The Thirty-nine Steps series, by John Buchan

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Jeffery Greyling
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The Thirty-nine Steps series, by John Buchan

Post by Jeffery Greyling »

The Thirty-nine Steps by John Buchan is one of my favourite novels, and the other four books in the series (Greenmantle, Mr Standfast, The Three Hostages and The Island of Sheep are all brilliant too. The Thirty-nine Steps was written in 1915, just after the start of the war, and it's a wonderful book, a 'shocker' as John Buchan used to like calling it. It's a fictional story about the beginning of WW1. There was another story written, called The Courts of The Morning which I'm reading right now, and it has a prologue written by Richard Hannay, but the rest of the book is about other characters who feature throughout the five books in the series

Another thing I love about the book is the language used. I've typed in the foreword for everyone to read.
TO
THOMAS ARTHUR NELSON
LOTHIAN AND BORDER HORSE

My dear Tommy,
You and I have long cherished an affection for that
elementary type of tale which Americans call the "dime
novel," and which we know as the "shocker"- the romance
where the incidents defythe probabilities, and march just
inside the borders of the possible. During an illness last
winter I exhausted my store of those aids to cheerfulness,
and was driven to write one for myself. This little volume
is the result, and I should like to put your name on it in
memory of our long friendship, in these days when the
wildest fictions are so much less improbable than the
facts.

J.B.
Last edited by Jeffery Greyling on 29 Sep 2009, 07:08, edited 2 times in total.
"I gave half a crown to a beggar because I saw him yawn; he was a fellow-sufferer."
(The Thirty-nine Steps)
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Re: The Thirty-nine Steps series

Post by Aurélien »

By a strange co-incidence, John, old Aurélien is also currently re-reading Buchan's 'The Courts of the Morning', along with ten+ other books. Love the map of the Republic of Olifa, though in my Hodder ex-library copy the map is damaged.

Lord Tweedsmuir was quite a writer.

‘Aurélien Arkadiusz’ 8)
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Jeffery Greyling
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Re: The Thirty-nine Steps series

Post by Jeffery Greyling »

Aurélien wrote:By a strange co-incidence, John, old Aurélien is also currently re-reading Buchan's 'The Courts of the Morning', along with ten+ other books. Love the map of the Republic of Olifa, though in my Hodder ex-library copy the map is damaged.

Lord Tweedsmuir was quite a writer.

‘Aurélien Arkadiusz’ 8)
The Courts of The Morning is great so far - I just finished the prologue. And I know the feeling about too many books to read - I'm currently reading; Seahawk, Scend of The Sea, Seven Wonders of the Industrial World (for my sister - she's an engineer. It looks good too), The Best of James Herriot, The Courts of The Morning, and a few others. :lol:

I've got a busy next few months now. It's this site's fault, as I can't keep off it! :evil:

I read the whole Thirty-nine Steps series last year, but not The Courts Of The Morning. They're quite
hard to find really.

John K
Last edited by Jeffery Greyling on 20 Sep 2009, 22:20, edited 1 time in total.
"I gave half a crown to a beggar because I saw him yawn; he was a fellow-sufferer."
(The Thirty-nine Steps)
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Jeffery Greyling
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Re: The Thirty-nine Steps series

Post by Jeffery Greyling »

Aurélien wrote:Love the map of the Republic of Olifa, though in my Hodder ex-library copy the map is damaged.

‘Aurélien Arkadiusz’ 8)
I could scan it to you if you like.

John K
Last edited by Jeffery Greyling on 20 Sep 2009, 14:26, edited 1 time in total.
"I gave half a crown to a beggar because I saw him yawn; he was a fellow-sufferer."
(The Thirty-nine Steps)
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Re: The Thirty-nine Steps series

Post by Aurélien »

Thanks, John. My map for Buchan's "The Courts of the Morning" is adequate - only slightly damaged, but I appreciate your offer. I don't admire people who deface maps, especially one as nicely drawn as that one.

I see that you're also reading a Geoffrey Jenkins book "Scend of the Sea" that I happen to have on my shelves. I take it that the "Sea Hawk" you mention is the Sabatini book.

‘Aurélien Arkadiusz’ 8)
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Re: The Thirty-nine Steps series

Post by Jeffery Greyling »

Seahawk is a book by an Australian author called Mary Grant Bruce. You miight enjoy it, but it's pretty rare.

John K
"I gave half a crown to a beggar because I saw him yawn; he was a fellow-sufferer."
(The Thirty-nine Steps)
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Re: The Thirty-nine Steps series

Post by Dick Kirrin »

If you like John Buchan, how do you feel about Eric Ambler?
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Re: The Thirty-nine Steps series

Post by Jeffery Greyling »

I don't know him. What are the names of some of his books?
"I gave half a crown to a beggar because I saw him yawn; he was a fellow-sufferer."
(The Thirty-nine Steps)
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Re: The Thirty-nine Steps series

Post by Dick Kirrin »

The one which is most well-known is Topkapi, I think. Not so much for the book but for the film starring Peter Ustinov.
Apart from that, there is "The dark frontier", a book about atomic bombs before the scientists could actually split atoms, the detective story "A coffin for Demetrios" and a lot of others which are worth reading but not too well-known.
He's a bit like Lé Carre in his style of writing.
Hope that helped you.

