BIGGLES - SECRET AGENT
Book First Published in May 1940 - 255 pages
This story was first published, in ten parts, as CASTLE SINISTER
in Modern Boy, issues 78 to
87, dated 12th August 1939 to 14th October 1939
Above is the genuine first edition dust wrapper. The original price was 4 shillings. With the exception of the very first Biggles
book, all previous Biggles books were priced at 3 shillings and 6d.
World War II increased the cost of book production. I have read
that this book was deliberately left unpriced, so that a price sticker could be
added, so it could be priced according to the relevant costs.
Above is the dust jacket from my “medium thickness” second
edition. The original price of this
edition was also 4 shillings.
The printing plates for this edition say 1940, but this was
probably printed in 1941. The front flap
refers to ‘Defies the Swastika’ and “Sees it Through’” both published in August
1941.
Above is a copy of the dust jacket from the “thin” third
edition. The original price of this
edition is unknown but I strongly suspect it was also 4 shillings.
The printing plates for this edition also say 1940, but this was
probably printed in 1943. The rear cover
refers to ‘Charter Pilot’ and “Biggles in Borneo’” both published in July 1943.
CHAPTERS
Click on any chapter for a summary of the events in that chapter or
see the general story summary below
VI – WHAT HAPPENED AT THE VAULT
VII – STRANGE BIRDS IN THE FOREST
X – VON STALHEIN PLAYS A TRUMP CARD
Professor
Max Beklinder has disappeared. He is the inventor of Linderite explosive, a Lucranian
by birth but British by naturalization. The Professor was working on a secret
poison gas for the British when he was reported as having been killed in a car
accident in Unterhamstadt in Lucrania. Biggles is
sent to find out if he is really dead and if not, to get him back. Algy flies
over to Lucrania and Biggles and Ginger parachute
down. They intend to pose as British tourists and try to establish the truth
about the Professor's death. It's not long before they discover the Professor's
Morris Ten car completely undamaged, hidden in a nearby castle. Staying at a
hotel in Unterhamstadt, Biggles and Ginger set off to explore the vault where
the Professor is supposedly buried. In his coffin, they find only books, but a
mysterious girl has followed them. The girl is staying at Biggles and Ginger's
hotel. The local police raid the hotel and capture the "girl" and it
turns out that it is really a man in disguise - Beklinder's
son. Lucrania is under the heel of one of its
neighbours, and a native of that country is in charge of the police. Erich von
Stalhein is at the hotel checking the names of the guests and is surprised to
encounter two of his old foes. With minutes to spare, Biggles and Ginger escape
into a secret passage that leads from room 17 in the hotel to the castle. The
passage leads behind the castle walls and Ginger comes across a spy hole into a
room that is being used as von Stalhein's office. To Ginger's astonishment he
sees that Algy is a prisoner! Von Stalhein also has Professor Beklinder as a prisoner. The Professor threatens von
Stalhein with some powerful explosive he has made but von Stalhein has a trump
card to play in the form of Beklinder's captured son.
Beklinder has to hand the explosive over. Von
Stalhein plans to take the Beklinders away and
Biggles and Ginger know they must stop this. They capture the car taking the Beklinders out of the castle and race to find Algy's plane
but it is too late as von Stalhein has had the plane removed. Biggles has a
plan and tells Ginger that he and the Beklinders must
meet him at a certain rendezvous at 12.20 a.m. In the meantime they are to hide
up at the vault while Biggles tries to organise some transport. In the vault,
the Professor tells Ginger that there is also a secret passage from the vault
to the castle. Using this, Ginger returns to rescue Algy, something he succeeds
in doing with a bit of help from Beklinder's
explosive. Ginger and Algy rush to the vault and find that the Beklinders have already set off. Catching up with them, the
four men wait at the rendezvous, but already the soldiers are out tracking them
with dogs. Meanwhile Biggles has gone to Prenzel, as
he knows that a regular mail plane leaves for Croydon at midnight. He hopes to
persuade the pilot to help him. Things don't quite go to plan and Biggles has
to steal the plane. He flies to the rendezvous and is just in time to load his
passengers aboard and make a desperate flight back to England.
Click here to see the story illustrations from the original HARDBACK first edition of this book
Biggles - Secret Agent
Publication Details - published by Oxford University Press
The spine and cover illustrations from the original Oxford first
edition
Frontispiece
Click on the above to see it in more detail
Dust jacket of the 1960 Brockhampton Press reprint (NB – This is one
of only FOUR Oxford books that were reprinted by Brockhampton Press)
Click on the above to see it in more detail
Frontispiece of the 1960 Brockhampton Press reprint
Click on the above to see it in more detail