BIGGLES AND THE BLUE MOON
Book First Published in May 1965 - 181 pages
I believe this Biggles book was never serialised elsewhere. If anybody knows differently then please E-MAIL ME
The first edition dust jacket showing the original price of 10
shillings and 6 pence
(This was a 2 shilling increase on the
price of the previous book which had only been published on 20th
April 1965)
Biggles is asked to help a
Chinese resident of Malaysia, called Lin Seng, move his unique pearl collection
to London. Amongst this priceless collection is a superb pearl known as
"the Blue Moon of Asia". Flying out to Malaysia and over Taihan, Seng's fantastic home, Biggles finds no suitable
landing place. Going to Kuala Lumpur, Biggles makes contact with one of Seng's
business managers called Tong. He tells Biggles that telephone contact has been
lost with Taihan. Biggles and Algy hire a car and
drive out to investigate. Finding a break in the telegraph lines, Biggles
discovers the body of a Post Office worker sent out to repair the fault. The
lines have been cut and when Biggles fetches the local police, the body has
disappeared. Pressing on to Lin Seng's home at Taihan,
Biggles finds he is under siege from thieves who want to steal his pearl
collection. Twenty loyal workers defend Seng. Algy uses these workers to start
to clear an overgrown golf course to turn it into a makeshift landing strip.
The situation takes a turn for the worse when news is received that fifty
Indonesian guerrillas have landed and are suspected to be making for Taihan. Biggles decides to try to break out, to get to
Kuala Lumpur whilst Algy finishes the airstrip. Here he can alert the Malaysian
Government to the Indonesian incursion and bring the plane to Taihan to land and collect Lin Seng and his pearls. Leaving
by car with Ayart, one of Seng's servants, Biggles is
brought to a halt and captured by the thieves in the jungle. Algy decides to
block the entrance to the golf course by destroying a fallen tree over a
crocodile infested ditch. Using gelignite, he blows the tree to pieces and this
helps facilitate Biggles' escape because the thieves were taking Biggles to the
golf course and they are caught in the explosion. Finishing the airstrip, Algy
and Lin Seng are preparing for evacuation when the Indonesian troops attack.
Biggles arrives by plane and with him come Malaysian Government soldiers. Algy
saves Lin Seng from a murderous attack in an effort to steal his pearls and he
is finally flown to safety. The picture on the dust cover shows Algy about to
blow-up the tree bridge under a watching moon.
There are no story illustrations in this book
Biggles and the Blue Moon
Publication Details - published by Brockhampton
Press
Frontispiece
Click on the above to see it in more detail