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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