Adventurer Richard Hannay has just returned from South Africa and is thoroughly bored with his London life – until a murder is committed in his flat, just days after the victim had warned him of an assassination plot that could bring Britain to the brink of war. An obvious suspect for the police and an easy target for the killers, Hannay goes on the run in his native Scotland, where he must use all his wits to stay one step ahead of the game – and warn the government before it is too late. One of the most popular adventure stories ever written, The Thirty-Nine Steps established John Buchan as the original thriller writer and inspired many other novelists and filmmakers including Alfred Hitchcock.
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'Between Kipling and Fleming stands John Buchan, the father of the modern spy thriller' --Christopher Hitchens
'Buchan was a major influence on my work' --Alfred Hitchcock --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
'Buchan was a major influence on my work' --Alfred Hitchcock --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
About the Author
John Buchan, Baron Tweedsmuir, was a Scottish diplomat, barrister, journalist, historian, poet and novelist. He wrote adventure novels, short-story collections and biographies. His passion for the Scottish countryside is reflected in much of his writing. Buchan's adventure stories are high in romance and are peopled by a large cast of characters. 'Richard Hannay', 'Dickson McCunn' and 'Sir Edward Leithen' are three that reappear several times. Alfred Hitchcock adapted his most famous book 'The Thirty-Nine Steps', featuring Hannay, for the big screen. Born in 1875 in Perth, Buchan was the son of a minister. Childhood holidays were spent in the Borders, for which he had a great love. He was educated at Glasgow University and Brasenose College, Oxford, where he was President of the Union. Called to the Bar in 1901, he became Lord Milner's assistant private secretary in South Africa. By 1907, however, he was working as a publisher with Nelson's. During the First World War Buchan was a correspondent at the Front for 'The Times', as well as being an officer in the Intelligence Corps and advisor to the War Cabinet. Elected as a Conservative Member of Parliament for one of the Scottish Universities' seats in 1927, he was created Baron Tweedsmuir in 1935. From then until his death in 1940 he served as Governor General of Canada, during which time he neverthelss managed to continue writing.
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
29 of 29 people found the following review helpful
By Paddington
Format:Kindle Edition
This must be the third 39 Steps Kindle book I've reviewed this week, but sometimes it is worth making a point -- especially when such a terrific work of literature is at stake. This is not quite as bad as the two other editions I reviewed. But it is, again, the same text stolen from Project Gutenberg and without any typos or formatting issues corrected.
Ugly sepia stills from the film have been interspersed throughout. They do not improve matters.
I think 'one-click' purchasing is all that keeps some of these appalling editions alive. There are one or two very attractive, carefully edited and formatted editions of the 39 Steps available. A quick 15 seconds of clicking through Amazon search results will reveal them to you. This is not one of them.
Ugly sepia stills from the film have been interspersed throughout. They do not improve matters.
I think 'one-click' purchasing is all that keeps some of these appalling editions alive. There are one or two very attractive, carefully edited and formatted editions of the 39 Steps available. A quick 15 seconds of clicking through Amazon search results will reveal them to you. This is not one of them.
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
By Howard Green
Format:Paperback
First published in 1915 when Europe was locked in conflict triggered by the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria in the Balkans, John Buchan's Thirty-Nine Steps takes the tensions and conspiracies which led Europe to war as the backdrop for his timeless adventure story.
The lead character Richard Hannay, is simply a bored Gentleman in London pining for South Africa and his native Scotland until a man is murdered in his flat after pouring out in panic the details of a conspiracy which threatened war against the United Kingdom. Richard Hannay effortlessly takes up the dead man's position as he attempts to prevent national disaster whilst hunted by foreign conspirators and British police alike.
The author describes his novel, in a dedication to his friend Thomas Nelson at the beginning of the book, as a ``shocker' - the romance where the incidents defy the probabilities, and march just inside the borders of the possible'. Certainly Richard Hannay has a remarkable ability to extract himself from the most difficult of situations throughout the tale.
The Thirty-Nine Steps is truly an adventure story because it takes an ordinary person as its hero. Richard Hannay is plunged into the adventure as suddenly as the reader and so there is an immediate connection. The author shamelessly betrays his love for the genre citing Rider Haggard and Conan Doyle as masters of adventure and crime writing within the book. This passion for the genre is very apparent and Buchan writes with a subtle humour throughout, evidence of how much he clearly enjoyed creating the story. Equally apparently is his love of the Scottish countryside which is described delightfully throughout and poetically at times, as are the host of minor characters which populate the landscape.
The story develops at pace and Hannay's chase from London across Scotland and back down to the South Coast means that without warning the reader finds himself tearing through the final chapter for resolution. The fact that the book is over all too soon can hardly be seen as a fault and whilst it could be said that Buchan's style can at times be rushed The Thirty-Nine Steps is a classic which should be approached without too much cynicism. Read it as it was read by soldier's in the trenches in a Europe where it must have constantly have felt that dark subversive forces were at play, forces which, it must have been felt, would prosper were it not for the improbable heroics of brave Brits like Richard Hannay.
