Ultimate Richard Hannay Collection
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This special collection gathers together author John Buchan’s five novels featuring the indomitable secret agent, Richard Hannay. In The Thirty-Nine Steps, Hannay is hoping to start a new life in London even as the world is on the cusp of war in 1914, but he is soon pulled into a startling series of events when an informant tells him about an assassination plot and plans to steal Britain’s military strategies. Hannay’s adventures continue in Buchan’s four follow up novels, Greenmantle, Mr. Standfast, The Three Hostages, and The Island of Sheep.
The adventures of Richard Hannay are regarded as the starting point for espionage fiction and established author John Buchan as the original thriller writer. Buchan’s stories inspired many others novelists and filmmakers including Alfred Hitchcock who directed the first of four film adaptations of The Thirty Nine Steps.
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John Buchan
Author of the iconic novel The Thirty-Nine Steps, John Buchan filled many roles including barrister, colonial administrator, publisher, Director of Intelligence, and Member of Parliament. The Thirty-Nine Steps, first in the Richard Hannay series, is widely regarded as the starting point for espionage fiction and was written to pass time while Buchan recovered from an illness. During the outbreak of the First World War, Buchan wrote propaganda for the British war effort, combining his skills as author and politician. In 1935 Buchan was appointed the 15th Governor General of Canada and established the Governor General’s Literacy Award. Buchan was enthusiastic about literacy and the evolution of Canadian culture. He died in 1940 and received a state funeral in Canada before his ashes were returned to the United Kingdom.
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