The Thirty-Nine Steps

John Buchan, 1915

Adventure

A bored expatriate's London life turns into a flight from danger and suspicion.

Read the book Contents

Length: 10 chapters
Reading time: About 2 hr 51 min
Words: 40,718

About the book

Richard Hannay has returned from southern Africa to find London disappointing. His wish for a different sort of life receives an alarming answer when an encounter in his building connects him with a violent death and a problem he cannot safely ignore.

Buchan's narrator speaks with brisk confidence, but must repeatedly adapt to situations he has not chosen. The adventure depends on movement, quick decisions and the uncertainty of appearances. Its opening turns dissatisfaction into urgency, testing the practical resourcefulness of a man who had wanted something to happen.

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Adventure

This edition

Text from Standard Ebooks, who proofread and typeset it and dedicate their edition to the public domain. John Buchan died more than 70 years ago, so the work is out of copyright in the UK. Includes the original dedication.