BIGGLES WORKS IT OUT
Book First Published in October 1951 - 192 pages
This story was first published, in six monthly parts, as BIGGLES
WORKS IT OUT in the Boys Own Paper Volume 73, issues 7 to 12, dated April 1951 to
September 1951
This story was later published, in eight monthly parts, as
BIGGLES WORKS IT OUT in the The Silver Jacket (an
Australian Publication), from October 1953 to May 1954
The first edition dust jacket showing the original price of 7
shillings and 6 pence
The second edition dust jacket also shows the original price of 7
shillings and 6 pence but note the additional titles to the Biggles and
Gimlet books on the rear flap
CHAPTERS
Click on any chapter for a summary of the events in that chapter or
see the general story summary below
I BIGGLES HAS SOMETHING TO SAY
III MODERN DAYS, MODERN WAYS
Biggles, Algy, Ginger and Bertie
meet Marcel Brissac from the French police for the
first time. He is trying to trace a mysterious aircraft, which from sketches
Biggles recognises as a Douglas D.C. 3. Biggles suspects the same plane has
been used in a gold robbery from a gold mine in Australia and the team fly to
Australia to investigate. Here they find two clues. A button and the paper
wrapper from a tooth pick, given out in a hotel in Monte Carlo. Algy and Bertie
fly to Monte Carlo on what appears to be the hopeless task of investigating the
clues. Algy unexpectedly strikes a trail but is astonished when Bertie
disappears. Bertie has taken a job with the bad guys as a pilot in order to
infiltrate their organisation. Bertie is sent to their base at El Asile, in the Ahagger Mountains,
deep in the Sahara desert. Algy learns of this after
following a van, which leads to a secret aerodrome where he finds Von Stalhein.
Algy hides himself on a plane and manages to overpower the pilot (a scene that
is depicted on the dust cover of the book). After nearly being shot down by
Marcel Brissac, Algy flies to El Asile
and rescues Bertie but their escape is foiled when their fuel tank is holed and
they have to land in the desert. Captured by Arabs, they are then taken on a
raid on the base at El Asile. Biggles arrives later with
French police and the team recovers the stolen gold. Von Stalhein escapes to
fight another day.
Click here to see the story illustrations from this book
Biggles Works it Out
Subtitle - A story of Air Detective-Inspector Bigglesworth and
his comrades of the Air Police
Publication Details - published by Hodder & Stoughton
Frontispiece
Click on the above to see it in more detail
The original artwork for this book sold at Sothebys
on 6th March 2014 for £5250
Above is the original artwork that was opposite Page 156. This used to be in my private collection
and finally, here is a signed copy of Biggles Works it Out
signed not only by W. E. Johns, but also by the cast of the 1960s TV series
click on the book to find out more