It would be easy to call it a case of na�vet� on the part of Richard Hannay, but there was much more to the story. He had just returned to London after living in Rhodesia so he wasn't fully versed in the intrigue going on in England. That wasn't much of a reason for Hannay allowing a man he met to live in his flat. However, that's what he did, even though Franklin Scudder claimed to be a spy with involvement in an anarchist plot to assassinate the Greek premier. Hannay got into a major problem when Scudder was found ...
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It would be easy to call it a case of na�vet� on the part of Richard Hannay, but there was much more to the story. He had just returned to London after living in Rhodesia so he wasn't fully versed in the intrigue going on in England. That wasn't much of a reason for Hannay allowing a man he met to live in his flat. However, that's what he did, even though Franklin Scudder claimed to be a spy with involvement in an anarchist plot to assassinate the Greek premier. Hannay got into a major problem when Scudder was found murdered in the apartment. The victim left behind a codebook containing the phrase, the thirty-nine steps, an apparent message indicating the possible planned escape by the conspirators if they were successful in the assassination plot. Although innocent, Hannay was harassed by authorities and had an extremely difficult time before he was finally cleared after explaining his lack of involvement to the Foreign Office. He was extremely convincing and wound up, not only being cleared, but commissioned a captain in the English military. The spy group was extremely angry and Hannay became a man on the run. He fortunately evaded several close calls that could have ended with his death. All this was at a time when England had just entered into the international intrigue days of WWI. You can now hear the thrilling tale of a private citizen who managed to put his country's interests before his personal safety. This is Hannay's story.
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New. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
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Seller's Description:
Fine. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
New. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
I was delighted to find a first edition, second printing copy of 39 steps at such a great price and in such good condition. It starts to make up for the disappointment of the copy of Greenmantle that I got through you which was very poor - I thought much worse than the description had led me to expect.
These 2 books are the invention of the spy thriller, and anyone not familiar with them should try this bit of history.
ghmus7
Dec 2, 2007
One of the Greatest of Suspense novels
If Buchan had written only this book, and possibly one other, such as "The Three Hostages" he would live in literary fame. As it is, he wrote dozens of books, as well as experiencing a very sucessful career in canadian politics. This book is a riviting accout of a life and death chase. In typical style, Buchan spares no excitment from the reader, and his vivid and wide-ranging imagination is put to good use. The dialect of the 'local color' add to the reaslism and pleasure of the book. Surley one of the Greatest of Suspense novels, at least Hitchcock thought so!
