Biggles Book List

This is a list of all the Biggles titles published, with a brief description of each. The books are listed in reading order, that is, in the order that the stories took place. The books are also numbered in order of their publication, in the left-most column. The year of first publication is listed in the second column. The hyperlinked titles point to a page for each book, where I have scanned dust jackets and illustrations from my copies.

There is a short description for each book that I have read and have in my collection. "TBD" means that I have the book but have not managed to write up the description yet. I will eventually scan at least one picture from each title, but right now only a few are done.

92 1968 The Boy Biggles Published very late, these stories describe the earliest of Biggles' adventures, when he was a boy growing up in India. With his friends Habu and Sula, he tangles with tigers, bears and crocodiles, catches a gang of murderers, and encounters other assorted wild animals.
39 1951 Biggles Goes To School Biggles goes to boarding school in England. He learns to live with the school bully, helps to recapture an escaped bear, and solves a case of poaching and murder.
5 1935 Biggles Learns To Fly Biggles leaves school and goes to No.77 Flying Training School. After learning to fly, he ends up at 169 Squadron flying two-seaters.
6 1935 Biggles In France Not read yet.
54 1956 Biggles Of 266 A series of short stories about Biggles' exploits in the First World War.
7 1935 Biggles Flies East Biggles is mistaken for a German agent, and asked to work as a spy in the Middle East. This is his first encounter with Erich von Stalhein.
3 1934 Biggles Of The Camel Squadron More short stories of Biggles' war exploits. He meets Algy, who is posted to 266 Squadron.
16 1939 Biggles - The Rescue Flight Peter Fortymore runs away from school with his friend Rip to look for his older brother. They manage to get into a British squadron, and manage to get by without attracting attention - except that of their flight commander.
1 1932 The Camels Are Coming Not read yet. Most of the short stories in The Camels are coming were republished in 1954, in Biggles, Pioneer Air Fighter
51 1954 Biggles Pioneer Air Fighter The final set of short stories set in WW I. Biggles is shot down and taken prisoner in the last story, but the war ends.
2 1933 The Cruise Of The Condor Biggles and Algy accompany Biggles' uncle to South America in search of Inca treasure. They are followed and harassed by crooks after the same treasure, and meet sundry other mishaps along the way, before discovering an ancient lost city. Typical of the swashbuckling adventures of the early years, this is one of my favourites of this period. The first of a number of trips to South America.
4 1934 Biggles Flies Again When the company Biggles and Algy are working for in South America goes bankrupt, they are given the aircraft instead of their back pay. In these short stories, they work their way back home across the Pacific, then via Malaysia, India and finally Europe, with many adventures along the way. They also meet Li Chi, the Chinese pirate, who will return in "Biggles Delivers The Goods".
8 1935 The Black Peril Biggles and Algy come across secret preparations to attack England. Escaping from the villian Blackbeard, Biggles meets Ginger, who helps him escape. They fly into Russia to try and foil the invaders' plans.
9 1935 Biggles Hits The Trail Biggles, Algy and Ginger accompany his uncle again, this time to Tibet to look for the "Mountain of Light". The secret of the mountain is discovered, but the local inhabitants are not about to let go of their secret. The adventurers go through a series of narrow escapes. Just a bit far-fetched, but what the heck.
10 1936 Biggles & Co. Biggles is asked to form an airline to transport gold to Europe. Several shipments of gold have already been stolen, and the thieves seem to have all the inside information. After a couple of narrow escapes, Biggles is kidnapped, and they end up fighting to escape from the hands of von Stalhein, in a castle in Central Europe.
27 1943 Biggles, Charter Pilot A series of short stories about the time that Biggles and his friends are employed by Dr. Duck, an eccentric scientist. These stories are narrated by Ginger during 666 Squadron's operations in the Battle of Britain, but have taken place earlier. These would probably fall in the category of "tall stories".
11 1936 Biggles In Africa At the request of Mr. Felix Marton, Biggles, Algy and Ginger fly to Central Africa to search for his son Harry, who is missing while on a flight to Cape Town. They soon run into danger, and the sinister airport manager at Insula seems out to get them. Braving the dangers of the African wilderness, they soon discover that a drug smuggling ring is behind Harry's disappearance. The first of numerous trips to Central Africa.
