This eBook features the unabridged text of ‘The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan - Delphi Classics (Illustrated)’ from the bestselling edition of ‘The Complete Works of John Buchan’. Having established their name as the leading publisher of classic literature and art, Delphi Classics produce publications that are individually crafted with superior formatting, while introducing many rare texts for the first time in digital print. The Delphi Classics edition of Buchan includes original annotations and illustrations relating to the life and works of the author, as well as individual tables of contents, allowing you to navigate eBooks quickly and easily. eBook features: * The complete unabridged text of ‘The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan - Delphi Classics (Illustrated)’ * Beautifully illustrated with images related to Buchan’s works * Individual contents table, allowing easy navigation around the eBook * Excellent formatting of the textPlease visit www.delphiclassics.com to learn more about our wide range of titles

Many argue that John Buchan's The Thirty-Nine Steps (originally published as a serial in August and September 1915 in Blackwood's Magazine) is one of the most influential thrillers ever written. The novel follows Richard Hannay after his return to London from a trip to South Africa. Initially, he is incredibly bored when he gets back, but when he learns of an assassination plot that could devastate the political balance of Europe, his life becomes very complex. Pursued by the police, he flees to Scotland, along the way trying to figure out what exactly the 39 steps are and how they relate to the assassination plot -- if they do at all.

"I returned to the City about three o’clock on that Monday afternoon pretty well disgusted with life. I had been three months in the Old Country, and was fed up with it." So opens John Buchan ́s The Thirty-Nine Steps and with it he creates a whole new genre: the adventure novel. Richard Hannay, the protagonist, finds himself reluctantly drawn into a chain of events that drags him away from the civilisation of London and into the Scottish wilderness, where he is chased both by villains and by policemen. This book has been adapted countless times, the most famous one certainly being Alfred Hitchcock’s 1935 version. Full of excitement and good humour, The Thirty-Nine Steps is a modern classic you’ll never want to put down. John Buchan (1875-1940) was a Scottish writer, historian and unionist. Born in Perth, he grew up in Fife where he developed the keen love for the Scottish nature that can be found in his work. After graduating from Oxford with a degree in Classics, he became the personal secretary of Alfred Milner, the Secretary of State of War and for the Colonies. Later he wrote for the British War Propaganda Bureau and was a correspondent in France for The Times. In 1935, he became viceregal representative in Canada, where he passed away five years later. He wrote throughout his life, leaving behind him hundreds of works, including novels, short shorties, and biographies of famous men such as Walter Scott and Oliver Cromwell, and he was awarded the James Tait Black Memorial Prize in 1928. Yet Buchan remains most famous for his spy thriller adventures, which have delighted readers for generations.

There is talk of war in Europe; it is May, 1914, and Richard Hannay, a Scot, is starting afresh in London after time spent in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). He is gregarious and talks to strangers in passing, but one seems to attach himself more than the average casual acquaintance. Franklin P. Scudder is an American who is convinced that the world is about to erupt into war. He tells Hannay that he is actually dead, which of course intrigues Hannay, because it is not often one finds oneself talking to a dead man. Scudder elaborates and tells Hannay that he is a freelance spy and has faked his own death in order to be able to conduct his investigations more safely. He tells of a group of Germans chasing him, and Hannay offers to allow him to stay at his flat for a little while. Unfortunately this does not seem to throw the Germans off the scent; one evening, a man who lives in Hannay's building is murdered, and a couple of days after that, Hannay returns home to his flat to find that Hannay too has been murdered, stabbed in he heart.

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.

John Buchan's name is known across the world for The Thirty-Nine Steps. In the past one hundred years the classic thriller has never been out of print and has inspired numerous adaptations for film, television, radio and stage, beginning with the celebrated version by Alfred Hitchcock. Yet there was vastly more to 'JB'. He wrote more than a hundred books – fiction and non-fiction – and a thousand articles for newspapers and magazines. He was a scholar, antiquarian, barrister, colonial administrator, journal editor, literary critic, publisher, war correspondent, director of wartime propaganda, member of parliament and imperial proconsul – given a state funeral when he died, a deeply admired and loved Governor-General of Canada. His teenage years in Glasgow's Gorbals, where his father was the Free Church minister, contributed to his ease with shepherds and ambassadors, fur-trappers and prime ministers. His improbable marriage to a member of the aristocratic Grosvenor family means that this account of his life contains, at its heart, an enduring love story. Ursula Buchan, his granddaughter, has drawn on recently discovered family documents to write this comprehensive and illuminating biography. With perception, style, wit and a penetratingly clear eye, she brings vividly to life this remarkable man and his times.

"Adapted by Patrick Barlow from the novel by John Buchan; from the movie of Alfred Hitchcock licensed by ITV Global Entertainment Limited; and an original concept by Nobby Dimon and Simon Corble."