Sunday, February 14, 2010

57 Books from the University Book Sale: Book 48



Title: The Window at the White Cat (Dell D411, 1st ptg, 1961)
Author: Mary Roberts Rinehart
Cover artist: Victor Kalin

Yours for: $6


  • "Meow, I'm a house."
  • Isn't "cathouse" another word for "whorehouse?" Yes. Yes it is.
  • Cool wraparound cover by Victor Kalin, though the back just has some Tim Burton-esque tree, the eerie effect of which is deadened by the avalanche of text that's covering it.
  • "The Cat With Wide-Set Ears and Mutton-Chops!"

Page 123~

The figure stopped to read the taximeter, shook his fist at the chauffeur, and approached me, muttering audibly.

Isn't muttering inherently audible?

~RP

[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter]

5 comments:

Alix said...

Muttering is usually unintelligible, especially from a distance, but audible? Sure, why not.

I so badly want to say The White Cat at the Window...

Miss Maggie said...

I love this cover!!! I never thought I'd say that to a Pop Sensation post!

J F Norris said...

I can't believe Dell reprinted this book in the 1960s. It's an old warhorse of a thriller. Was that taximeter even in an automobile? Original publication date -- 1910! Very hip cover for a Rinehart book.

Siegmund said...

The House=Cat effect is nice.

Tulse said...

That's a rather Lovecraftian cover, especially the tree -- it reminds me of covers for the Del Rey Lovecraft compilations from the '60s.