In The Thirty-Nine Steps (1915), the best-known of his thrillers (made into a popular movie by Alfred Hitchcock), John Buchan introduces his most enduring hero, Richard Hannay, who, despite claiming to be an ordinary fellow, is caught up in the dramatic and dangerous race against a plot to devastate the British war effort.
In this, the only critical edition available, Christopher Harvie's introduction interweaves the writing of the tale with the equally fascinating story of how John Buchan, publisher and lawyer, came in from the cold and, via The Thirty-Nine Steps, ended the war as spy-master and propaganda chief.

About the Series: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, voluminous notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

When Richard Hannay discovers a dead body in his apartment, he's dragged into a dark and dangerous world of global politics, secret societies, and undercover agents. Accused of murder and with the fate of the British fleet resting in his hands, Hannay must elude the police and foreign spies, decode a cryptic notebook, and convince the enigmatic Sir Walter Bullivant to believe his incredible tale.

In The 39 Steps, a man with a boring life meets a woman with a thick accent who says she's a spy. When he takes her home, she is murdered. Soon, a mysterious organization called The 39 Steps is hot on the man's trail in a nationwide manhunt that climaxes in a death-defying finale! A riotous blend of virtuoso performances and wildly inventive stagecraft, The 39 Steps amounts to an unforgettable evening of pure pleasure!

In 1925, John Buchan published his second most famous novel, John Macnab; three high-flying men - a barrister, a cabinet minister and a banker - are suffering from boredom. They concoct a plan to cure it. They inform three Scottish estates that they will poach from each two stags and a salmon in a given time. They sign collectively as 'John Macnab' and await the responses. This novel is a light interlude within the Leithen Stories series - an evocative look at the hunting, shooting and fishing lifestyle in Highland Scotland.

With an introduction by Andrew Greig.

This edition is authorised by the John Buchan Society.

A unique assessment of the Great War in sub-Saharan Africa in all its theatres

The great conflict fought between 1914 and 1918 set Europe ablaze, but, as the definition of 'world war' implies, embraced battlefields where the colonial interests of the protagonist nations inevitably collided. How this occurred on the continent of Africa has always fascinated military history students of the period, not least because these campaigns unconfined by the stagnation of trench warfare, as was the case on the Western Front, were fought over exotic terrains by national, militia and native forces often commanded by able and imaginative officers on both sides. Much focus has been given to the campaigns in East Africa, which features in detail in this book, but also included is the campaign fought in the arid landscape of South-West Africa (now Namibia) and those which took place in Equatorial Togoland (Ghana Volta) and The Cameroons in West Africa. The 'South African Rebellion' is also described. The author of this book, John Buchan, a writer of great talent and economy of phrase, was primarily known for his superlative adventure fiction. However, he was commissioned to write a multi-volume history of the First World War which enabled him to reveal his talent as an historian and from which this single volume edition has been selectively edited. Buchan's text, appearing in this form for the first time in this Leonaur edition, includes many excellent maps and has been further enhanced by photographs and illustrations which were not present in earlier publications of the text.

Leonaur editions are newly typeset and are not facsimiles; each title is available in softcover and hardback with dustjacket.

The classic British thriller of esponiage and the basis for the Alfred Hitchcock film.

The year is 1914. Richard Hannay, an expatriate Scot in London, is buttonholed by a stranger, a well-travelled American, who claims to be in fear for his life. The man appears to know of an anarchist plot to destabilize Europe, beginning with a plan to assassinate the Greek Premier, Constantine Karolides, during his forthcoming visit to England.

The man reveals his name to be Franklin P. Scudder, a freelance spy, and remarks that he is dead, which holds Hannay's attention. Scudder explains that he has faked his own death to avert suspicion. Scudder claims to be following a ring of German spies called the Black Stone who are trying to steal British plans for the outbreak of war. Hannay lets Scudder hide in his flat and, couple of days later, Hannay returns home to find Scudder dead with a knife through his heart. And that is just the beginning.

The 39 Steps was first published in 1915, the first of five novels featuring Richard Hannay, an action hero with a stiff upper lip and a miraculous knack for getting himself out of sticky situations. The combination of action and fun make this novel a perennial treat for readers.

A classic study of James Graham a hero, nobleman and military genius who struggled for years against the anti royalists in the Civil War in Scotland. It covers his life from his youth through to the marches across mountains and glens until he was executed in 1650.

The Thirty-Nine Steps is an adventure novel by the Scottish author John Buchan. It first appeared as a serial in Blackwood's Magazine in August and September 1915 before being published in book form in October that year by William Blackwood and Sons, Edinburgh. It is the first of five novels featuring Richard Hannay, an all-action hero with a stiff upper lip and a miraculous knack for getting himself out of sticky situations.