The lead character Richard Hannay, is simply a bored Gentleman in London pining for South Africa and his native Scotland until a man is murdered in his flat after pouring out in panic the details of a conspiracy which threatened war against the United Kingdom. Richard Hannay effortlessly takes up the dead man's position as he attempts to prevent national disaster whilst hunted by foreign conspirators and British police alike.
The author describes his novel, in a dedication to his friend Thomas Nelson at the beginning of the book, as a ``shocker' - the romance where the incidents defy the probabilities, and march just inside the borders of the possible'. Certainly Richard Hannay has a remarkable ability to extract himself from the most difficult of situations throughout the tale.
The Thirty-Nine Steps is truly an adventure story because it takes an ordinary person as its hero. Richard Hannay is plunged into the adventure as suddenly as the reader and so there is an immediate connection. The author shamelessly betrays his love for the genre citing Rider Haggard and Conan Doyle as masters of adventure and crime writing within the book. This passion for the genre is very apparent and Buchan writes with a subtle humour throughout, evidence of how much he clearly enjoyed creating the story. Equally apparently is his love of the Scottish countryside which is described delightfully throughout and poetically at times, as are the host of minor characters which populate the landscape.
The story develops at pace and Hannay's chase from London across Scotland and back down to the South Coast means that without warning the reader finds himself tearing through the final chapter for resolution. The fact that the book is over all too soon can hardly be seen as a fault and whilst it could be said that Buchan's style can at times be rushed The Thirty-Nine Steps is a classic which should be approached without too much cynicism. Read it as it was read by soldier's in the trenches in a Europe where it must have constantly have felt that dark subversive forces were at play, forces which, it must have been felt, would prosper were it not for the improbable heroics of brave Brits like Richard Hannay.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By arboroff
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a fast-moving and exciting yarn which develops following Richard Hannay's accidental entanglement with a group of German spies in the years preceding First World War. The book was published in 1915. It has all the thrill of a schoolboy adventure with a cracking pace to boot. The reader is never bored. There are no silly romances to detract from the main plot (unlike the film adaptations) and this goes to make it a real boy's book. Buchan's description of the Scottish countryside, his knowledge of South Africa and England draws on his personal experience of these places. Richard Hannay, the hero, is intelligent, worldly-wise, physically fit, strongly patriotic and, above all, astute. He uses personal contacts to cut through the red tape and stiffness of a bureaucracy which ties up Government and for which he has no time as he fights the foe, wins the day and saves the country. He comes across as the friend we always wanted to have and possesses a character we feel inclined to emulate. John Buchan was a committed Christian who, as well as being a writer, enjoyed a very successful diplomatic career. He was made 1st Baron Tweedsmuir in 1935 when he became His Excellency the Right Honorable the Lord Tweedsmuir, Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of the Militia and Naval and Air Forces of Canada. He was born in August 1875 in Scotland and died February 1940.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
I love this book
Richard Hannay is a proper man who doesn't suffer fools gladly and has a wide range of skills that all Bond type hero's should possess , multiple lingual , a masterr of disguise,... Read more
Published 2 days ago by gumstool
5.0 out of 5 stars
Oldie I loved
Loved the film and remember the first time it came out which dates me but love the read thank uyou
Published 4 days ago by Bidgey
5.0 out of 5 stars
Classic
What can you say about a Book that is just a Classic. Better than all the trash that one sees
Published 6 days ago by Richard Agar
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good book
I enjoyed this book although I thought it was a little bit far-fetched. I read it in about five hours.
Published 7 days ago by Angela Coulter
4.0 out of 5 stars
A good read - a bit far-fetched but fun.
Too many lucky things happen, but if you susspend belief and just enjoy the read, it is good fun. Takes you back to a more gentle time which makes a chance from "in your... Read more
Published 9 days ago by The Earl of Kinberley
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Classic Story
You've seen the film? now read the book. It's an excellent story that keeps you on the edge of your seat until the last page.
Published 9 days ago by Organ Buff.
5.0 out of 5 stars
good
I think this was free, cannot find it on my laptop lol. It was probably a e- book, will look for it.
Published 10 days ago by maxine Williams
3.0 out of 5 stars
Easy read
A good way to pass a couple of hours on a train quite well written and well paced. Well worth giving it a try
Published 12 days ago by Mr ian M Scott
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good Reading
Good Reading and a very intreresting twist and most unusual story would be enjoyed by everyone in the familly circle
Published 13 days ago by Mary McCarthy
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great to read the original
Having seen various filmed versions I was keen to read the original.
Shame the ending seemed to be over very quickly otherwise a great read
Shame the ending seemed to be over very quickly otherwise a great read
Published 17 days ago by Alison
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