4 h 40 minAudiobook5 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 4 h 40 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · 115 pagesHardcover · 6 × 9 in · 115 pagesAbout this book
A dead man in his London flat leaves Richard Hannay with a secret notebook—and nowhere safe to turn.
Richard Hannay, a mining engineer back from southern Africa, finds London dull. Then his American neighbour, Franklin P. Scudder, claims to know of a plot to murder a foreign statesman. When Scudder is killed in Hannay’s flat, boredom gives way to danger: the police suspect Hannay, and the killers want the dead man’s secrets.
Hannay heads north into the Scottish hills, with police and foreign agents on his trail. He changes his appearance, sleeps in barns and cottages, and relies on quick thinking to keep moving. In John Buchan’s short spy novel, a cryptic puzzle—the thirty-nine steps—may hold the key to stopping a national disaster.
What you’ll discover
- A reluctant man of action Watch a restless engineer discover what his wits and outdoor skills can do under pressure.
- Escape across the moors Follow Hannay through open country where pursuit comes by land and air.
- A dead man’s notebook Trace the clues Scudder leaves behind as Hannay searches for the plot beneath them.
- Danger behind every disguise A milkman’s coat offers one escape, but staying ahead demands fresh invention.
- A calm, dry voice Hannay tells his own story with understated humour that makes each wild scrape feel believable.
Who will love it
For readers who love a chase across wild country, clever disguises, codes and quick wits, and an ordinary man thrown into a secret fight. Fans of classic spy tales and Edwardian adventure will feel at home.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A stranger says he is already dead
- A murder leaves Hannay no safe choice
- Disguise and quick lies keep him free
- The notebook holds a truer secret
- The hunt across the moors tightens
- A house of danger and a blast of lentonite
- A promise of help beyond the hills
Who’s who
- Richard HannayA restless mining engineer from Rhodesia who becomes a hunted man and decides to carry on a dead man's work.
- Franklin ScudderAn American with many disguises who claims to have uncovered a plot and pleads for Hannay's help.
- Sir HarryA cheerful young Liberal candidate who believes Hannay and writes the letter that opens the way to the Foreign Office.
- Sir Walter BullivantA senior Foreign Office official whom Sir Harry trusts to hear Hannay's story.
- The Black StoneA band of enemy agents whose hooded-eyed leader hunts Hannay and wants Britain's naval secrets.
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- Hardcover
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- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in, 173 pages: USD 9.95 when you start free, USD 16.95 on its own.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in, 173 pages: USD 17.95 when you start free, USD 23.95 on its own.
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The Thirty-Nine Steps
by John Buchan · 1915
A bored engineer in London finds a stranger dead on his floor and flees to the Scottish hills with a coded notebook.
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In short
What would you do if a stranger told you he was dead, and a few days later turned up truly dead on your floor? Richard Hannay, a bored mining engineer new to London, must answer that question.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A stranger says he is already dead
Richard Hannay has come home to Britain from Rhodesia and finds London dull. He has decided to leave in a day, when a neighbour from the top floor pushes into his flat. The man gives his name as Franklin Scudder, and he announces that he is dead.
Scudder tells a wild tale of a plot to murder the Greek leader Karolides during a visit to London on June 15. He says he has faked his own death with a borrowed corpse so that his enemies will stop hunting him. Hannay judges the man rather than the story, decides he is honest, and hides him in the flat under a new name.
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What is The Thirty-Nine Steps about?
It follows Richard Hannay, who is drawn into a spy plot when a neighbour is murdered in his flat. He flees across Scotland with a coded notebook and tries to warn the government before war comes.
Who is Richard Hannay?
He is a thirty-seven-year-old mining engineer from Rhodesia, raised partly in Scotland, who is bored in London. He is brave and resourceful, good at disguises and quick with a story.
What does the title The Thirty-Nine Steps mean?
It is a phrase in the dead man's notebook, with a high tide time beside it. Hannay must work out which place it points to before the enemy escapes.
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.
More by John Buchan
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