14 h 42 minAudiobook11 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if your duty as a soldier means pretending to oppose the war your friends are dying in?
Richard Hannay expects to return to his men. Instead, British intelligence sends him into the English home front to track German agents passing secrets abroad. In John Buchan's Mr. Standfast, the Scottish soldier becomes Cornelis Brandt, a man who claims to reject the fighting. Keeping that disguise means hiding convictions he holds dear.
The hunt brings Hannay alongside the calm, brave Mary Lamington and his sharp-minded friend John Blenkiron. Against them stands Moxon Ivery, a charming enemy at ease in good company. As the chase moves across Britain and into France, Hannay faces questions that reach beyond catching spies: what does courage look like when it earns no praise?
What you’ll discover
- A soldier under cover Follow Hannay into a false identity that puts his deepest loyalties under strain.
- Courage without applause Meet Launcelot Wake, whose commitment to peace challenges Hannay's understanding of bravery.
- Love amid the danger Discover Mary Lamington, whose quiet nerve wins Hannay's respect and deeper feeling.
- An enemy with charm Watch the hunt close around Moxon Ivery, a clever agent hidden within good company.
- Duty on a hard road Explore the title's connection to Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress and the cost of holding firm.
Is it for you?
This is for readers who like wartime adventure, spies and chases with a moral edge, and for fans of Buchan's other Hannay books. If you want a modern, cynical thriller, its patriotism and its period attitudes may feel dated.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Hannay is called home to a stranger war
- Playing the pacifist among the village thinkers
- Mary Lamington and the meaning of courage
- Old friends join the hunt
- A charming enemy named Moxon Ivery
- From quiet England to the war itself
- Duty, doubt and the courage that is not loud
- Bunyan's road and the meaning of the title
- How Buchan tells it and why it lasts
Who’s who
- Richard HannayA Scottish engineer turned army officer, steady and plain-spoken, who takes on a false identity to track a spy network at home.
- Sir Walter BullivantA senior figure in British intelligence who sends Hannay on a secret mission and understands the risks of the secret war.
- John BlenkironAn American millionaire and old friend of Hannay, sickly but brilliant, who loves a puzzle and helps unravel the plot.
- Peter PienaarA Boer hunter and Hannay's most trusted companion, patient and watchful, with a gift for reading danger.
- Mary LamingtonA brave young woman working in secret against the enemy, who wins Hannay's respect and deeper feeling.
- Launcelot WakeA young conscientious objector whose firm belief in peace forces Hannay to rethink what courage means.
- Moxon IveryA charming, clever enemy agent who moves easily in good company and sits at the heart of the spy network.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 14 h 42 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 11 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
eBooks and audiobooks open right away. Download EPUB or PDF, or send the book to your Kindle. Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout.
How it works · 60-day guarantee
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, for the whole household.
- We remind you first. We email you 7 days before your first payment. Then your first year is 50% off: USD 0.14 a day, then USD 0.27 a day, never raised. Or USD 0.66 a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
60-day money-back guarantee. If the library is not for you, ask within 60 days of your first payment and we refund it in full.
25 languages, side by side
Read and hear Mr. Standfast in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Read it side by side
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- The whole household
Starts right away, on any device
Read free60-day money-back guaranteeRenews every yearCancel anytimeHow it works
Language: English
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 9
Hannay is called home to a stranger war
The story opens in 1917. Richard Hannay is now a brigadier-general, back from the fighting and expecting to return to his men. Instead he is called to see Sir Walter Bullivant, a senior figure in the secret service, who has a task that no uniform can help with.
Bullivant explains that something is wrong at home. Plans and news seem to leak to the enemy, and the leak does not look like the work of one clumsy spy. It looks like an organised web, run by a clever mind, with helpers in ordinary places.
Renews every year · Cancel anytime
The author
John Buchan
1875–1940 · Scottish novelist and politician
John Buchan (1875–1940) was a Scottish author and politician, born in Perth. He wrote novels, histories and biographies. His novels include The Thirty-Nine Steps (1915), Mr. Standfast (1919) and Huntingtower (1922). He lived in Britain and served as Governor General of Canada from 1935 until his death in Montreal.
Free gifts
USD 580 in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, for the whole household. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
USD 170FREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
USD 120FREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
USD 60FREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
USD 60FREE - The whole householdUp to 5 readers
USD 170FREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
More like this
Free
Free
Free
FreeOur mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
Questions about Mr. Standfast
Can I read it free?
Yes. The beginning, from the first page to the end of chapter 1, and the first 5 minutes of the audiobook are free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 90 days, with the eBook to keep. After that, your first year is 50% off. You also get 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
Can my family read too?
Yes. The whole household reads and listens: up to 5 readers, each with their own shelf and their own place in every book.
What if it is not for me?
Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. If you have paid and the library is not for you, ask within 60 days of your first payment and we refund it in full.
What is Mr. Standfast about?
It follows Richard Hannay in the First World War as he goes undercover as a pacifist in England to find a German spy network, with help from friends and from Mary Lamington.
Do I need to read the other Richard Hannay books first?
No. It is the third Hannay novel, after The Thirty-Nine Steps and Greenmantle, but it stands on its own. Some friendships are better understood if you know the earlier books.
Where does the title Mr. Standfast come from?
It comes from Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, where Mr. Standfast is a pilgrim who holds firm to the end. The old book also plays a part in the story's secret code.
Popular in mystery and crime
See all
Free
Free
Free
Free
