JOHNS, Captain W.E. (author). Howard LEIGH and Alfred SINDALL (illustrators). Biggles Defies The Swastika. London; Oxford University Press. 1941.
8vo. Original dark red cloth pictorially designed and lettered in black with illustrations of a bi-plane against a map of Norway to upper cover and a burning plane to the spine, in pictorial dustwrapper; pp. [viii], [9]-249 + [6] publisher's catalogue; with a full colour frontispiece and other illustrations in black and white; a very fresh copy with mild bruising to spine ends, a little light overall rubbing, and a faint and minor 1cm mark to lower cover; internally clean and fresh throughout, with barely a spot, with a pictorial bookplate to front pastedown endpaper but no inscription and 2 spots to lower edge of book block (6mm and 8mm) which do not intrude internally; the original unclipped, and totally unrestored, dustwrapper (displaying the correct printed price of 4/- net) in remarkably good and complete condition with light overall rubbing and dusting, nicking to head of spine, tiny nicking to forecorners, 4 very short closed and unobtrusive tears to top edge (8mm; 10mm; 18mm; and 10mm), and a weak vertical crease to spine and to lower panel; remarkably scarce in the jacket.
First edition, first issue; 4.5cm thick, with the title-list on verso of half-title and on the lower panel of the dustwrapper referring to earlier Biggles works and with the titles to the dustwrapper printed in brown.
Major Bigglesworth happens to be in Oslo on special service when the Nazis overrun Norway. His plane is commandeered by the enemy, he finds himself a member of the German Air Force with a Gestapo pass, and the locals brand him a traitor in league with the Germans. British Intelligence commands him to play out the role and discover all he can about the enemy's intentions which turns out to be a difficult and dangerous mission.
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