Order of Book Series
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Captain W.E. Johns Books in Order

Captain W.E. Johns has written 156 books, published between 1931 and 2022. The first book is The Modern Boy's book of aircraft (1931) and the newest is The Man Who Vanished into Space (2022). Publication order is the reading order below. 109 of the 156 books listed here are in the Biggles series, which has its own page: Biggles books in order.

Books
156
Published
1931–2022
Pages on record
16,992 in 86 of 156 books
Reading time
283–425 hours

Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 16,992 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 86 of 156 titles with a page count on record.

See all 156 books in order Printable Captain W.E. Johns checklist

Biggles is the character Captain W.E. Johns is known for, an air pilot at the centre of adventure stories beginning with Biggles The Camels Are Coming (1932). Four further series sit beside it: Worrals, Gimlet, Steeley and Timothy 'Tiger' Clinton. Flight, aircraft, wartime service and, later, science fiction run through the subjects. The Johns catalogue holds 156 titles dated 1931 to 2022, opening with The Modern Boy's book of aircraft (1931), at a median of 183 pages.

How many Captain W.E. Johns books are there?

Captain W.E. Johns has 156 books, released between 1931 and 2022. They include 5 series and 15 titles listed outside any series.

Captain W.E. Johns Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 156 Captain W.E. Johns books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.

  1. Cover of Biggles and the Cruise of the Condor by Captain W.E. Johns, book 2 of the Biggles series (1933)
  2. Cover of Biggles of the Camel Squadron / Fighter Squadron by Captain W.E. Johns, book 3 of the Biggles series (1934)
  3. Cover of Biggles Flies Again by Captain W.E. Johns, book 4 of the Biggles series (1934)
  4. Cover of Biggles Learns To Fly by Captain W.E. Johns, book 5 of the Biggles series (1935)
  5. Cover of Biggles and the Black Peril by Captain W.E. Johns, book 6 of the Biggles series (1935)
  6. Cover of Biggles Flies East by Captain W.E. Johns, book 7 of the Biggles series (1935)
  7. Cover of Biggles Hits the Trail by Captain W.E. Johns, book 8 of the Biggles series (1935)
  8. Cover of Biggles and Co. by Captain W.E. Johns, book 10 of the Biggles series (1936)
  9. Cover of Biggles Flies West by Captain W.E. Johns, book 13 of the Biggles series (1937)
  10. Cover of Biggles Goes to War by Captain W.E. Johns, book 15 of the Biggles series (1938)
  11. Cover of Biggles and The Rescue Flight by Captain W.E. Johns, book 17 of the Biggles series (1939)
  12. Cover of Biggles Flies North by Captain W.E. Johns, book 18 of the Biggles series (1939)
  13. Cover of Biggles in Spain by Captain W.E. Johns, book 19 of the Biggles series (1939)
  14. Cover of Biggles in the Baltic by Captain W.E. Johns, book 21 of the Biggles series (1940)
  15. Cover of Biggles defies the Swastika by Captain W.E. Johns, book 25 of the Biggles series (1941)
  16. Cover of Worrals Carries On by Captain W.E. Johns, book 1 of the Worrals series (1942)
  17. Cover of Biggles Charter Pilot by Captain W.E. Johns, book 29 of the Biggles series (1943)
  18. Cover of Biggles Fails to Return by Captain W.E. Johns, book 30 of the Biggles series (1943)
  19. Cover of Biggles in the Orient by Captain W.E. Johns, book 31 of the Biggles series (1945)
  20. Cover of Biggles Hunts Big Game by Captain W.E. Johns, book 36 of the Biggles series (1948)
  21. Cover of Biggles Takes a Holiday by Captain W.E. Johns, book 37 of the Biggles series (1949)
  22. Cover of Biggles Breaks the Silence by Captain W.E. Johns, book 38 of the Biggles series (1949)
  23. Cover of Biggles Gets His Men by Captain W.E. Johns, book 39 of the Biggles series (1950)
  24. Cover of biggles goes to school by Captain W.E. Johns, book 40 of the Biggles series (1951)
  1. 1
    The Modern Boy's book of aircraft1931 · confirmed 1/4
    1931–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  2. 2
    Wings Flying Adventure1931 · confirmed 1/4
    1931–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  3. 3
    Biggles The Camels Are ComingBiggles #11932 · 203 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1932203
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  4. 4
    Fighting Planes and Aces1932 · confirmed 1/4
    1932–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  5. 5
    Pictorial Flying Course1932 · confirmed 1/4
    1932–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  6. 6
    Biggles and the Cruise of the CondorBiggles #21933 · 206 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1933206
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  7. 7
    The Spy Flyers1933 · confirmed 1/4
    1933–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  8. 8
    Biggles of the Camel Squadron / Fighter SquadronBiggles #31934 · 208 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1934208
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  9. 9
    Biggles Flies AgainBiggles #41934 · 183 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1934183
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  10. 10
    Some Milestones in Aviation1935 · confirmed 1/4
    1935–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  11. 11
    Biggles Learns To FlyBiggles #51935 · 256 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1935256
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  12. 12
    Thrilling Flights1935 · confirmed 1/4
    1935–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  13. 13
    Biggles and the Black PerilBiggles #61935 · 192 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1935192
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  14. 14
    Biggles Flies EastBiggles #71935 · 238 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1935238
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  15. 15
    Biggles Hits the TrailBiggles #81935 · 160 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1935160
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  16. 16
    Biggles in FranceBiggles #91935 · 223 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1935223
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  17. 17
    Steeley Flies AgainSteeley #11936 · confirmed 1/4
    1936–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  18. 18
    Sky HighSteeley #21936 · confirmed 1/4
    1936–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  19. 19
    Biggles and Co.Biggles #101936 · 192 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1936192
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  20. 20
    Biggles in AfricaBiggles #111936 · confirmed 1/4
    1936–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  21. 21
    Murder by airSteeley #31937 · confirmed 1/4
    1937–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  22. 22
    Biggles and the Secret MissionBiggles #121937 · 190 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1937190
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  23. 23
    Biggles Flies WestBiggles #131937 · 190 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1937190
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  24. 24
    Air CommodoreBiggles #141937 · confirmed 1/4
    1937–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  25. 25
    Champion of the main1938 · confirmed 1/4
    1938–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  26. 26
    Biggles Goes to WarBiggles #151938 · 189 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1938189
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  27. 27
    Biggles Flies SouthBiggles #161938 · confirmed 1/4
    1938–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  28. 28
    Wings of RomanceSteeley #41939 · confirmed 1/4
    1939–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  29. 29
    Biggles and The Rescue FlightBiggles #171939 · 208 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1939208
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  30. 30
    Biggles Flies NorthBiggles #181939 · 157 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1939157
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

