This dissertation s research aims to investigate, comprehend and describe adult readers current perceptions about the participation of illustration in fiction prose books aimed at a adult audience and the market s supply. Based on the assumption that issues related to attribution of values and hierarchization between the written content and the image content maintain the current paradigm of absence of illustration in fiction prose books aimed at adult audiences, this dissertation s methodology covers: a retrospective of the history of illustrated books based on the studies of Fischer (2006), Powers (2011) and Chartier (1998); a discussion about the social pressures that act upon the adult reader gathering concepts of the works of Rancière (2009), Bourdieu (1998) and Nikilajeva and Scott (2011); a quantitative research done in a book store about the incidence of illustrations in the current market supply, based on Gil (2002) – in which is found that the majority of fiction prose books aimed at adults do not have illustrations – and a questionnaire with more than 400 adult readers, based on the Bardin s methodology (2002), in with is found that there is a possible demand or niche for adult illustrated fiction books, as well great social acceptance of the adults who like illustrated books, thought there races of attribution of values and hierarchization were found. Ultimately, it proposes a discussion about the designer s role, as an influenced person and as an influence himself, based on the thoughts of Farbiarz (2008) and Findeli (1994), and about the book and its fruition as a wicked problem, based in the ideas of Cardoso (2012), Rittel and Webber (1973).