Background
John Buchan was born on August 26, 1875. The son of Reverend John Buchan and Helen, daughter of John Masterton, Broughton Green, Peeblesshire.
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(An effortless adventure classic spanning the void between...)
An effortless adventure classic spanning the void between dime shocker and quality literature, John Buchans The 39 Steps still satisfies after many reads. Richard Hannay returned to England, after making his fortune in South Africa, is unwillingly ensnared in a tortured plot to assassinate Karolides the Greek premier and so plunge Europe into war. Scudder, an American journalist turned spy has coded information relating to the plot but is murdered in Hannay's luxurious flat before he can pass on the code. Hannay, with all fingers pointing to him as the murderer escapes by Scottish express and with Scudder's coded notebook .Decamping from the train in the Sottish lowlands ( the Forth Bridge escape from the train was created with the 1935 Hitchcock film adaptation ) he is pursued across hill and dale by the police and the enemy agents intent on seizeing the notebook. In his flight he holes up in a remote wayside inn with a literary inn keeper, who can quote Kipling. It is here that he masters the code and learns Scudder's secrets. From then on it's a race to get to London and notify the authorities. One of the brilliant scenes on the way, concerns Hannay posing as road mender to evade his pursuers. To do this, Hannay explains how you must become one with the environment you're using as a cover; one of Buchans's favourite ploys and one employed in many of his novels. Hannay exchanges pursued for pursuer and tracks the agents to their escape channel and ultimately the title of the book is explained. Every reading of this splendid and timeless novel reveals further delights that may have been missed before and even well remembered scenes take on a fresh vividness and charm.
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John Buchan was born on August 26, 1875. The son of Reverend John Buchan and Helen, daughter of John Masterton, Broughton Green, Peeblesshire.
John Buchan studied at Glasgow University, Brasenose College Oxfordshire, where he received a Bachelor of Arts in 1895.
John Buchan became a lawyer in 1901 and in the same year secretary to Lord Milner, head of the High Commission in South Africa. In 1907 he joined the publishing firm of Thomas Nelson & Sons. During World War I he served on the headquarters staff of the British Army in France and in 1917 became Director of Information for the government. From 1927 he represented the Scottish universities in Parliament, but in 1935 he was appointed Governor-General of Canada and elevated to the peerage. In 1937 he was made Chancellor of the University of Edinburgh.
Buchan's chief literary distinction was won as a novelist; among his more memorable works are Prester John (1910), The Thirty-nine Steps (1915), and Greenmantle (1916). These and other novels are distinguished as adventure-romances by their action, their style, and their evocation of atmosphere. Buchan was a prolific historical writer as well; among his works in this field are Sir Walter Raleigh (1911), The Battle of Jutland (1917), A History of the Great War (4 vols., 1921-1922), Julius Caesar (1932), Oliver Cromwell (1934), and Gordon at Khartoum (1934).
John Buchan's writing career was simultaneos with his political and diplomatic careers. He was appointed Governor General of Canada by King George V.
Buchan's 100 works include nearly thirty novels, seven collections of short stories, and biographies of Sir Walter Scott, Caesar Augustus, and Oliver Cromwell. The most famous of his books were the spy thrillers, and it is for these that he is now best remembered.
Buchan was awarded the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for his biography of the Marquess of Montrose.
(An effortless adventure classic spanning the void between...)
Clubs: Alpine, Union, Political Economy.
shooting, fishing, riding, mountaineering
John Buchan was married to Susan Charlotte.