Captain W.E. Johns series in order

Each series linked below has its own reading-order page.

Captain W.E. Johns books grouped by series

Each title below is a row in the publication-order table above. None of these groups has a reading-order page of its own on this site.

Steeley in order

4 books
  1. 1. Steeley Flies Again
  2. 2. Sky High
  3. 3. Murder by air
  4. 4. Wings of Romance

Standalone books

15 books

15 Captain W.E. Johns titles here are not listed as part of any series.

Do you have to read Captain W.E. Johns books in order?

You only need to read Captain W.E. Johns books in order within each series: the books listed here span 5 separate series, and each series has its own publication order.

Where to start with Captain W.E. Johns

Start with the first book of the Captain W.E. Johns series you want to read: Biggles starts with Biggles The Camels Are Coming (1932), Timothy 'Tiger' Clinton starts with Kings of Space (1954) and Worrals starts with Worrals Carries On (1942). The earliest catalogued title overall is The Modern Boy's book of aircraft (1931).

What is the newest Captain W.E. Johns book?

The Man Who Vanished into Space (2022) is the newest Captain W.E. Johns book released so far.

Is there a new Captain W.E. Johns book coming?

No next Captain W.E. Johns book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.

Captain W.E. Johns at a glance

Paused
No new Captain W.E. Johns title has appeared for 4 years. The last was published in 2022.
Release pace
Captain W.E. Johns books have appeared more than one a year on average.
Length
16,992 pages across the 86 of 156 books with a recorded length, a median of 183 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most Captain W.E. Johns books, 43 of 156, were published in the 1950s.

What the Captain W.E. Johns books are about

40 of the 156 Captain W.E. Johns books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: children's fiction is tagged on 20 of 40. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.