Stella & Rose's Books

W.E. Johns was born William Earle Johns in Hertford in 1893. He worked as a surveyor after school, then served in the army from 1916 and the newly formed Royal Flying Corps during the First World War. He remained in the Air Force until 1930 when he became a newspaper air correspondent and founded the magazine Popular Flying, in the pages of which his famous character, Biggles (Major James Bigglesworth) first appeared.

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There are a number of Bigggles books issued in hardback format with a dustwrapper by the Children's Book Club.

They mainly have their own wrapper design for which reason we have given them their own gallery. Although the price of the children's book club edition tend to be lower than the orginal 1st editions in a few cases they are a lot harder to find, in particular the first three in the series.

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There are 10 books in the Gimlet series although he also makes an appearance in two other W.E. Johns books which are Biggles Follows On and Comrades in Arms. As many of the titles suggest, Gimlet is the King of the Commandos and has many similar adventures to Biggles but normally land/sea based as apposed to air.

 

 

This is a collection of 10 books where W.E. Johns tries his hand at Science Fiction novels. The main characters in the books are Group Captain Timothy (nicknamed 'Tiger') Clinton R.A.F. (retired) and his son, Rex Clinton and Professor Lucius Brane. They go off adventuring - initially around our Solar System, but as the books progress they go further and further afield meeting up will all sorts of alien life forms and visiting many planets.

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In this index you will find the images from the Latimer and Newnes editions of the Steeley Series by Captain W.E. Johns apart from Steeley and the Missing Page which was 1st published by Norman Wright in 2000.

 

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W.E. Johns: Worrals Books

There are eleven books in the Worrals series, the first being Worrals of the W.A.A.F. published in 1941 and the last being Worrals Investigates in 1950.

W.E. Johns had been asked to create a role model for girls to follow on from the success which the Biggles books had in bringing boys into the R.A.F. during World War II.View Series

There were 15 W.E. Johns books issued in hardback format with a dust wrapper in the Hampton Library Series published by Brockhampton Press.

Six titles had been originally published by Oxford University Press, and the rest by Hodder and Stoughton or Brockhampton Press.  Nine of the books were given a new dust wrapper design, with the rest having the same front panel design as the first editions. 

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So Just Who Was Biggles? Biggles first appeared in book form in 1932 when "The Camels Are Coming" was published by John Hamilton. His 96th, and last, appearance, as written by Captain W E Johns, was in Biggles Sees Too Much, published in 1970. During that time there was hardly an inch of the earth's surface or air space that he had not covered.

 

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Stella & Rose's Books were delighted to attend the 21st annual meeting of Biggles & Co - a group of enthusiasts who meet to celebrate the life and works of Captain W.E. Johns. 

The event, held this year on Saturday 17th April 2010 at Lodden Hall, Twyford, is a wonderful opportunity for those who enjoy these books to get together and chat about Biggles, Gimlet, Worrals and all their chums... View Article

Why collect the books of W.E. Johns? This is the question I find myself asking again after seven years of collecting. With the last of the main run of books being published in 1970 it is definitely not that I read them as a child and they bring back happy memories as I am not that old! 

 

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As a rule I prefer to try and keep work and home life separate but as they say 'life is not that simple!'

When I first started working for Stella Books, some 15 years ago (seems like yesterday), I was employed to process the orders in the fast developing internet side of the business. Well, after a couple of years I developed a fondness for Biggles books when I was looking for something to read one afternoon. 

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It was with much excitement, and a little trepidation, that we set off at 6.30 a.m. on the 20th October 2007 to Derby County Cricket Club with a car load of books by W.E. Johns. View Article

When I read this book a few years ago, my first question was 'why is this book called "Biggles Sees it Through?"' With most Biggles books you instantly have an idea of the story from the title; however I would argue that "Biggles Sees It Through" could aptly describe the majority of the Biggles books as Biggles and Co. will never leave the job half done!

 

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"Biggles closed the door and then faced the two junior members of his flight. 'Just what do you two fellows think you're doing here?' he asked quietly. Thirty felt the blood drain from his face. 'Doing here...' he echoed foolishly.

'Yes. Who gave you permission to wear those Uniforms?'"

 

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I feel it is important to set any science fiction book into the context of the time the book was written. In this instance, the set of 10 books in the Space Series were written before Man had gone to the moon, although plans, I assume, were in motion. The series was published between 1955 & 1963.

 

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Firstly let me introduce you to Flight Officer Joan Worralson, known to her friends as 'Worrals'. She is a member of the Women's Auxiliary Air Force (W.A.A.F.) the female section of the Royal Air Force (R.A.F.) established in real life in 1939. 

 

 

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