The novel formed the basis for a number of film adaptations: Alfred Hitchcock's 1935 version; a 1959 colour remake; a 1978 version; and a 2008 version for British television. In 2003 the book was listed on the BBC's The Big Read poll of the UK's best-loved novels.

John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir, GCMG, GCVO, CH, PC (26 August 1875 - 11 February 1940) was a Scottish novelist, historian, and Unionist politician who served as Governor General of Canada, the 15th since Canadian Confederation.

After a brief legal career, Buchan simultaneously began his writing career and his political and diplomatic careers, serving as a private secretary to the administrator of various colonies in southern Africa. He eventually wrote propaganda for the British war effort during World War I. He was elected Member of Parliament for the Combined Scottish Universities in 1927, but he spent most of his time on his writing career, notably writing The Thirty-Nine Steps and other adventure fiction. In 1935, King George V, on the advice of Prime Minister R. B. Bennett, appointed Buchan to replace the Earl of Bessborough as Governor General of Canada, for which purpose Buchan was raised to the peerage. He occupied the post until his death in 1940.

Buchan was enthusiastic about literacy and the development of Canadian culture, and he received a state funeral in Canada before his ashes were returned to the United Kingdom. Source: Wikipedia

Having returned to Britain after years in Rhodesia, Richard Hannay finds himself caught up in a plot to drag Europe - and the world - into a terrible war. Falsely accused of murder, Hannay goes on the run, intent on uncovering a vicious group of German spies, and of unravelling the mystery of the 39 Steps... John Buchan's classic, influential thriller has been adapted for radio, screen and stage on numerous occasions and led to several sequels featuring Hannay.

Europe is close to war and spies are everywhere. Richard Hannay the protagonist and narrator, an expatriate Scot, returns to his new home, a flat in London, after a long stay in Rhodesia, in order to begin a new life. One night he is buttonholed by a stranger, a well-travelled American, who claims to be in fear for his life. The man appears to know of an anarchist plot to destabilise Europe, beginning with a plan to assassinate the Greek Premier, Karolides, during his forthcoming visit to London.

In Greenmantle (1916), a classic tale of espionage and adventure, Richard Hannay, hero of The Thirty-Nine Steps, travels across war-torn Europe on the trail of a German plot and an Islamic Messiah. He is joined by three more of Buchan's heroes: Peter Pienaar, the old Boer scout; John S. Blenkiron, the American determined to fight the Kaiser; and Sandy Arbuthnot--Greenmantle himself--a character modelled on Lawrence of Arabia. Together they move in disguise through Germany to Constantinople and the Russian border in order to face their enemies: the grotesque Stumm and the evil femme fatale Hilda von Einem.

About the Series: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, voluminous notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

A classic study of James Graham a hero, nobleman and military genius who struggled for years against the anti royalists in the Civil War in Scotland. It covers his life from his youth through to the marches across mountains and glens until he was executed in 1650.

Edward Leithen is the closest of Buchan's protagonists to the
author's own experience and imagination. A prosperous Scots lawyer and
MP in London, Leithen seeks adventure to relieve the tedium of
respectability.

In The Power House he is forced by event and accident to see civilisation as a thin veneer over the human jungle; in John Macnab he makes his own adventure by playing the poacher; in Sick Heart River, seeking a lost friend he meets death and redemption in the wastes of Canada.

Each book contrasts with the others; each pulls us into Buchan's world and holds us there.

Supernatural Buchan - Stories of Ancient Spirits uncanny places and strange creatures. Buchan's stories of solid characters clad in tweeds and braving all odds armed only with a stout walking stick have become popular classics. Perhaps it is therefore no surprise that the same character types populate his highly entertaining tales of the strange and weird - here collected into a feast of supernatural delights. In a Buchan story the hauntings and other manifestations are far more subtle than the usual blood-curdling phantoms. The author brings finely crafted detail and a profound sense of the spirit of landscape (specially that of his native Scotland) and place to locales that are as disparate as the stories themselves. Whether they are acknowledged or not, ancient other-worldly creatures, deities and people intrude into Buchan's settings to influence and effect the lives of modern man. These wonderful tales of hidden threat and menace make dealing with the mundane concerns of our own world seem like child's play.

The Complete Richard Hannay includes the five John Buchan novels that feature the hero: 39 Steps, Greenmantle, Mr Steadfast, Three Hostages, Island of Sheep. Richard Hannay was one of the first modern spy thriller heroes and has shaped the genre. Hannay is strong and silent, combining the Scottish dourness with the English stiff upper lip. He is tough and shrewd, courageous and resourceful. However, unlike later spy thrillers he has a greater breadth of emotion. He is philosophical and refuses to demonise his enemies, he falls in love, he is dependent upon his friends and he is religious. These books are exciting, with Richard Hannay being chased over moor and glen, they are page turning thrillers.

