BIGGLES FLIES EAST PYRAMID EDITION 1935 A NICE COPY – NICELY AGED! THE REPRODUCTION PAPER COVER IS LIKE NEW.

NO RESERVE – YOU WIN THE BID & IT’S YOURS: PAYPAL ACCEPTED

(Beware, bargains like this are monitored by THE TREASURY – looking for a way to scam another buck; get it before they pass a law so they can nick it.)

GENERAL CONDITION GOOD (It’s seventy years old!). Okay; this book has aged, been used, become dirty and browned with foxing (oxidation). But, basically, that’s pretty much it (check out the detail below). The frontispiece is repro, which is VERY IMPORTANT to note. It’s a pin sharp photo quality copy on photo paper – and I did it from my own 1^st edition (when I managed to find one) (and which I’m going to keep) (before you ask) (sorry).

IT’S FROM COLCHESTER ROYAL GRAMMAR SCHOOL, so my DEDUCTION is that it was a PRIZEGIVING AWARD from the school (See below). DON’T LET THAT PUT YOU OFF. The only way you can tell is that the school name is printed on the front endpaper. That’s it. Other than that the book, mainly, has just aged. IT’S GOOD.

Right INFO TIME; YOU MAY BELIEVE that PYRAMIDS are 1^ST EDITIONS – sorry, they’re not. Pyramids have the same print set as 1^sts (this is true for FLIES EAST). However, THEY ARE NOT AS THICK / DON’T ALL HAVE THE BLACK & WHITE ILLUSTRATIONS (this one doesn’t) / THEY don’t have the same cloth cover design and they DON’T COST AS MUCH. Other than that they’re superb. Myself, I was happy with this one for years, and, if I hadn’t come on the 1^st at a time when I could have afforded it…

Several of my early copies are 2^nd Eds or Pyramids. One; the Camels are Coming was hand made, professionally bound (a guy in South Wales did it with love & gave it to me when he managed to afford a 1^st. If you’re reading this – my thanks.) Oh, and IT’S NOT FOR SALE. WHEN I DIE YOU CAN HAVE IT.

Okay, so PYRAMIDS are good copies; established.

PRICE COMPARISON: Now, brace yourself / SIT DOWN / POUR A DRAM: WE’RE IN PRE WAR BIGGLES BOOK LAND and the official (wallet) casualty figures are high (see also under taxation: asset stripping mode) …

£180 1^st edition no papercover (if he’s stupid enough to sell a 1^st at this price: good luck with the world) (abebooks) £85.00 for the reprint (i.e. same year like this one) (abebooks):down to £65 for the same book but a 1937 copy (abebooks):

Oh, & those are the only three on offer; think about it.

SO - ONES LIKE THIS ONE £85 so this is a BRILLIANT PRICE; & IT IS NOT RESERVE PRICE BLOCKED. YOU BID YOU WIN.

PAPERCOVER

This one took YEARS to get right; and I mean that. Most of the paper covers I have sold so far are ORIGINAL or WERE ON THE BOOK when I bought it. This one is mine. My aim, when doing these things was/is (I don’t do it much now) to recreate the papercover as if it was brand spanking new. This is not easy. Print blurs with time, photocopying, shifting adjusting, cleaning etc…

Okay, basically it’s a freeby, but it’s GOOD. The front endpaper printing could be clarified a bit more, but that will take hours of repairing each and every letter. It’s reasonably clear. The front cover and spine are really good, as is the back. The rear flyleaf is just a white bit of paper – as it should be. The cover is now a lot of years old, but it’s intact, whole and smart. It’s almost identical to the one on my 1^st (one of mine, but fatter on the spine).

Now the bit you’re buying.

THE BOARDS: light blue cloth covered with the PYRAMIDS EDITION print imagery on the surface. As usual, the title is at the top. This book HAS NOT BEEN REBOUND; TOTALLY ORIGINAL.

THE SPINE: SIXTY YEARS OLD; faded, dirty, intact, fully connected to the papers, including the endpapers. Fading top and bottom and down the folds. NICE.

THE FRONT: top outer corners some crushing. Wear top edge and bottom (can’t not be). Dirty, a bit blodgy in a small kind of way here and there (come on – see previous brackets content). Otherwise - NICE.

THE BACK: see front. Also, weird water? staining down near the spine, running across and partly up the outer edge. (see previous brackets content).

THE PAPERS – a lovely smell of old paper. I mean, breathe in and inhale 1935 with all its perfection. I am told sex is better, but I wouldn’t know.

This is paper when paper was made of paper. The foxing, natural oxidation of paper, is worst on the edges, and so can be clearly seen when the book is closed. (see previous brackets content) The flat of the papers is clean, cream and lovely. (See exceptions below.)

THE ENDPAPERS are intact, original with light foxing. The front glued endpaper is stained blue at the bottom. I suspect, Doctor Watson, that this is indubitably the work of water – and that the dye on the cover cloth has run. It sure as hell matches. The opening front endpaper is more heavily foxed, with signs that a cover ran top to bottom.

NOW THE KEY BIT: this paper has a handwritten dedication on it:

COLCHESTER ROYAL GRAMMAR SCHOOL

iv^th Form Prize 1939-40

Is. P. Thorington

Aw Hatcher

In faded grey brown ink.

Under that in pencil is (1935) & £14.00 which isn’t what I paid for it. BOY WISH I HAD!

2 Chips bottom of page near spine and outer corner; nothing to scream about.

The other side of the page is blotchy foxing; (age – don’t worry).

FRONTISPIECE – REPRODUCTION PHOTO QUALITY ON PHOTO PAPER BY ME; ILLUSTRATIONS – the Pyramid Flies East doesn’t have them. (the 1^st does)

The TITLE PAGE is present and intact. The rear confirms that this is a Pyramid edition; it says –

PRINTED 1935 IN GREAT BRITAIN AT THE

UNIVERSITY PRESS, OXFORD, BY JOHN JOHNSON

Don’t get in a lather – it’s just the same printface as the 1^st being used. At most it makes it a 2^nd edition (same year). Certainly another batch produced in 1937 was dated 1937 – but that doesn’t change the look of the book…

HENCE IT’S A PYRAMID

THE PAPERS are complete intact with the edges showing HEAVY foxing (oxidation)  – as is normal. I have not cleaned this book; don’t do that.

SUMMARY

THIS IS A absolutely CRACKING BOOK. This really is amongst the good ones I have sold. If you can’t afford a 1^st you can’t get closer until you can. If I was poorer – which I aren’t, I would be very happy with this one – and was.

OKAY – go for it.

More Biggles books will be added.  I am not a dealer, but a collector who is getting rid of STUFF. In anticipated answer to more emails I have all but two Biggles books, some late Steeley, Worrals and Gimlet, plus some of the ‘Space’ W.E. Johns and yes these are mostly for the orf.

Payment is in £ sterling or U.S. $. PayPal is accepted.