THE HAMPTON LIBRARY BOOKS

 

FIFTEEN W.E. JOHNS BOOKS WERE RE-PUBLISHED IN THE “HAMPTON LIBRARY” SERIES BETWEEN 1961 AND 1966

 

ONE WAS A GIMLET BOOK – “GIMLET’S ORIENTAL QUEST” – click picture below to see it full size

 

 

THIS GIMLET BOOK WAS PUBLISHED IN MARCH 1964 (at the end of the publication details you see the code “64.3”)

IT HAD 184 PAGES AND FEATURED THE SAME COVER ARTWORK AS THE ORIGINAL FIRST EDITION

 

THE OTHER FOURTEEN WERE ALL BIGGLES BOOKS.  NINE OF THESE BOOKS FEATURED UNIQUE COVER ARTWORK AND YOU CAN SEE ALL OF THESE COVERS HERE

 

SOME OF THESE BOOKS ARE OFTEN MISTAKEN FOR FIRST EDITIONS BECAUSE THEY USE THE ORIGINAL PRINTING PLATES WITH THE FIRST EDITION DATES IN THEM, BUT THEY ARE IN FACT ALL REPRINTS

 

IF YOU CLICK ON ANY OF THE DUST JACKET PICTURES BELOW YOU CAN ENLARGE THEM TO SEE THEM IN DETAIL

 

Some of the books contain an “author’s note” talking about how things have changed since original publication as detailed below

 

 

 

 

182 PAGES

This book contains no illustrations and the code “64.5” meaning it was published in May 1964

Printing information says “Published by Brockhampton Press Ltd”.

This book contains no “author’s note”.

BIGGLES HITS THE TRAIL – CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FIRST EDITION

 

 

 

185 PAGES

This book contains no illustrations and the code “61.6” meaning it was published in June 1961

Printing information says “Published by Brockhampton Press Ltd”.

Contains “author’s note” about how times have changed since the book was written.

BIGGLES FLIES WEST – CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FIRST EDITION

 

 

184 PAGES

This book contains no illustrations.

Printing information says “This edition first published in 1963” and the code “63.8” meaning it was published in August 1963

No “author’s note” relating to republication, merely the original “author’s note”.

BIGGLES FLIES SOUTH – CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FIRST EDITION

 

 

184 PAGES

This book contains no illustrations.

Printing information says “This edition first published in 1963” and the code “63.8” meaning it was published in August 1963

 Contains “author’s note” about how times have changed since the book was written.

BIGGLES FLIES NORTH – CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FIRST EDITION

 

 

184 PAGES

This book contains no illustrations.

Printing information says “This edition first published in 1962” and the code “62.7” meaning it was published in July 1962

Contains an “author’s note” about how times have changed since the book was written but the author’s note is significantly expanded in this book.

BIGGLES IN THE SOUTH SEAS – CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FIRST EDITION

 

 

184 PAGES

This book contains no illustrations.

Printing information says “This edition first published in 1963” and the code “63.8” meaning it was published in August 1963

Contains “author’s note” about how times have changed since the book was written.

 

BIGGLES IN THE JUNGLE – CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FIRST EDITION

 

 

182 PAGES

This book DOES contain some illustrations.

Printing information says “Fifth impression . . . . . 1952” but does not refer to the year this was published!  This is because it was printed using the 5th edition Hodder & Stoughton printing plates.  It was in fact April 1966.

It contains five out of nine of the original illustrations plus the illustrated title plate and the front papers are also illustrated.

You can see the original first edition illustrations here.

http://www.biggles.info/Details/31/Illustrations/

The illustrations opposite pages 76 and 77 and pages 92 and 93 are NOT in this book.  This book contains no “author’s note”.

 

 

 

 

BIGGLES DELIVERS THE GOODS – CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FIRST EDITION

 

 

183 PAGES

This book DOES contain some illustrations.

Printing information says “Published by Brockhampton Press Ltd” and the code “65.5” meaning it was published in May 1965

It contains four out of the ten original illustrations (but see note below) PLUS the original frontispiece.  You can see the original first edition illustrations here.

http://www.biggles.info/Details/34/Illustrations/

The illustrations on pages 19 and 152 are NOT in this book.  Nor are the double page illustrations following pages 44, 108, 124, 188.

