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Goldsboro Books

Biggles Takes Charge

Biggles Takes Charge

by Captain W. E. Johns

Publisher Brockhampton Press

Genre: Children's & YA

Released:

  • Unsigned
  • UK First Edition
  • First Printing
  • Hardcover

£175.00
£175.00
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  • Professionally Packed

    All of our books that have a dust wrapper are covered in clear protective, removable film and are packed professionally in bubble wrap and a box for shipping so that they reach you in perfect condition.

  • Book Condition & Notes

    Near-fine first edition in near fine unclipped dust jacket. Nice clean copy.

About the book

Algy pays a visit to an old friend, with a view to returning a key he has been given and gets caught up in helping Prince Karl of Moldavia (also known as Charles Zarrill) when agents from behind the Iron Curtain try to kill him. Zarrill's cousin is the Grand Duke Boris Nicolas Zarrill Detziner-Romanov and the young Prince is desperately trying to find him. After a confrontation with the baddies, lead by a certain Erich von Stalhein, Algy takes the Prince down to Monte Carlo and enlists the help of Biggles (who doesn't appear in the book until page 90!) and Marcel Brissac. Later, joined by Bertie and Ginger, Boris is eventually traced. The team then embarks on a hazardous mission to recover the Royal Family's jewels from Moldavia and they find themselves in a bullet holed dingy, sinking on a Moldavian lake, desperately awaiting rescue. It is this event that is depicted on the dust cover of the book.

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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