12 1937 Biggles, Air Commodore British vessels are being sunk in the Indian Ocean, and Biggles & Co. are sent to investigate. The enemy attacks, but can't be found. They end up on Elephant Island - and find the enemy base hidden inside the island itself. The first of Biggles' many adventures on remote and mysterious islands.
13 1937 Biggles Flies West Biggles & Co. fly to the Caribbean with Dick Denver, whose father has stumbled across clues to an ancient treasure. But the bad guys are on their trail, and their plane is stolen. There's lots of action on the treasure island, climaxing in a roaring battle with cannons and cutlasses.
15 1938 Biggles Goes To War Biggles and his friends help out the little country of Maltovia, threatened by its powerful neighbor. They have some successes initially, but there are traitors in high places in the Maltovian forces, and Biggles and Algy are almost executed by a firing squad. The first book that I read.
14 1938 Biggles Flies South On their way to Cape Town, Biggles and his friends are diverted into a search for the Lost Oasis in Egypt, rumoured to hide the lost army of Cambyses. However, one man does not want them to succeed, and takes steps to ensure their failure. The friends are captured by a lost tribe, and Biggles has to sing his way out of trouble.
18 1939 Biggles Flies North Biggles and his buddies head to the far north of Canada to help out a wartime comrade, Wikinson, who is trying to run an airline transporting gold from the mines. A gang of crooks is trying to take over the air freight business, and will stop at nothing to get what they want.
17 1939 Biggles In Spain Biggles and his friends are on a Mediterranean cruise when their ship is sunk and they come ashore in Spain. They are quickly drawn into the Civil War, and must fight their way through to get back home with a very important document.
21 1940 Biggles In The South Seas An old wartime friend, Sandy, discovers pearls in the South Pacific. Biggles and Co. go along to help Sandy collect the pearls. An evil schooner captain is after the pearls too, and their life is not made easier by shark attacks, hurricanes and more. Another island adventure.
25 1942 Biggles In The Jungle On a holiday cruise in Central America, Biggles and his friends hear about the "King of the Forest", who is causing trouble for the chicle collectors and running a smuggling operation. Assigned to investigate, they fly into the heart of the jungle to look for a hidden ruined city that hides the gang's headquarters, but will they escape the dangers of the jungle, hostile locals, and the King's ruthless henchman Bogat ?
20 1940 Biggles In The Baltic The first story of WW II. At the outbreak of war Biggles, Algy, Ginger, Smyth, and his son Roy are sent to form a special squadron operating out of a secret island in the Baltic Sea. They carry out several raids without being detected, but von Stalhein is on their track. Several narrow escapes and a wild scramble inside the island take place before the conclusion.
23 1941 Biggles Sees It Through Volunteering to fight with the Finns against Russian invasion, Biggles and his friends pick up the dying Petolski, whose research papers the Germans are looking for. The papers are hidden near a frozen lake, and the friends are assigned to retrieve them. But the Germans are already on the trail, with the formidable Erich von Stalhein in charge yet again. Around the frozen countryside of Finland and Russia, the two sides battle for possession of the papers. There is plenty of action and almost everyone gets shot down at one time or another.
19 1940 Biggles, Secret Agent The brilliant inventor Max Beklinder is presumed dead on a trip back to his native country of Lucrania, but then is spotted alive by a British agent. The British government wants to get him back, so Biggles and Ginger parachute into Lucrania to find him. There is a lot of strange stuff going on in the little village of Unterhamstadt, especially in the hotel. What secret is hidden in Room 17 ? Things move quickly towards the climax, with secret passages, castles, and old enemy von Stalhein all playing crucial roles.
22 1941 Biggles Defies The Swastika Biggles is in Norway when the Germans invade. Trying to escape, Biggles is forced to join the Luftwaffe instead! While Biggles is trying to dodge out of this tight spot, von Stalhein arrives and things get really hectic.
24 1941 Spitfire Parade Biggles is asked to form up 666 Squadron, and take charge of a bunch of misfits and mavericks. This is a series of short stories that take place during the Battle of Britain. Bertie makes his appearance, completing the foursome that will carry on for another 30 years and 72 books. Several other people appear in this book who will reappear in later stories - Tug Carrington, Angus Mackail, Taffy Hughes, Ferocity Ferris and Tex O'Hara.
