BIGGLES IN THE SOUTH SEAS
Book First Published in September 1940 - 255 pages
This story was first published, in nine weekly parts, as BIGGLES’
SOUTH SEA ADVENTURE in The Gem,
issues 1652 to 1660, dated 14th October 1939 to 9th
December 1939
This book MUST have been written before
“Biggles in the Baltic” although it was published in book form three months
after that book. “Biggles in the Baltic”
starts with the announcement of war with Germany, an event which occurred on 3rd
September 1939. Johns must have written
that book on or after that date. There
is no way that he could have written “Baltic” AND then written “South Seas” and
had “South Seas”
typeset and ready for publication in “The Gem” on 14th
October 1939, less than six weeks later.
South Seas makes no reference to the Second World War either, so it
would never have been the book to follow on from the wartime thriller “Biggles
in the Baltic”. I imagine that the
publishers wanted to get a “Second World War” story out as soon as
possible. The original first edition
of “Biggles in the Baltic” is subtitled “A Tale of the Second Great War”.
This unrestored FIRST EDITION dust jacket gives you a good idea of
what it looked like. We shouldn’t blame
the owner for the condition – it was W. E. Johns own copy and he wrote the
book!
An original 1943 REPRINT dust jacket, using the same cover and
spine image. This reprint was also
published at 4 shillings.
CHAPTERS
Click on any chapter for a summary of the events in that chapter or
see the general story summary below
I – BIGGLES MEETS AN OLD FRIEND
II – AN ENCOUNTER WITH CASTANELLI
XIII – WHAT HAPPENED AT RUTUONA
XVII – FULL MOON SPRINGS A SURPRISE
Biggles
bumps into Sandy Macaster, an old friend and colleague from 266 Squadron in
France, outside the Royal Aero Club in London. Sandy has a tale to tell of
finding thousands of oysters covering a shallow part of the sea floor around
one of the islands that are around Tahiti. Here he hopes and expects to find a
fortune in pearls. Sandy had been stranded on the unknown island where he has
been rescued by two native Marquesans called Shell Breaker and Full Moon.
Biggles agrees to finance an expedition on the basis of a four
way split and he and Sandy together with Algy and Ginger set off.
However, an evil Corsican named Louis Castanelli also knows of the pearl bed as
he was with Sandy at the time of the discovery and had tried to kill him.
Meeting Castanelli at Papeete Harbour in Tahiti, Biggles and Castanelli cross
swords. Biggles learns that Castanelli has kidnapped Shell Breaker in order to
discover the location of Sandy's island. Later, Biggles leads a daring rescue
attempt to free Shell Breaker and he takes both Shell Breaker (a young man) and
Full Moon (a young woman) with them. Arriving at Sandy's Island things go well
and a fortune in pearls are recovered from the oysters. Sandy is attacked by a
giant octopus that goes on to attack their aircraft. The pearls are carefully
buried in a safe place on the island. Ginger, Shell Breaker and Full Moon
discover an underground cave but are trapped in it by the arrival of a Mako
shark. The weather turns as a hurricane looms and Biggles, Algy and Sandy are
forced to leave the island in order to fly their aircraft to safety, leaving
behind the others and in their haste, also the pearls. Ginger, Shell Breaker
and Full Moon escape the cave and have to survive the full force of the
hurricane when it hits the island. Their troubles are added to when Castanelli
and his crew arrive at the island. Ginger is captured trying to steal a small
boat moored by Castanelli's Schooner. Castanelli goes ashore and searches the
debris of our heroes' camp where he finds, to Ginger's dismay, that the
hurricane has uncovered the pearls! Castanelli decides to dispose of Ginger by
tying him to a metal bar and throwing him overboard to drown. Meanwhile,
Biggles has allied himself to the natives on the island of Rutuona who have
cause to hate Castanelli, having been alerted by Shell Breaker and he tows
their war canoe to Sandy's Island as damage to the aircraft prevents it from
flying. Ginger is saved from drowning by Full Moon who has stayed on Sandy's
Island and is able to cut him free. Ginger and Full Moon take refuge in their
hidden cave but they are spotted on the way there and Castanelli tries to blow
them out with dynamite. Biggles and the native war canoe arrive and it is soon
all over as the natives make short work of Castanelli's crew. Castanelli tries
to swim for it but meets the Mako shark. Castanelli's Schooner is burnt out and
the pearls are lost ........... or are they?
Click here to see the story illustrations from the original HARDBACK first edition of this book
Biggles in the South Seas
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
The “Hampton Library” reprint – click on the above picture to
find out more details