Ruth O'Neal Belew

Ruth O'Neal Belew (died August 7, 1973) was an American illustrator. She created the rear cover artwork of at least 150 Dell Mapback novels between 1942–1951.[1][2][3] Belew also served as the letterer for the Mary Worth comic strip from its inception as Apple Mary in 1935 until the early 1970s.[4][5][6]

Early years

Born in Aurelia, Iowa,[7] Belew attended Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa, but did not graduate.[8] She then moved to Chicago, where she worked for a time as a ballet dancer with the Chicago Civic Opera Company[4] before becoming a freelance illustrator. Belew lived in Chicago for most of her life until relocating to Fort Myers, Florida, in the late 1960s.[7][9]

Mary Worth

Ruth Belew was the letterer for the Apple Mary comic strip, created by Martha Orr, from its inception in 1935.[5] Allen Saunders, who had created the Steve Roper and Mike Nomad strip in 1936, was asked to take over as writer when Orr left the strip in 1939 to start a family. Saunders changed the name of the strip to Mary Worth and brought in artist Ken Ernst, but retained Belew as letterer. Saunders, who was based in Toledo, Ohio, would work with Ernst, who was based in California who would then ship the strips to Belew in Chicago for lettering.[4]

Dell Mapbacks

Dell's earliest paperbacks featured a map on the back cover depicting some element of the book, whether it was a city block, and apartment, or a cattle trail in the old west. This innovative idea has made Dell's "Mapback" books coveted among collectors. In his catalog-index of Dell paperbacks, William Lyles theorized that Ruth Belew drew nearly all of the more than 500 maps that appeared on the back of Dell paperbacks between 1942–1951, though because records of Dell's artists are scarce, he was only able to confirm that she had drawn around 150.[2]

Later life and death

Ruth Belew relocated to Fort Myers, Florida, in the late 1960s, where she continued to work on the Mary Worth daily strip.[9] Belew died on August 7, 1973 in Fort Myers.[7]

References
  1. Lyles, William H. (1983). Putting Dell on the map : a history of the Dell paperbacks. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-313-23667-4. OCLC 9281605.
  2. Lyles, William H. (1983). Dell paperbacks, 1942 to mid-1962 : a catalog-index. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-313-23668-2. OCLC 9197495.
  3. "Mystery Scene". www.mysteryscenemag.com. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
  4. "Ruth Belew article Feb 14 1963 News-Press Fort Myers". News-Press. February 14, 1963. p. 15. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
  5. Saunders, Allen, 1899–1986. (1986). Mary Worth. Book 1 : [a complete romantic-adventure from 1943. Ernst, Ken, 1918–1985. (First ed.). El Cajon, Calif.: Blackthorne Publishing, Inc. ISBN 0-932629-58-X. OCLC 15634603.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. "One Good Apple Proves a Barrel's Worth |". Retrieved December 23, 2019.
  7. "Ruth Belew obit Aug 9 1973 News-Press Fort Myers". News-Press. August 9, 1973. p. 20. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
  8. "The Morningsider, Vol. 7, No. 9, page 6" (PDF). May 1949. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
  9. "31 Dec 1969, Page 21 - News-Press at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
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