26 1942 Biggles Sweeps The Desert Biggles and his squadron are assigned to locate and destroy a German air base which is interrupting transport lines in the Western Desert. The harsh desert creates many problems, and a thrilling series of encounters ensues with the German fliers. This book was later republished as "Biggles Defends the Desert".
28 1943 Biggles In Borneo Biggles takes his squadron to set up an airfield on a dry lake bed in the middle of Japanese-occupied Borneo. They cause a lot of problems for the Japanese before being discovered.
29 1943 Biggles Fails To Return During the war, Biggles is sent to Monaco to rescue an Italian princess, but goes missing. The others request permission to go and look for him and the princess, and arrive in Monte Carlo in various disguises. There are clues, but deciphering them is hard work, even with friends in the town. This is probably one of the most complicated stories of the series, and one of my favourites.
30 1945 Biggles In The Orient Planes are disappearing on the route from India to China, without any apparent reason. Biggles and his squadron arrive at Calcutta to try and sort things out, but the mysterious catastrophes plague his squadron as well. With no clues to the disappearances, they struggle to find an answer. I like this one because it is set around the part of the country where I grew up.
31 1946 Biggles Delivers The Goods The last WW II story. Biggles and his squadron fly to the Indian Ocean to transport hidden rubber supplies for the war effort, with the aid of the Chinese pirate Li Chi. From a hidden base on an island, they start transporting the rubber, but eventually get discovered by the Japanese. Algy is captured and nearly beheaded.
32 1947 Sergeant Bigglesworth CID Biggles and his team set up the Air Police as soon as the war is over, to track down Nazis who have set up an intercontinental piracy operation using stolen aircraft. Their search leads them to the interior of the Sahara.
33 1948 Biggles’ Second Case Biggles and Co. fly down to the island of Kerguelen in the Indian Ocean to track down a renegade German submarine that has not surrendered at the end of the war. The submarine is found, but it strikes first, and Biggles must use all his skill and luck to stop von Schonbeck from getting away with the gold that he had captured. One of my favourites.
34 1948 Biggles Hunts Big Game Trying to track down currency counterfeiters, Biggles suspects the operations of Stellar Skyways. In search of the crooks' headquarters, Bertie and Ginger fly to Central Africa, but are recognized. With the criminals on one hand, and the wild animals on the other, they have a tough time surviving.
35 1948 Biggles Takes A Holiday Biggles flies to South America to rescue a former squadron member, Angus Mackail, who is being held as a slave in a mysterious operation. When they arrive, Angus is not to be found, and they discover a gang of ex-Nazis engaged in a nefarious enterprise. Von stalhein also arrives.
36 1949 Biggles Breaks The Silence When Biggles heads off Antarctica to recover the gold from the remains of the Starry Crown, little does he know the risks he is taking. The risks posed by shifting icebergs, freezing waters and wild weather are bad enough, without encountering a bunch of thugs who will stop at nothing to make sure Biggles and his men do not return home. This book was republished as "Biggles in the Antarctic".
37 1950 Biggles Gets His Men Biggles flies to Eastern Asia to rescue Western prisoners. He and Ginger sneak into the prison compound posing as native slaves. They are assisted by an mad, aristocratic Russian who is fighting his own war against the Communists.
38 1951 Another Job For Biggles Biggles is sent to Arabia to seek out the origins of a very rare plant which produces the most powerful narcotic ever heard of. Biggles and Ginger discover that the plant is being cultivated in the desert, but are caught, and about to be hanged. Fireworks and pandemonium ensue as Bertie arrrives to the rescue.
40 1952 Biggles Works It Out Biggles and his crew follow gold smugglers around Europe and North Africa, again coming up against von Stalhein.   Marcel Brissac of the French Police makes his first appearance.
41 1952 Biggles Takes The Case More cases of the Air Police, in which they travel to Africa and India, among other places.
42 1952 Biggles Follows On Von Stalhein is recruiting British soldiers to be taken behind the Iron Curtain. Biggles and his men follow the trail to Germany and then to Korea to rescue the soldiers, with the help of Guardsman Ian Ross. Gimlet King and his men also appear in this story.
43 1952 Biggles, Air Detective A series of short stories about the cases of the Special Air Police.
