The Thirty-Nine Steps (1915) (edit title/settings)

Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit see section history

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Characters/People edit see section history

• Walter: Add a description of this character.
• Harry
• Mr Hannay
• Richard Hannay: Protagonist
• Scaife
• Mr Turnbull
• Royer
• Galloway
• Whittaker
• Marmie
• Peter Pienaar
• Karolides

Setting & Locations edit see section history

• Africa
• Asia
• Antarctica
• London
• North America
• South America
• Pacific Ocean
• Scotland Yard
• England
• Portland Place
• Rhodesia
• Europe
• Vienna
• Lord Alloa
• Germany
• Britain
• Berlin
• France
• Paris
• Scotland

First Sentence edit see section history

Table of Contents edit see section history

Series & Lists edit see section history

Followed by Greenmantle.

Preceded by The Rainbow, and followed by Kokoro.

Preceded by And Then There Were None, and followed by The Complete Sherlock Holmes.

Preceded by Farewell, My Lovely, and followed by The Name of the Rose.

Preceded by Consent to Kill, and followed by Blowback.

Preceded by Hogfather, and followed by Girls in Tears (Girls Quartet).

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

1. John Buchan (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Awards edit see section history

• BBC's Big Read (April 2003, #138)

Classification edit see section history

• Library of Congress: Add the Library of Congress Classification.
• Dewey: 813

Notes for Parents edit see section history

Complicated plot line

Subjects edit see section history

• Books › Literature & Fiction › Genre Fiction › War
• Books › Mystery & Thrillers › Thrillers › Spy Stories & Tales of Intrigue
• Books › Literature & Fiction › Contemporary
• Books › Literature & Fiction › Literary
• Books › Literature & Fiction › Classics

Movie Connections edit see section history

• The 39 Steps (1935) (IMDb): A man in London tries to help a counter-espionage agent. But when the agent is killed and he stands accused, he must go on the run to both save himself and also stop a spy ring trying to steal top secret information.
• The 39 Steps (1959) (IMDb): Richard Hannay witnesses a hit-and-run involving a woman pushing a pram. Looking in the pram he sees a gun instead of a baby. He tracks the woman down and she reveals that she is a secret agent trying to stop foreign spies leaving the country with important military secrets. Later that night she is murdered in Hannay's flat. Hannay takes it on himself to thwart the enemy agents. This involves travelling to Scotland and keeping one step ahead of the police who are looking for him in connection with the murder of the woman.
• The Thirty Nine Steps (1978) (IMDb): The year is 1914 and Richard Hannay, Mining Engineer who is visiting Britain for a short time before returning to South Africa, is shocked when one of his neighbours, Colonel Scudder, bursts into his rooms one night and tells him a story that Prussian 'sleeper' agents are planning to pre-start World War I by murdering a visiting foreign minister. However, Scudder is murdered and Hannay is framed for the death by the 'sleepers'. Fleeing to Scotland Hannay attempts to clear his name and to stop the agents with the aid of Alex Mackenzie but not only is he is chased by Chief Supt Lomas for Scudder's death but by the agents who is headed by Appleton who has managed to hide himself in a high-placed position in the British Government.
• The 39 Steps (2008) (IMDb): Richard Hannay, a mining engineer on holiday from the African colonies, finds London socialite life terribly dull. Yet it's more then he bargained for when secret agent, Scudder, bursts into his room and entrusts him a coded notebook with map, concerning the impending start of World War I. In no time both German agents and the British law are chasing him, ruthlessly coveting the Roman numerals code, which Hannay believes he must crack himself. Masquerading as a liberal party pundit, Richard also gets stuck with parliamentary candidate Sir George Sinclair's sister Victoria. They must survive with the secrets and decide who they can trust and how to keep it from others.

More Books Like This edit see section history