Bizarrely, the illustrations following pages 92, 172 and 204 are only shown in a half page form!  The left-hand page of the image is shown in this book, but the right hand page of the image is completely missing from the book!

You can see these changes here

http://www.biggles.info/Details/34/Illustrations2/

This book contains no “author’s note”.

BIGGLES HUNTS BIG GAME – CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FIRST EDITION

 

 

191 PAGES

This book contains no illustrations (with the exception of the illustrated book title plate).

Printing information says “Fifth impression . . . . . 1952” but does not refer to the year this was published!

This is because it was printed using the 5th edition Hodder & Stoughton printing plates.  It was in fact April 1966.

This book contains no “author’s note”.

BIGGLES TAKES A HOLIDAY – CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FIRST EDITION

 

 

 

THE AUTHOR’S NOTE IN THESE BOOKS VARIED SLIGHTLY BUT GENERALLY READ AS FOLLOWS:-

 

“As more of the earlier Biggles books are reprinted the date of their first appearance should be borne in mind, for the series now covers an historical period of more than thirty years, including Two World Wars.  In this time there have been such changes, technical and political, that statements made in the earlier books may well puzzle the reader.  For example, the top speed of fighter aircraft has advanced from 150 to over 1,500 m.p.h.  Standard equipment has entirely altered.  Some national boundaries have been moved, or ceased to exist, the territory having changed hands.  Friends have become enemies and vice versa.  In the First World War, Italy and Japan were our allies:  in the Second World War, they fought against us. And so on.  The reader must therefore adjust himself to the period concerned, so that when the expression ‘the war’ is used, he will understand which war is meant”.

 

 

BELOW IS A PICTURE OF THE SPINES OF THESE NINE BOOKS – NOTE THAT “SOUTH SEAS” DOESN’T HAVE A “HAMPTON LIBRARY” LOGO(!)

 

 

 

 

THE FIVE OTHER BIGGLES BOOKS PUBLISHED IN THE “HAMPTON LIBRARY” SERIES

ALL FEATURED THE SAME ARTWORK AS THE ORIGINAL FIRST EDITIONS

IF YOU CLICK ON ANY OF THESE FIVE DUST JACKET PICTURES BELOW YOU CAN ENLARGE THEM TO SEE THEM IN DETAIL

 

 

181 PAGES

This book contains no illustrations and the code “65.2” meaning it was published in

February 1965

Printing information says “Published by Brockhampton Press Ltd”.

This book contains no “author’s note”.

BIGGLES OF THE INTERPOL – CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FIRST EDITION

 

184 PAGES

This book contains no illustrations.

Printing information says “First published 1959” as it uses the original Brockhampton Press first edition printing plates.  It was in fact April 1966

This book contains no “author’s note”.

BIGGLES IN MEXICO – CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FIRST EDITION

 

182 PAGES (+ 2 pages of Biggles titles)

This book contains no illustrations.

Printing information says “First published 1959” as it uses the original Brockhampton Press first edition printing plates.  It was in fact April 1966

This book contains no “author’s note”.

 

 

BIGGLES AT WORLD’S END – CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FIRST EDITION

 

182 PAGES (+ 2 pages of Biggles titles)

This book DOES contain illustrations – all of the original line drawings at the beginning of chapters.

You can see the identical original first edition illustrations here.

http://www.biggles.info/Details/68/Illustrations/

Printing information says “First published 1961” as it uses the original Brockhampton Press first edition printing plates.  It was in fact April 1966

This book contains no “author’s note”.

BIGGLES AND THE POOR RICH BOY – CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FIRST EDITION

 

170 PAGES (+ 3 pages of Biggles titles)

This book contains no illustrations.

Printing information says “First published 1961” as it uses the original Brockhampton Press first edition printing plates.  It was in fact April 1966

It contains no “author’s note”.

BIGGLES AND THE MISSING MILLIONAIRE – CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FIRST EDITION

 

 

 

 

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