44 1953 Biggles And The Black Raider The Black Elephant has been murdering and stealing cattle across Cenral Africa. Biggles and his men arrive to track him down, but this is no easy matter in a country which provides plenty of hiding places. This one has been a favourite of mine since I was a kid.
45 1953 Biggles In The Blue Biggles, Algy, Bertie and Ginger travel to Jamaica to find the blueprints of a series of secret Nazi weapons which were hidden at the end of WW II. However, von Stalhein is already on the track of the documents. A flamingo's egg provides a clue to the hiding place.
46 1953 Biggles In The Gobi Biggles and his team fly to Mongolia to rescue doctors and  missionaries who are being hunted by the Communists. They are hiding in a secret cave, but the soldiers and the wild tribesmen cause plenty of trouble.
47 1953 Biggles Of The Special Air Police The first half is stories of Biggles's time with Scotland Yard. The second half is stories from WW I.
48 1954 Biggles Cuts It Fine Suspicious activities have been reported on islands in the Indian Ocean. Biggles and his team fly to investigate, and discover that the Russians are setting up secret bases. A base is discovered on a French island, and is eliminated. Marcel Brissac is also present.
49 1954 Biggles And The Pirate Treasure A series of short stories about the Air Police, set all over the world.
50 1954 Biggles Foreign Legionnaire Bombs are going off in the Middle East, and soldiers are deserting from the Foreign Legion. Biggles, Ginger and Marcel join the Legion to discover what's going on. Biggles and Ginger are persuaded to desert, and fly into the war syndicate's headquarters in mountains. Now they're trapped - between Von Stalhein and the Kurds.
52 1955 Biggles In Australia Erich von Stalhein has been seen in Australia posing as a marine biologist. The team quickly discover that he is stirring up trouble with the Aborigines acting under Iron Curtain orders, aided by a spy network.
53 1955 Biggles’ Chinese Puzzle A series of short stories about the Air Police.
55 1956 No Rest For Biggles Something is forcing planes to land in the middle of Africa and Biggles is sent to find out what is going on. He finds that there is a group of self-appointed rulers of Africa holding prisoners hostage. There is a secret weapon stolen from the Americans in the picture too. Another one of my special favourites.
56 1956 Biggles Takes Charge Algy drops in on an old acquaintance in France, and immediately gets tangled up in a plot to assassinate the survivors of the royal family of an Eastern European country, and seize the crown jewels. Von Stalhein shows up, and a mad chase ensues up and down Southern Europe, with a final gripping climax in the La Sologne forest in France.
57 1957 Biggles Makes Ends Meet Biggles and his team, investigating a case of piracy in the Indian Ocean, discover a gold and drug smuggling operation. The smugglers are discovered on an island in the Nicobars, but three of the team are stranded on the island, with the smugglers in pursuit. On top of this, the monsoon has arrived, and their chances of getting away look slim.
58 1957 Biggles Of The Interpol Stories in which the Air Police team work with the Interpol.
59 1957 Biggles On The Home Front Inspector Gaskin calls on Biggles and his colleagues for help in solving numbers of robberies taking place in London, suspecting that the stolen goods are going out of the country by air. Biggles goes undercover, pretending to be a jewel thief, to trap the criminals.
60 1958 Biggles Presses On More short stories of the Air Police, in which Biggles travels to Scotland, Malaya, and the South Seas to clear up various mysteries.
61 1958 Biggles On Mystery Island Biggles and his team, along with Marcel and a Swedish detective, fly to the island of Oratovoa in the South Pacific to find certain missing people. Once there the discover the place is being ruled by a mad-man who has styled himself King, and is heavily protected.
62 1958 Biggles Buries A Hatchet Biggles and Co, fly to Sakhalin to rescue none other than von Stalhein, who is being held prisoner by his erstwhile employers. A daring and dangerous operation is pulled off, and finally the enmity between Biggles and von Stalhein comes to an end. A special favourite of mine.
63 1959 Biggles In Mexico Diamond thieves flee to Mexico, pursued by Biggles and Ginger. A hazardous trip through the desert brings them to the crooks, but catching them turns out to be very difficult, even aided by a local rancher. Ginger is stranded in the desert and captured by the crooks.
64 1959 Biggles’ Combined Operation Not read yet.
