"The Shadow and the Living Death" (Better Little Books, Whitman, 1940)

"In 1932, at the depths of the Great Depression, comic books were not selling despite their successes in the previous two decades. Desperate publishers had already reduced prices to 25c, but this was still too much for many people to spend on entertainment. Comic books quickly evolved into two newer formats, the comics magazine and the Little Big Book. Both types retailed for 10c. Big Little Books began by reprinting the art (and adapting the stories) from newspaper comics. As their success grew, and publishers began commissioning original material, movie adaptations and other entertainment-derived stories became commonplace.

-- From Overstreet's Comic Price Guide, 41st Edition

This is "The Shadow and the Living Death", No. 1430  in the "Better Little Books" series by Whitman -- same publishers of the Little Big Books, so it is considered the same series. Published in 1940 with 432 pages, it is illustrated by Erwin L. Hess and written by Maxwell Grant. Condition would be 6.5 F+.