If one went by sheer productivity, then Capt. W. E. Johns would be one of the most prominent names in English literature, composing literally hundreds of volumes. Yet today Johns is virtually unread, his books, being out of print in North America and almost out of print in Britain, are now the stuff of collectors frequenting dark bookstores.

It is not insignificant that Johns's books were listed as being authored by Captain Johns, for much of his personal life is tied up in the books he wrote. His is a life of which Biggles or Gimlet would have approved; in fact, Johns himself saw Biggles as a kind of alter ego. Like Biggles, Johns led an extraordinarily adventurous life. He enlisted in the army in World War I and was engaged in night patrols across no-man's-land, dodging shells and bullets to garner information. Attached to the air force...