Out of Control — Baynard Kendrick, Dell Mapback 1950

🕵️ Out of Control is a vintage 1950 Dell paperback mystery by Baynard Kendrick, featuring the renowned blind detective Captain Duncan Maclain. In this gripping golden age whodunit, Maclain’s honeymoon in the Great Smoky Mountains is interrupted by a suspicious car wreck and a killer pursuing a “perfect murder” method.

Quick Facts

• Author: Baynard Kendrick
• Series: Duncan Maclain Mysteries (Book 6)
• Publisher: Dell Publishing Co., Inc. (Dell Book #376)
• Format: Vintage mass-market paperback (Mapback)
• Setting: Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee
• Publication Date: Circa 1950
• Special Feature: Includes a detailed Tennessee Mountains crime map on the rear wrapper.

For Collectors

This specific edition is a “Mapback,” a prized format for mid-century pulp collectors. The cover features Dell’s iconic “keyhole” framing and a dramatic portrait of a woman in distress, capturing the high-suspense aesthetic of the 1950s. Baynard Kendrick, the first president of the Mystery Writers of America, pioneered the blind detective trope with the indomitable Captain Maclain and his guide dogs, Drieste and Schnucke.

FAQ

Who is Captain Duncan Maclain?
He is a blind private investigator and former intelligence officer who utilizes his heightened senses and two German Shepherd guide dogs to solve complex crimes.

What is a “Mapback” edition?
A Mapback is a vintage paperback design, common in some Dell editions, that features a functional map of the story’s setting on the back cover.

Is this a first edition?
This is a Dell First Edition of the paperback reprint (Book #376), originally published in hardcover in 1945.

#### **Book Details**
* **Author:** Baynard Kendrick
* **Illustrator:** Uncredited (Dell keyhole artwork and rear cartography)
* **Publisher:** Dell Publishing Co., Inc. (Dell Book #376)
* **Binding:** Paperback (Standard mass-market pocket paperback)
* **Edition Points:** Dell First Edition thus, Dell Mapback #376 (circa 1950). Featuring the Tennessee Mountains crime map on the rear wrapper.
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#### **Condition Report**
* **Overall Grade:** Very Good minus (VG-)
* **Cover & Spine:** Minor rubbing to extremities with light spiderweb creasing near upper cover edge; spine shows slight surface toning and shelf rubbing at head and tail and is rolled, but solid.
* **Text Block & Pages:** Original publisher green top/edge stain intact; interior pages are uniform off-white/cream with minimal toning at margins.
* **Binding:** Solid, tight binding with no loose leaves.
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See accompanying images for full condition details. Will ship promptly, carefully packaged.

HFB-SEO-v1: 2026-10-19

Shelf: 3-Top

1 in stock