The Thirty-Nine Steps (Diversion Classics), by John Buchan
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The Thirty-Nine Steps (Diversion Classics), by John Buchan
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Featuring an appendix of discussion questions, the Diversion Classics edition is ideal for use in book groups and classrooms.When Richard Hannay encounters a mysterious stranger fearing for his life, he is drawn into a plot of political conspiracy. As Hannay works to uncover the perpetrator of a string of crimes, he must race against time to keep England's military secrets safe. A pitch-perfect spy novel, THE THIRTY-NINE STEPS is essential reading for lovers of action, adventure, and suspense.
The Thirty-Nine Steps (Diversion Classics), by John Buchan - Amazon Sales Rank: #1207614 in eBooks
- Published on: 2015-11-24
- Released on: 2015-11-24
- Format: Kindle eBook
The Thirty-Nine Steps (Diversion Classics), by John Buchan Review It is the dimension of the mysterious that makes Buchan’s writing so unfailingly compelling. (John Keegan, from the introduction) --introduction
About the Author John Buchan was born in Perth. His father was a minister of the Free Church of Scotland; and in 1876 the family moved to Fife where in order to attend the local school the small boy had to walk six miles a day. Later they moved again to the Gorbals in Glasgow and John Buchan went to Hutchesons' Grammar School, Glasgow University (by which time he was already publishing articles in periodicals) and Brasenose College, Oxford. His years at Oxford - 'spent peacefully in an enclave like a monastery' - nevertheless opened up yet more horizons and he published five books and many articles, won several awards including the Newdigate Prize for poetry and gained a First. His career was equally diverse and successful after university and, despite ill-health and continual pain from a duodenal ulcer, he played a prominent part in public life as a barrister and Member of Parliament, in addition to being a writer, soldier and publisher. In 1907 he married Susan Grosvenor, and the marriage was supremely happy. They had one daughter and three sons. He was created Baron Tweedsmuir of Elsfield in 1935 and became the fifteenth Governor- General of Canada, a position he held until his death in 1940. 'I don't think I remember anyone,' wrote G. M. Trevelyan to his widow, 'whose death evoked a more enviable outburst of sorrow, love and admiration.' John Buchan's first success as an author came with Prester John in 1910, followed by a series of adventure thrillers, or 'shockers' as he called them, all characterized by their authentically rendered backgrounds, romantic characters, their atmosphere of expectancy and world-wide conspiracies, and the author's own enthusiasm. There are three main heroes: Richard Hannay, whose adventures are collected in The Complete Richard Hannay; Dickson McCunn, the Glaswegian provision merchant with the soul of a romantic, who features in Huntingtower, Castle Gay and The House of the Four Winds; and Sir Edward Leithen, the lawyer who tells the story of John MacNab and Sick Heart River, John Buchan's final novel. In addition, John Buchan established a reputation as an historical biographer with such works as Montrose, Oliver Cromwell and Augustus.
From AudioFile This enjoyable 1947 radio adaptation of John Buchan's 1916 thriller comes from the vaults of the CBC. More faithful to Buchan's novel than was Alfred Hitchcock's 1935 film adaptation, Charles Rittenhouse's script also makes fine use of the sound medium. Musical chords punctuate dramatic moments. A montage of train sounds and conversational snatches succinctly maps hero Richard Hannay's escape from London and the clutches of a spy ring. After he disguises himself in the garb of a cooperative milkman, Hannay's innocent whistling lets us trace his steps as he nonchalantly slips past the police. Two badly muffled passages turn up, as expected with historic radio transcriptions, but the play is fast-paced fun. G.H. © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful. Classic, historically important, but has it's weaknesses By Douglas J. Bassett This is one of the classics of the mystery/thriller genre, and it has a great deal of historical importance. That's easy to see when you place it up against other famous books of this era -- stuff by Le Queux or Oppenheim, for instance. The best books by those guys are quite fun to read, but they're clearly coming from an earlier era of popular fiction -- one focused on a kind of Victorian/Edwardian style of adventure fiction (an interest in the aristocracy, an interest in melodrama, a very restrained sense of "action", etc.). THIRTY NINE STEPS, though, seems proto-modern in contrast. The protagonist, Richard Hannay, is a middle class guy thrust out of his humdrum life by a chance encounter with adventure. How many modern thrillers start out with the same general premise?Buchan also establishes many of the modern tropes of the thriller here -- while I don't think he wrote the first "man on the run" story, his version of it is probably what has influenced most modern thriller writers. Hannay goes to