John Buchan

The Thirty-Nine Steps Illustrated John Buchan

"The Thirty-Nine Steps" is a classic "innocent man on the run" adventure. Richard Hanney is housing his neighbor who is being followed by an anarchist gang called Black Stone. It's 1914 and the German gang is trying to steal British military plans. When Hanney returns to his flat, he finds the neighbor with a knife in his chest. Hanney feels that he will be arrested for the murder so he takes off to Scotland. He's being hunted down by both the police and the Black Stone gang. Hanney can talk his way out of bad situations and is a master of disguising himself as part of the working class. The short book is an action-packed adventure that keeps one turning the pages. The story is also full of lucky coincidences and improbable situations. It's a thriller with a patriotic, energetic hero, evil villains, and lots of Scottish local color.