BIGGLES –

First Edition. pp. 184 #271225 (Gift inscription on fep, wear to dustjacket.)

The first edition had red boards, no frontispiece and says “Kingston Library” on the spine.

The book title is in black.  Internally, the book lists seven W. E. Johns’ titles and then book titles from “Son of Black Beauty” to “Nada the Lily”.

The dust wrapper has “Kingston Library” and “The Thames Publishing Co. London” on the spine.

This contains nine short stories, eight of which were originally published in BIGGLES IN FRANCE (1935) The stories are:-

FOREWORD (by W. E. Johns)

1. A RIDE TO REMEMBER

Shot down, Biggles escapes from behind the lines in a German observation balloon (dust cover).

This story was originally published in ‘The Modern Boy’ issue number 335

Dated 7^th July 1934 – as BIGGLES GOES BALLOONING

2. THE CAMERA

Colonel Raymond asks Biggles to recover a recognisance camera with a highly valuable lens.

 This story was originally published in ‘The Modern Boy’ issue number 356

Dated 1^st December 1934 – as BIGGLES AND THE FLYING CAMERA

3. THE PRIZE

266 and 287 squadrons compete to see who can drop propaganda leaflets the furthest over the lines.

 This story was originally published in ‘The Modern Boy’ issue number 361

Dated 5^th January 1935 – as BIGGLES’ PAPERCHASE

4. HUMBUGS

Biggles plays a trick on Wilkinson by arranging to have his kit dropped on a German aerodrome.

 This story was originally published in ‘The Modern Boy’ issue number 362

Dated 12^th January 1935 – as BIGGLES AND THE FLYING WARDROBE

5. THE TURKEY

Biggles is determined to obtain a turkey for the mess Christmas dinner.

 This story was originally published in ‘The Modern Boy’ issue number 360

Dated 29^th December 1934 – as BIGGLES CARVES THE TURKEY

6. WAR IN HOT BLOOD

Biggles seeks revenge after a plane with Green Streamers deliberately kills Parker.

 This story was originally published in ‘The Modern Boy’ issue number 364

Dated 26^th January 1935 – as FLYING CRUSADERS

7. REPRISALS

When Algy gets into trouble with Captain Bitmore, Biggles pretends to be a Colonel.

 This story was originally published in ‘The Modern Boy’ issue number 363

Dated 19^th January 1935 – as BIGGLES’ BORROWED PLUMES

8. THE CHALLENGE

After Biggles blows up a German wine cellar, he is invited to pay for the wine or fight a duel.

 This story was originally published in ‘The Modern Boy’ issue number 336

Dated 14^th July 1934 – as BIGGLES AND THE RUNAWAY TANK

However only the first half of that story was used.  The second half of the original story from ‘The Modern Boy’

 had already become ‘Taffy Trundles In’ in the 1941 Biggles book ‘SPITFIRE PARADE’.

9. THE PILOT WHO LOST HIS WAY

(N.B. This story was originally published in Biggles Learns to Fly in 1935 as ‘The Spy in the Sky’)

Biggles suspects a lost French pilot is not all that he seems to be.

 This story was originally published in ‘The Modern Boy’ issue number 326

Dated 5^th May 1934 – as SPY IN THE SKY

That story was originally collected into the “Boys’ Friend Library” first edition of BIGGLES LEARNS TO FLY

where it appeared as Chapter 7 entitled “The Lost Airman!” and Chapter 8 entitled “Snow and Bullets”

When Biggles Learns to Fly was reprinted by Hodder & Stoughton in 1955, this story was completely omitted because it had been used in ‘BIGGLES OF 266’

The dust cover of the book shows Biggles hanging by one hand from a German balloon, a scene from the first story of the book.