ground in Scotland and we see another thing that a lot of thriller writers adopted, the "window into other cultures" (thriller as picaresque novel). Buchan is also pretty good with the action sequences, always pretty rare in books and vanishingly rare for this time period. The highlight of the book, by far, is the escape from the cellar sequence, which still reads like the wind.I could go on. (Buchan plays with the notion of "disguise" in an interesting way, for instance, and seems on some level to peg that to socioeconomic status -- Hannay confesses he's most uncomfortable with the emergent middle class, I suspect because he doesn't understand how they "fit" into his world.) The important thing is that if you're truly interested in mystery/suspense fiction, Buchan is a writer you sooner or later should read, and for it's influence and historical importance alone THIRTY NINE STEPS is a great book.All that said, this is not my favorite Buchan. This is still early in his career and he's still working some things out -- some things are presented in almost rough draft form. The climax has it's moments and in some ways is quite clever (in brings to a conclusion his ideas about "disguise", as the villains end up doing the same thing Hannay has done through the rest of the book)but it's as contrived as hell how Hannay gets there, the seams are showing here. Also, I'm still not sure I understand the villains' plot. Yes, I know, they "want war". But why? What do they hope to gain from it? And how, again, does this particular plan ensure that happening?In short, great writer, good book, generally recommendable all around and a must-read if you're a serious fan of the genre -- but he wrote better, believe me.
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful. Very Enjoyable By Zara Smith I liked every bit of it but I think some of it was a bit slow. keep in mind I am an 11 year old. I would recommend it to anyone who likes murder mysteries. Especially m
13 of 15 people found the following review helpful. Too few thrills for a thriller By Karl Janssen The Thirty-Nine Steps, an espionage thriller by John Buchan, was originally published in 1915. A story of a lone man taking on a conspiracy against his country, it can be seen as a precursor to the spy novels of authors such as Ian Fleming and John Le Carré. Though it was probably ground breaking for its time, and helped to establish the template of its genre, to a 21st-century audience who has read, seen, and heard thousands of spy stories, it is hardly outstanding.Richard Hannay, a former mining engineer with some experience as an intelligence officer, has spent most of his life in South Africa. Having returned to his native Britain, Hannay finds himself bored to death in London, hoping for a diversion to rouse him from his ennui. His wish is granted in the form of Franklin P. Scudder, an American neighbor who shows up on his doorstep, asking to hide out in Hannay's apartment. Scudder has discovered a plot by anarchists to assassinate the Premier of Greece, thereby plunging Europe into chaos and war. When Scudder is murdered, Hannay realizes that the killers will be after him next. He flees London, hoping to hide out in rural Scotland, but his pursuers are hot on his trail.Though originally published as a magazine serial, The Thirty-Nine Steps is a step above run-of-the-mill pulp fiction. The subject matter could lend itself easily to sensationalization, but Buchan delivers his tale with a matter-of-factness that strengthens its believability. When describing the sinister plot that threatens the stability of the free world, however, Buchan reverts to ambiguous slang and vague clichés that leave the reader wondering exactly what the plan is that Hannay is trying to thwart. The aim of the villains seems to be to start a world war, but given that World War I was a foregone conclusion at the time the book was published, how shocking is that?Hannay's first person narrative voice is charmingly level-headed and seasoned with a fair degree of cynicism and a bit of wry wit. Though a likeable and identifiable hero, he possesses the annoying quality of being just too darn lucky. Although he seems to have a good head on his shoulders, more often than not he gets out of a jam not through the use of his wits but through the assistance of a series of benevolent strangers that miraculously appear at convenient moments, always willing to help. Though it's refreshing that Hannay is an everyman, not a superhero like so many spy story protagonists, today's reader expects a little more self-sufficiency from their espionage heroes, and wants to see their man solve his own problems.The villains are usually lurking offstage somewhere and never quite materialize distinctively enough to be satisfactorily menacing. The final chapter delivers a suspenseful scene, but squanders its thrills by finishing with an abrupt and weak ending. The Thirty-Nine Steps may have served as an important stage in the development of the spy novel, but it's a stage long since passed. In a market glutted with espionage thrillers, why settle for one that's just OK?
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