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Goldsboro Books

Biggles Forms A Syndicate

Biggles Forms A Syndicate

by Captain W. E. Johns

Publisher Hodder & Stoughton

Genre: Children's & YA

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  • Book Condition & Notes

    Biggles is visited by an old friend, Squadron Leader 'Dizzy' Digswell, who has an interesting tale to tell. After being forced to parachute out of his plane flying over the Aden Protectorate in Arabia, he thinks he has come across the ancient ruins of the city of Ophir. He found a cave, which he believes to be filled with ancient coins of gold and silver. Biggles and the team decide to form a syndicate to go and recover the coins. Bertie and Ginger go with Dizzy, while Biggles and Algy remain at home. Biggles is later shocked to read that their Dakota plane has been found deserted and the three of them have disappeared off the face of the earth. Travelling to Arabia, Biggles and Algy find Bertie and Dizzy have been trapped inside the cave for many days by a rock fall. They are lucky to be alive. Ginger's disappearance is a surprise to Bertie and Dizzy who are unable to give an explanation for it. Attacked by hostile Arabs and an Ethiopian named Majoli, who has found out about the coins and arrives by boat (as depicted on the dust cover of the book), Biggles and the rest suddenly find themselves facing a crowd of approaching Arabs on horseback, one of whom is .......... Ginger! Ginger had been taken by a group of Arabs to help heal the son of a Sheikh, who was very ill after being bitten by a camel. The Sheikh's men see off the hostile enemy and work to open the cave for Biggles' party. The coins are taken and given to the British Museum, for a substantial reward. The Museum will send an expedition to the site to investigate it for its historic interest, employing Dizzy as their guide.

About the book

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About the Author

Captain W. E. Johns

Williams Earl Johns, born 1893, was an English First World War pilot, and writer of adventure stories, usually written under the pen name Capt. W. E. Johns.


He was the creator of the fictional air-adventurer Biggles. In his 46-year writing career (1922–68) he penned over 160 books, including nearly one hundred Biggles books, more than sixty other novels and factual books, and scores of magazine articles and short stories.


His first novel, Mossyface, was published in 1922 under the pen name "William Earle". After leaving the RAF, John became a newspaper air correspondent, as well as editing and illustrating books about flying. At the request of John Hamilton Ltd, he created the magazine Popular Flying which first appeared in March 1932. It was in the pages of this magazine that Biggles first appeared.

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