65 1959 Biggles At The World’s End Von Stalhein informs the Air Police of hidden treasure in the islands of Tierra del Fuego, captured and stowed there by the German Navy during the first War. Biggles and Co. travel to the end of the world to recover the loot, but have to tackle treacherous opponents as well as the unpredictable weather.
66 1960 Biggles And The Leopards Of Zinn In yet another foray into Central Africa, Biggles goes to investigate the leopards that are terrorizing the Zinns. As usual, the denizens of the jungle prove formidable opponents, but the leopards turn out to be man-made, and Biggles needs all the luck he can get to save the Zinns.
67 1960 Biggles Goes Home Biggles and his friends travel to North India to rescue a wealthy Chinese fugitive fleeing from China. However, his whereabouts are unknown, and a search is mounted in the foothills of the Himalayas. There are dangers enough even without the Chinese soldiers looking for the fugitive, but the help of the retired Captain Toxan and his Gurkhas proves decisive.
68 1960 Biggles And The Poor Rich Boy Eddie Ross comes over from America to ask for Biggles' help in tracking down the kidnapper Cornelli and his hostage, the boy Carlo. Biggles and Co. have to run to and fro between London and Scotland, always one step behind the kidnapper. There are other crooks also on the kidnapper's trail, and does the kidnapped boy even want to be rescued ? Another favourite.
69 1961 Biggles Forms A Syndicate Dizzy Digswell claims to have found treasure hidden in the sands of the Arabian coast. Bertie and Ginger set off with him to recover it, but are reported missing. Biggles and Algy start a search, but there's a lot going on, including other seekers of the treasure and an Arab sheikh's sick son.
70 1961 Biggles And The Missing Millionaire The millionaire Otto Brandt has disappeared without paying his bills, and so has his yacht. Biggles and his team try to track down the yacht, and travel first to Morocco and then to the Caribbean to find an answer. They discover a plot to start a revolution in Cuba and take over the government. Yet another story on an island.
71 1962 Biggles Goes Alone Not read yet.
72 1962 Orchids For Biggles Biggles and Bertie fly to Peru to find some documents held by a nuclear scientist. They are involved in a series of hazardous adventures, with the local people as well as the wildlife.
73 1962 Biggles Sets A Trap Not read yet.
74 1962 Biggles Takes It Rough Rod Macaster came back to live on his grandfather's island near Scotland - but somebody didn't want him there. Biggles and his friends accompany Rod to his island; their boat is sunk and they're nearly burnt to death. They attempt to discover the men behind the mystery, hampered by the Scottish weather.
75 1963 Biggles Takes A Hand Von Stalhein informs Biggles that some of his friends are trying to escape from East Germany. But the man they are coming to see in England cannot be found, and they are being followed by agents who will stop at nothing. Biggles and his team step in to sort things out.
76 1963 Biggles’ Special Case On a secret mission to the Middle East with a mysterious passenger, Biggles has an idea that there is more going on than he knows. But he doesn't realize just how much more, until he is chased by jet fighters, grounded by a sandstorm, and involved in gun battles and desert politics.
77 1963 Biggles And The Plane That Disappeared When a private plane disappears with a passenger who gave a false name, the Air Police are called in. Bertie tracks down the missing plane to a remote farm, and they are soon on the track of a gang of diamond smugglers who will stop at nothing. Bertie joins up with the gang, but is shot down in France.
78 1963 Biggles Flies To Work Another set of short stories about the Air Police.
79 1964 Biggles And The Lost Sovereigns When a dead man is found drifting in his canoe among the islands off the Malay peninsula, with twenty gold sovereigns around his neck, Biggles is handed a tough nut to crack. Did the gold come from the long-lost schooner Vagabond, which sailed out of Singapore and vanished twenty years ago ? The Air Police fly to Singapore to investigate, and are met by crooked coastal patrol officers, crocodiles and snakes, and the dangerous schooner captain Yomas, who is also after the gold. Not the least of their problems is the one-legged tiger that stalks them on the lonely island they land on.
80 1964 Biggles And The Black Mask A faint suspicion causes Biggles to check up on the activities of an ex-RAF officer now engaged in the package holiday tour business. Ginger travels down to Nice to investigate, but is attacked and then disappears. What underhand activities are going on under cover of the travel business ? Biggles sets off on the trail of the gang whose leader is known by the black mask he wears.
