A rare first edition of the original Biggles book, where the daring adventures of the fictional first world war flying ace began, is to be auctioned.

The Camels are Coming was the first book to feature Captain James Bigglesworth, nicknamed Biggles, of the Royal Flying Corps.

It contains 17 short stories featuring Biggles and his sidekicks Algy, Ginger and Smyth. It was published in 1932 and was the first of almost 100 books written by author and pilot William Earle Johns, who usually wrote under the pen name WE Johns.

His Biggles tales were very popular in their time, and are fondly remembered by enthusiasts.

The book will go under the hammer at Keys Fine Art Auctioneers in Aylsham, Norfolk, and has a pre-sale estimate of £500 to £600.

Robert Henshilwood, head of books and ephemera, said: “First editions are always much sought-after, and when it is a first edition of the first book in a hugely popular canon like Biggles, it is sure to elicit massive interest.

“This volume is already being much talked about on the various Biggles-related internet forums, and we are expecting considerable interest when it goes under the hammer later this month.”

Johns was born in 1893 and served as an infantryman in Gallipoli and Macedonia, before joining the Royal Flying Corps in 1917.

In September 1918 he was shot down over the western front; his navigator was killed, but Johns survived and became a prisoner of war until the end of the conflict.

After leaving the RAF with the rank of flying officer, equivalent to lieutenant in the Royal Flying Corps, he started writing short stories. Biggles was also featured in 44 episodes of a television series in the early 1960s.

Johns died in 1968.