9 h 14 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 9 h 14 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if a quiet walking holiday leads a cautious grocer straight into a captive princess’s fight for freedom?
Dickson McCunn has sold his Glasgow grocery business and settled into comfort. Kindly, careful and a little bored, he sets off on foot with his head full of old romances. Near the Scottish coastal village of Dalquharter, he finds Huntingtower, a lonely house with a bad name—and a mystery he cannot ignore.
Inside the house, Russian princess Saskia is held against her will by ruthless captors. Dickson is no seasoned adventurer, but help comes from the Gorbals Die-Hards, a gang of Glasgow street boys led by sharp, serious Dougal. As a holiday turns into a siege, John Buchan brings danger, comedy and warmth to a contest of wits.
What you’ll discover
- An unlikely man of action Follow a cautious shopkeeper as the chivalry he loves in stories becomes a real test.
- A house above the sea Approach Huntingtower, where an isolated coastal setting gives the mystery its uneasy pull.
- Street boys with sharp wits Meet Dougal and Jaikie Galt, whose resourcefulness brings unexpected help against organised enemies.
- Humour amid the danger Enjoy a fast-moving adventure where comedy runs through the growing threat of a siege.
- Romance in ordinary lives Discover the courage hidden beneath Dickson’s comfortable habits and unassuming place in the world.
Who will love it
You will love this if you enjoy adventure told with humour, if you like ordinary people rising to the occasion, or if you have a soft spot for Scottish villages, boyish gangs and secret treasure.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- An ordinary man goes looking for romance
- Retirement opens a road to adventure
- A poet puts romance on trial
- A chance turning reveals hidden danger
- The boys turn curiosity into commitment
- Practical kindness earns a princess's trust
- Safety cannot quiet Dickson's conscience
- Ordinary people stand against the attackers
- Kindness gives unlikely heroes their strength
Who’s who
- Dickson McCunnA retired Glasgow grocer who sets out on a walking holiday and finds himself guarding a stranger in need.
- John HeritageA young papermaker and modern poet who scorns romance and then falls deeply in love with a princess.
- SaskiaA young Russian princess, hunted by enemies, who hides in an empty Scottish mansion with a trust of jewels.
- DougalThe red-haired chieftain of the Gorbals Die-Hards, a street boy who loves battles and plans like a general.
- Mrs. MorranA sharp old widow who once served the Kennedy family and shelters the travellers with scones and proverbs.
- Sir Archibald RoylanceA cheerful, lame young laird and bird lover who lends his men and guns to the cause.
- DobsonThe coarse innkeeper who works for the plotters and tries to drive Dickson from the village.
- Thomas YownieDougal's calm Chief of Staff among the Die-Hards, who has a quick mind for tactics.
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Huntingtower
by John Buchan · 1922
A retired Glasgow grocer, a poet and six street boys guard a hunted Russian princess in a Scottish mansion.
Medium level5–10 hours to read2 languages
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In short
Can a man of fifty-five start his life over with a safety razor and a pair of old boots? Dickson McCunn, a Glasgow grocer who has just sold his shops, believes he can.
Huntingtower at a glance
- Reading time
- About 5 h 20 min4 h 15 min fast, 6 h 20 min slow
- Length
- 76,400 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1922by John Buchan
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A grocer retires and plans a holiday
Dickson McCunn is fifty-five and has just sold his provision shop on Mearns Street. All weekend he feels a little sad, because the shop was the only tune he knew. Then on Monday a blackbird sings in the thorn bush, and a new safety razor saves him fifteen minutes of his morning.
He works out that he has wasted more than three thousand hours of his life on shaving. The sum makes him feel he has stolen a march on Time. He looks in the mirror, sees a rosy, plump schoolboy, and says there is life in the old dog yet. At that moment the Great Plan is born. He digs out a disreputable tweed suit that has served his holidays for twenty years.
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- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1922
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 6 h 0 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Buchan, John. Huntingtower. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/huntingtower.
Buchan, J. (2026). Huntingtower. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/huntingtower (Original work published 1922)
Buchan, John. Huntingtower. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/huntingtower.
@book{buchan2026huntingtower,
author = {Buchan, John},
title = {Huntingtower},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/huntingtower},
note = {First published 1922}
}
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What is Huntingtower about?
A retired Glasgow grocer named Dickson McCunn goes on a walking holiday in Carrick and finds a Russian princess held in an empty mansion. With a poet and a gang of street boys, he sets out to protect her from her enemies.
Who are the Gorbals Die-Hards?
They are a band of poor Glasgow boys who copy the Boy Scouts without uniforms or money. Led by the red-haired Dougal, they camp near Dalquharter and prove brave, clever and loyal helpers in the story.
Is Huntingtower a true story?
No, it is a work of fiction by John Buchan, first published in 1922. It draws on the fears of its time about the Russian revolution, and on Scottish places, speech and country life.
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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