81 1964 Biggles Investigates Some more short stories from the Air Police archives.
82 1965 Biggles Looks Back Biggles learns from von Stalhein that his girlfriend from the First War, Marie Janis, is still alive in Austria, but is being persecuted by the secret police. Von Stalhein attempts to rescue her but is himself trapped and in danger. Biggles and Bertie follow, posing as glass-buyers, to rescue Marie from her ancestral castle. The castle is heavily guarded, and getting in and out appear to be equally difficult. A little different from the usual stories, but a good read and another favourite.
83 1965 Biggles And The Plot That Failed Adrian Mander flies to the Sahara to find an ancient tomb, but is deserted by his treacherous partner. Biggles comes looking for him, but there are surprises in store for all, including a thunderstorm in the middle of the Sahara.
84 1965 Biggles And The Blue Moon Lin Seng, a rich Asian merchant, wishes his pearl collection to be placed in the Bank of England. Biggles and Algy fly to Lin Seng's estate in the Malayan jungle to collect them, but find the estate under seige by bandits intent on getting the pearls.
85 1965 Biggles Scores A Bull Not read yet.
86 1966 Biggles In The Terai Algy is reported missing while assisting the Indian Police to track down gold smugglers in Northern India. Biggles and Bertie go out to see what they can discover. Danger and sabotage follow them as they try to find out what happened to Algy and where he is. The action takes place in the jungles of the Terai, at the border of India and Nepal.
87 1966 Biggles And The Gun Runners Trying to track down a gang of gun-runners, Biggles advertises his services hoping to be picked up by the crooks. When the mysterious Count employs him, he seems to be on the track of something big. Things move quickly, when Biggles is shot down in the middle of the swampy Sudd in the heart of Africa, with no way out.
88 1967 Biggles Sorts It Out Lord Langdon's collection of rubies has been stolen, and it appears his daughter has helped the thieves rob her father. Biggles is convinced that the truth is not being told by someone. The search for the thief takes the Air Police to a ruined German fort in the heart of the Kalahari desert.
89 1967 Biggles And The Dark Intruder A mysterious plane is tracked flying in and out of the country, and a policeman is killed on a deserted moor. Biggles arrives to investigate, and finds a scheme to fly escaed convicts out of the country.
90 1967 Biggles And The Penitent Thief Dusty Miller, from Biggles' old squadron, seeks help from Biggles for his son Tommy. Wrongfully imprisoned, Tommy's resentment made him join up with a gang of jewel thieves and take part in a robbery. Now he regrets what he did and wants to help the police recover the jewels. But the jewels are hidden on a remote island off the Canadian coast, and the gang leader, Raulstein, is after them as well.
91 1967 Biggles And The Deep Blue Sea Not read yet.
93 1968 Biggles In The Underworld Nicholas Lazor, alias Nick the Sheikh, has escaped from Dartmoor. Biggles is assigned to look for him, but where do they start looking ? Biggles finds a clue at the Icarus Club, and has a run-in with the Sheikh. Bertie is captured, and it is a race against time before the showdown at a Hampshire farm.
94 1969 Biggles And The Little Green God An ancient jade idol, on its way home to Chile, disappears along with the plane on which it was being carried. The government fears an uprising by the locals, who think that their god has returned. Biggles and Algy fly to Chile to investigate, but find danger and intrigue at every step. Eventually they discover the crashed aircraft, but their troubles are by no means over.
95 1969 Biggles And The Noble Lord Trying to track down the gang behind a spate of large-scale robberies, Ginger impersonates an Indian princess hoping the crooks will get after her jewellery. A brush with the gang quickly shows the Air Police that they are up against professionals. Ginger and Bertie are captured, and Biggles must trace them, and find out what is going on at Brindon Hall Park. The chase finally takes them across the Channel to France.
96 1970 Biggles Sees Too Much Not read yet.
       
  1938 The Biggles Omnibus  
  1940 The Biggles Flying Omnibus  
  1941 The Third Biggles Omnibus  
  1953 The First Biggles Omnibus  
  1956 Biggles Air Detective Omnibus  
  1965 Biggles Adventure Omnibus  
  1983 The Bumper Biggles  
  1985 The Best of Biggles