NO REST FOR BIGGLES
Book First Published on 15th March 1956 - 159 pages
This story was first published, in eight parts, as NO REST FOR
BIGGLES in Junior Mirror
issues 53 to 60, dated 28th
September 1955 to 16th November 1955
First edition dust jacket showing the original price of 7
shillings and 6 pence. There was only
one edition of this hardback book as it was never reprinted in hardback.
Unusually, the illustration from the first edition hardback was
used on the 1963 first paperback edition.
You can see all paperback editions of this book at the foot of this
page.
CHAPTERS
Click on any chapter for a summary of the events in that chapter
or see the general story summary below
I – BIGGLES ANSWERS SOME QUESTIONS
Biggles is sent to investigate
the disappearance of aircraft over Africa. The aircraft contained V.I.P.'s who
were carrying with them secret documents. Pretending to carry a V.I.P. in his
aircraft, Biggles is forced to land in Liberia after a secret weapon causes his
plane to suffer engine failure. The picture on the dust cover of the book is
Biggles' plane coming down. Ginger is in Biggles' plane and he escapes into the
jungle whilst Biggles is captured and taken to meet Christophe, a black
American who is planning to set up a black empire in Africa. He has stolen a
new American plane containing the secret weapon and is using it to steal
secrets to sell to the highest bidder, in order to finance his scheme. Biggles
is put in a prison compound with other prisoners taken from planes captured
earlier. Biggles discovers that behind Christophe are Iron Curtain agents,
including von Stalhein and Zorotov (from Biggles in the Blue). Meanwhile Ginger has made contact with Algy and Bertie and Algy
has flown back to base to get a smaller aircraft as there are difficulties
landing in the rough terrain. Von Stalhein offers the captured Biggles wire cutters
to escape in a deal that would see him double crossing both Christophe and
Zorotov, whom von Stalhein later shoots. Ginger and Bertie however, have found
where Biggles is and get the wire cutters off von Stalhein. With these, all the
prisoners escape and steal a plane to get away. Biggles, Ginger and Bertie
remain to destroy the aircraft with the secret weapon. Biggles sabotages
Christophe's radio and leaves him without communications. Von Stalhein flies
off to an unknown destination but returns with a small army and attacks
Christophe and his men. Biggles uses a petrol and oil dump to destroy the
secret weapon. With this gone, there is no reason for von Stalhein to remain. An exhausted Biggles and Ginger, together with
an injured Bertie fly to safety when Algy returns and they take with them
Christophe who they find has only been wounded in the attack.
Click here to see the story illustrations from the first edition hardback book
No Rest for Biggles
Publication Details - published by Hodder and Stoughton
Frontispiece
Click on the above to see it in more detail
Below are pictures of all editions of
this book – taken from my own personal
collection
Above is the 1963 first paperback
release. Priced at 2/6, this paperback
had an illustration of the map of the compound on page 4, but no other internal
illustrations. It was 12 mm thick.
Above is the 1969 paperback release,
now with a new cover by Peter Archer.
Priced at 3/6, this paperback had an illustration of the map of the
compound on page 4 and new small internal illustrations. It was 9 mm thick
Click here to
see the story illustrations from this reprinted paperback book
Above is the 1974 paperback release,
now priced at 25p on both the front cover and rear cover. This paperback also has the illustration of
the map of the compound on page 4 and the small internal illustrations. It was 13 mm thick.
Above is the 1977 paperback release, now priced at
45p on the rear cover only. This
paperback also has the illustration of the map of the compound on page 4 and
the small internal illustrations. It was
12 mm thick.