Dell Map Back Mysteries: Awesome Collectibles

These days, ebooks are growing in popularity so fast. Many think they could replace print books at some point. (When? No one knows if or when this will happen.)

However, one thing ebooks don't have is a gorgeous cover -- at least, a gorgeous cover you can touch.

The Dell Map Back mysteries of the 1940s and 1950s are examples of such books. Check them out. Those books had some really great covers.

Notice that the fine cover art includes a map of the city (on the back, of course -- thus the moniker) where the crime takes place.

Could they digitize the maps and include them in an ebook? Sure. But would that be the same as holding a book with a "sturdy laminated cover" in your hand? Nope.