A fine author's view of the Great Somme Offensive

For many years there were few more highly regarded histories of the momentous Battle of the Somme, 1916, than that written by John Buchan, the renowned author of 'The Thirty Nine Steps, ' 'Greenmantle, ' 'Huntingtower' and many others. In both his fiction and non-fiction Buchan had the ability to craft a fine narrative in an easy going, economic style. Today Buchan is far less well-known for his non-fiction than for his fiction and that, perhaps, is inevitable. Nevertheless, he was responsible for a very substantial multi-volume history of the First World War which his consummate skill as a writer has ensured remains readable, often quoted and relevant. There were several versions of Buchan's 'Battle of the Somme' published during and soon after the First World War, sometimes in several volumes each dealing with different phases of the battle. This unique, never before in print, Leonaur Original, brings together all the text and all the illustrations and photographs from those various editions to create, what we believe to be the definitive version of the book. Fought over a period of nearly five months, between July and November of 1916, the Battle of the Somme became one of the defining battles, both of world history and the First World War. Over 1,000,000 men were killed or wounded in the course of the fighting which has made it, because of its inconclusive outcome, emblematic of the lives wasted during the war and of the implied incompetence of military commanders throughout the conflict.
Leonaur editions are newly typeset and are not facsimiles; each title is available in softcover and hardback with dustjacket.

Having returned to Britain after years in Rhodesia, Richard Hannay finds himself caught up in a plot to drag Europe - and the world - into a terrible war. Falsely accused of murder, Hannay goes on the run, intent on uncovering a vicious group of German spies, and of unravelling the mystery of the 39 Steps... John Buchan's classic, influential thriller has been adapted for radio, screen and stage on numerous occasions and led to several sequels featuring Hannay.

The 39 Steps By JOHN BUCHAN
An effortless adventure classic spanning the void between dime shocker and quality literature, John Buchan's The 39 Steps still satisfies after many reads. Richard Hannay returned to England, after making his fortune in South Africa, is unwillingly ensnared in a tortured plot to assassinate Karolides the Greek premier and so plunge Europe into war. Scudder, an American journalist turned spy has coded information relating to the plot but is murdered in Hannay's luxurious flat before he can pass on the code. Hannay, with all fingers pointing to him as the murderer escapes by Scottish express and with Scudder's coded notebook .Decamping from the train in the Sottish lowlands ( the Forth Bridge escape from the train was created with the 1935 Hitchcock film adaptation ) he is pursued across hill and dale by the police and the enemy agents intent on seizeing the notebook. In his flight he holes up in a remote wayside inn with a literary inn keeper, who can quote Kipling. It is here that he masters the code and learns Scudder's secrets. From then on it's a race to get to London and notify the authorities. One of the brilliant scenes on the way, concerns Hannay posing as road mender to evade his pursuers. To do this, Hannay explains how you must become one with the environment you're using as a cover; one of Buchans's favourite ploys and one employed in many of his novels. Hannay exchanges pursued for pursuer and tracks the agents to their escape channel and ultimately the title of the book is explained. Every reading of this splendid and timeless novel reveals further delights that may have been missed before and even well remembered scenes take on a fresh vividness and charm.

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Huntingtower is a 1922 novel by the Scottish author John Buchan, initially serialised in Popular Magazine between August and September 1921. It is the first of his three Dickson McCunn books, the action taking place in the district of Carrick in Galloway, Scotland.

Initial reviews were generally favourable. The New York Times found the book delightful, if improbable, and concluded that no one who becomes acquainted with McCunn ... will be likely to forget him.

In The Interpreter's House (1975), David Daniell called the book a stirring adventure of royal Russian exiles and wicked Bolsheviks, and he noted its high spirits and outrageous wisdom, as well as the author's exuberance of imagination and his sensitivity to countryside and to weather. It is the Die-Hards, according to Daniell, that lift the book to its true level: it is their individuality, passion and energy, and forthright sense ... which must finally rescue Buchan from the foolish judge of snobbery. And, What defeats the invasion of Hell is the ability of a group of ordinary people of all ages, so ordinary as to be normally overlooked, to respond to romance.

A silent film Huntingtower based on the novel was released in 1928. It was directed by George Pearson, and featured the music hall performer Harry Lauder. Rights were sold for a play and another film, but neither were ultimately produced.

There have been three BBC Radio adaptations: a single-programme adaptation by TP Maley, broadcast on 5SC Glasgow in 1929; a three-part dramatisation for the BBC Home Service by Derek Walker, broadcast as a Schools programme in 1955; and a 1988 adaptation in three parts by Trevor Royle, with Roy Hanlon playing Dickson McCunn.

In 1957 Huntingtower was adapted by Judith Kerr for a six-part BBC children's television series starring James Hayter as McCunn. A second television adaptation by Edward Boyd was produced by BBC Scotland and broadcast over six episodes starting in October 1978. It starred Paul Curran as McCunn. (wikipedia.org)