ASTONISHING  W.E. JOHNS RARITY FOR SALE!

Just e-mail me at

 

rogerharris@biggles.info

 

Det Forsvunne Dagboksblad (1939)

 

 

The ONLY W. E. Johns first edition book

published outside of the United Kingdom!

 

 

 

If you are a collector of the works of Captain W. E. Johns then you may very well have read "By Jove, Biggles" - The Life of Captain W. E. Johns" published in October 1981 by Peter Berresford Ellis and "Piers Williams" (Jennifer Schofield)

The second hardback edition was published in 1993 as "Biggles - The Life Story of Capt. W. E. Johns".  Both of those books have a bibliography at the back listing the 169 W.E. Johns books.  The ONLY foreign language book in that 169 is number 40 - "Det Forsvunne Dagboksblad" - so if you are trying to collect all 169 first edition books in that list you need to have this one!

This is the 1939 Norwegian book publication (a world first edition) of the W. E. Johns story "Steeley and the Missing Page" first published in "The Thriller" Magazine in 1937

The book was published in Oslo, Norway in 1939.  It is a paperback and in very good condition.    There is a pencil stroke through the price of '95 ore' on the cover.  There is slight creasing to the spine.  Some dirty marks appear along the edge of the spine on the back of the book.  The pages have browned with age, particularly near the spine.  The worst fault is a stain to the front inside cover as if the book has been splashed with something (see photos below).  The corners have some slight bumping.  For a paperback over 70 years old it really is in the most remarkable condition.  Most importantly, you cannot seem to get this book anywhere.  It would be too dramatic to say I have the only copy for sale in the world and I wouldn't know if that was true or not - but what I can say is that I can find no others for sale anywhere and in 10 years of intensely collecting the works of W E Johns (including searching ebay virtually ever day) I have NEVER seen this for sale (apart from the one occasion I acquired it).  Speaking to other serious W E Johns collectors, I know of no one who has a copy and only one person who has even seen a copy!

 

I believe I am correct in saying that this is ASTONISHINGLY rare.  I believe it will be some time before you ever see a copy for sale again - if you ever do.

 

The pictures below show how the pages look inside.

 

Here you can see the stain mark on the inside cover

 

 

The stain to the left does not show through the cover but the round stain to the right can just be made out on the front cover if you look carefully at the bottom left hand corner (see the top photo on this page - bet you didn't notice it!).

 

The picture below shows you how well the spine has survived the last 70 years!

 

 

Of course the book is in Norwegian!  I don't know how good your Norwegian is, so I am also giving FREE - with the sale of this book an original issue of "The Thriller"

 

 

Issue number 454 - 16th October 1937 - where you can read the story in English!

 

 

Interested?

 

Just e-mail me at

 

rogerharris@biggles.info

 

I am open to offers!

 

If you are interested in purchasing W E Johns related Artwork go here

http://www.biggles.info/Artwork/