Cheers

Dick Kirrin
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Re: The Thirty-nine Steps series

Post by Jeffery Greyling »

Aurélien, have you seen any of the films of The Thirty-nine Steps? I've seen three of them, and so far my favourite one is the 1978 version. Also, have you seen the BBC 1977 adaptation of The Three Hostages? I've searched on the internet, but hardly anything has come up.
"I gave half a crown to a beggar because I saw him yawn; he was a fellow-sufferer."
(The Thirty-nine Steps)
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Re: The Thirty-nine Steps series

Post by Aurélien »

I think that I may have seen a black and white version of 'The 39 Steps', decades ago, John, but the memory is very vague.

‘Aurélien Arkadiusz’ of the :( geriatric memory
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Re: The Thirty-nine Steps series

Post by Leslie »

Jeffery Greyling wrote:Aurélien, have you seen any of the films of The Thirty-nine Steps? I've seen three of them, and so far my favourite one is the 1978 version. Also, have you seen the BBC 1977 adaptation of The Three Hostages? I've searched on the internet, but hardly anything has come up.
I read 39 Steps during the Easter holidays. A while ago I decided to make myself a list of books which I thought i ought to read because I have been missing out by not doing so. I've seen the '78 film with Robert Powell which I quite enjoyed and I seem to remember watching a really old black and white film of it! Have you seen the tv version with Rupert Penry-Jones in it? It was quite good but that really prompted me to read the book! I'm really into things like 'Spooks' and I wondered if the book would be fast enough moving for me but I really enjoyed it. I haven't read any of the others John Buchan wrote (although they are on my list!) and I am currently slogging my way through The Hitchhiker's Guide.
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Re: The Thirty-nine Steps series, by John Buchan

Post by Julie2owlsdene »

I've never read this book, but I do have the original black and white film and the one with Robert Powell.

I've always wondered which one is closer to the book?

8)
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Re: The Thirty-nine Steps series, by John Buchan

Post by Leslie »

Julie2owlsdene wrote:I've never read this book, but I do have the original black and white film and the one with Robert Powell.

I've always wondered which one is closer to the book?

8)
That's part of the reason I read the book! I've forgotten the ending to the black and white film - I have a vague memory there are steps as in the 78 one but the book's steps are down to the sea! It's a bit Famous Five-like!
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Re: The Thirty-nine Steps series, by John Buchan

Post by pete9012S »

I just bought The Complete Works of John Buchan (Unabridged): from amazon for my kindle for 49p!

Think I will read Huntingblower first!
bzjane wrote:Hi, I think this sounds like a John Buchan novel called Huntingtower. It's set in lowland Scotland and features Dickson McCunn, a retired Glasgow grocer and a group of kids called the Gorbals Diehards.


There is a Russian Princess who is imprisoned in an old manor house/castle and lots of minor characters. I liked it because of the humour and description of Scotland. - it's a good read.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-Works ... ohn+Buchan" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
This carefully crafted ebook: “The Complete Works of John Buchan (Unabridged)” is formatted for your eReader with a functional and detailed table of contents:
Richard Hannay Series
The Thirty-Nine Steps
Greenmantle
Mr Standfast
The Three Hostages
The Island of Sheep
Dickson McCunn and the 'Gorbals Die-hards' Series
Huntingtower
Castle Gay
The House of the Four Winds
Sir Edward Leithen Series
The Power-House
John Macnab
The Dancing Floor
The Gap in the Curtain
Sick Heart River
Other Novels
Sir Quixote of the Moors
John Burnet of Barns
A Lost Lady of Old Years
The Half-Hearted
A Lodge in the Wilderness
Prester John
Salute to Adventurers
The Path of the King
Midwinter
Witch Wood
The Blanket of the Dark
A Prince of the Captivity
The Free Fishers
The Magic Walking Stick
The Courts of the Morning
Short Stories
Grey Weather
The Moon Endureth: Tales
The Far Islands
Fountainblue
The King of Ypres
The Keeper of Cademuir
No-Man's-Land
Basilissa
The Runagates Club...
Poetry
The Pilgrim Fathers
Ballad for Grey Weather
The Moon Endureth: Fancies
Poems, Scots and English...
Historical & Political Works:
The African Colony: Studies in the Reconstruction
Days to Remember: The British Empire in the Great War
The Battle of Jutland
The Battle of the Somme, First Phase
The Battle of the Somme, Second Phase
Nelson's History of the War (Volumes I-V)
Scholar Gipsies
A Book of Escapes and Hurried Journeys
Montrose: A History
Lord Minto, A Memoir
Sir Walter Scott
The King's Grace 1910-1935
Autobiography & Biography
Memory Hold-the-door
Unforgettable, Unforgotten by A. M. Buchan
John Buchan (1875-1940) was a Scottish novelist and historian and also served as Canada's Governor General. His works include novels, collections of short stories, historiographical works and biographies. But, the most famous of his books were the adventure and spy thrillers, most notably The Thirty-Nine Steps, and it is for these that he is now best remembered.
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