Books Biggles

Liz · 16 Apr 2000, 23:50 (Ref:15679)

Okay so he doesn't race cars, but I am collecting him anyway - have about 40 books so far, some of them very old and battered, some new paperbacks that have been re-issued. They were never sold in North America so I have got copies sent to me from every part of the Colonies as well as maybe a dozen from the UK. Have you got any Biggles books you don't want anymore? Or I should probably say, do your parents have them? Have you ever read any Biggles books? Personally I like Ginger best as I have always had a thing about red haired men. But I love the books. (The movie was dreadful but I have a copy anyway. Probably the only one they sold.)

Gerard · 17 Apr 2000, 22:55 (Ref:15680)

Biggles, Algy, Ginger and Bertie.
Yep, I had several Biggles books.
I say 'I had', because only last year I gave them away to a friend who collects them.

They were in English, not Dutch, because I like the style in which they were written, and translations never catch the atmosphere of the original.

There was Biggles Takes It Rough, Biggles and the Black Raiders, Biggles Hits the Trail and Biggles in Spain to mention a few.

Some books were from the 1930's which I bought for a buck or two on a flea-market.

If I had known this earlier I would have been glad to send them to you, Liz.

Liz · 18 Apr 2000, 00:57 (Ref:15681)

I have those, fortunately or I would be crying at missing them! Here are some I need from the first group: "Biggles in France" (in my dreams - that one is just about vanished); "Biggles - Air Commodore"; "Biggles in the Baltic."

Oddly enough although "Doctor Doolittle" has been Politically Corrected (I have all the pre-censorship versious, fortunately), Biggles never has.

Gerard · 18 Apr 2000, 12:27 (Ref:15682)

Liz, why don't you visit the Ebay auction site.
They have Biggles in the Baltic and Biggles Air Commodore on their list.
Got to the Ebay site, look for 'books' and type 'biggles' in the search windows.
There are three pages full of Biggles books for auction.

Liz · 18 Apr 2000, 17:31 (Ref:15683)

I'm there! Thanks a heap.

Warwick · 27 Apr 2000, 07:24 (Ref:15684)

I bought Biggles and the black peril,and Biggles in the cruise of the condor,late last year,after seeing them in a second hand book shop and remembering many happy hours in the school library,and i still like them.

Ross · 5 May 2000, 22:02 (Ref:15685)

Biggles is one cool bloke up with Han Solo, always with a fag and giving 'crisp' orders. I have (somewhere) Biggles defys the Swastika, Biggles in the Orient and all the books set in WW1. I still read them. However the newly released copys in the UK have Biggles not smoking and he drinks lemonade instead of whiskey! PC gone mad or what?

Liz · 6 May 2000, 02:14 (Ref:15686)

Actually that was at the wish of the publisher at the time - mustn't corrupt the young, you know - and Captain Johns was quite annoyed by it. His opinion was that it didn't fool anybody. Everyone knew it was a cellar full of champagne that 266 and that squadron of S.E.5s (a gorgeous plane, may I say) were fighting for - not a cache of lemonade!