid, a gambler, tall, lean, enigmatic and attractive to women, believes there is a logical explanation for everything, but is ready to change his mind after witnessing some of the goings-on at Cabrioun, an isolated hunting lodge near the Canadian border." The "tantalizer-pages" contained two features meant to entice the browsing reader. "What this Mystery is about" gives a list of clues and events that are found within. Those from ''Rim of the Pit'' include: :"A dead man's VOICE floating on the wind across a lonely, frozen lake ... An encased ACCORDION playing a dead man's favorite song ... A SEANCE in an isolated lodge at which a medium is forced by her second husband to summon the spirit of her first husband ... A terrifying THING which seems to take possession of a man ... FOOTPRINTS which seem to begin nowhere; end nowhere ... A weird, flying, manlike CREATURE ... A SILVER BULLET molded by a half-crazed man ... Horrible MURDER, apparently unsolvable, of a supernatural origin." And the enticing section, "Wouldn't you like to Know --" * What made a Great Dane suddenly leap to his feet during the seance, growl and quiver in fear? * Why the appearance of the hideous apparition caused such obvious terror in the medium? * How a man escaped from a strongly barricaded room? * What a windigo is? * The significance of the words "net" and "emit" on the inside of an envelope? * Why all the mirrors in the dead woman's room were smashed? Of course, non-mysteries had somewhat less tantalizing clues and questions, but the same format was kept. The "List of Exciting Chapters" featured chapter titles which were frequently added or changed by Dell editors. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「mapback」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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