Within the past decade paperback books have gained respectability among bibliophiles and scholars of popular culture. One of the most collectible runs of paperbacks by a single publisher is the 2,168 Dell Paperbacks produced between 1942 and May, 1962. During that period Dell books were grouped into distinct series and retained an identifiable look. In this catalog-index each of the paperbacks is entered separately in the catalog of series listings. Main entries include the full title and subtitle of the book, the author's byline, head or title notes, pagination, printing date and size of the print run, publication date (if known), identification of the cover artist, full annotation of the back cover map when appropriate, and other annotations such as contents of collections and anthologies, and identification of ghost writers. The bibliography also indexes anonymous titles, subjects, maps, geographical areas, motion picture, television, and play tie-ins, actors and actresses pictured on Dell covers, special series, and advance blurbs.

Dell paperbacks accounted for nearly 20 percent of the paperbacks published between 1942 and 1962--a popular cultural phenomenon worthy of historical recognition. Putting Dell on the Map is an objective appraisal, rather than a court history of this major mass-market publisher. Early Dell books emphasized genre fiction--mysteries, romances, and westerns. Later the company published an important line of First Editions, which included the writings of authors such as Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., John D. MacDonald, Richard Jessup, and Robert Penn Warren. Dell also expanded its reprint efforts with Laurel Editions which emphasized quality reprints. In addition to their widespread popularity, Dell paperbacks are notable for their aesthetics. Dell's cover artwork alone spans a wide range of commercial art style from color airbrush front covers and distinctive back cover maps, to pulp and then neo-realist illustrations.