As war looms in Europe, Richard Hannay returns from Rhodesia to his home in London. His neighbor, an American freelance spy named Franklin Scudder, claims to know of an assassination plot to destabilize Europe. When Hannay finds Scudder dead in his flat he is drawn into a fast-paced labyrinthine adventure that takes him from the hills of Scotland to an unassuming location by the sea. The progenitor of the classic man-on-the-run thriller, The Thirty-Nine Steps first appeared as a serial adventure story in Blackwood's Magazine from August to September 1915 and in book form in October of that year. Since its publication it has never been out of print and has been frequently adapted for television, radio, theater, and film, including, quite famously, a 1935 film directed by Alfred Hitchcock.

The Thirty-Nine Steps John Buchan - John Buchans The Thirty-Nine Steps was the novel that introduced readers to the cunning Richard Hannay and became a foundational work in the spy-thriller genre. Taking place only months before the outbreak of World War One (and written during the conflict) it focuses on Hannays attempts to warn the government of an unfolding plot to steal Great Britains military plans. Throughout the book Hannay must escape from German spies and the British police, who falsely believe that he has murdered the very man who revealed the plot to him. The book would prove incredibly popular upon its release and has been cited as the first man-on-the-run style story which has been re-used in films in literature ever since. The novel itself has been adapted for the screen no less than four times.

On 23 September 1878 Stevenson set out from Le Monastier in the Haut Loire, to tramp through the wild region of the Cevennes. His only companion was a small donkey to carry basic necessities, and a commodious "sleeping sack". In the next 12 days, at a pace dictated by the donkey and carrying most of the supplies himself, he travelled 120 miles across rivers, mountains and forests. His stylish and witty account was published in 1879.

Hanney, an expatriated Scot, returns from a long stay in South Africa to his flat in London. One night he is buttonholed by an American who appears to know of an anarchist plot to destabilise Europe, and claims to be in fear for his life. Hannay lets the American hide in his flat, and returns later to find that another man has been found shot dead in the same building, apparently a suicide. Four days later Hannay finds the American stabbed to death...

John Buchan's "The Thirty-Nine Steps" is a gripping espionage thriller following Richard Hannay through a web of international intrigue and political conspiracy.

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.

Originally published: Berkeley, Calif; London: University of California Press, 1969.

Four outstanding works by great 19th-century Russian author: "The Nose," "Old-Fashioned Farmers," "The Tale of How Ivan Ivanovich Quarrelled with Ivan Nikiforovich," and "The Overcoat."

DIVRich selection of powerful, moving verse includes Brooke's "The Soldier," Owen's "Anthem for Doomed Youth," "In Flanders Fields," by Lieut. Col. McCrae, more by Hardy, Kipling, many others. /div

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.