Not all, there's always some-one who will know. But when you ask, Yes, but what ARE the 39 Steps? most people will falter. Most people will be able to tell you how it starts. GradeSaver, 14 February 2019 Web.Summary: The classic spy story of Richard Hannay’s attempt to avoid a charge of murder, foil a foreign plot and prevent a war is an unchallenging, but intelligent read.Īsk anyone about The Thrity-nine Steps and I guarantee they'll be able to tell you it's a spy story with Richard Hannay at its heart. Next Section The Thirty-Nine Steps (Novel) Summary How To Cite in MLA Format Anonymous 'The Thirty-Nine Steps (Novel) Background'. Will review the submission and either publish your submission or provide feedback. You can help us out by revising, improving and updatingĪfter you claim a section you’ll have 24 hours to send in a draft.

It was also adapted into a video game, the theater (where it won a number of Tony Awards and was last performed in 2010), and into radio by Orson Welles in 1939. That adaption was met with critical acclaim and is regarded as a masterpiece. The novel was adapted four times into film, perhaps most famously in 1935 by famed auteur Alfred Hitchcock. When it was released, the Telegraph called the novel 'one of the finest thrillers ever written.' It usually places on lists of most-loved novels in the United Kingdom. On Amazon, The Thirty-Nine Steps has a respectable rating of 4 out of 5 stars, with many calling the novel a 'thrilling adventure.' On book review aggregator, it holds a similarly solid rating of 3.61 out of 5 stars. Pursued by the police, he flees to Scotland, along the way trying to figure out what exactly the 39 steps are and how they relate to the assassination plot - if they do at all. Initially, he is incredibly bored when he gets back, but when he learns of an assassination plot that could devastate the political balance of Europe, his life becomes very complex.

The novel follows Richard Hannay after his return to London from a trip to South Africa. Many argue that John Buchan's The Thirty-Nine Steps (originally published as a serial in August and September 1915 in Blackwood's Magazine) is one of the most influential thrillers ever written. Written by people who wish to remain anonymous We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make your own. These notes were contributed by members of the GradeSaver community.

The thirty nine steps book summary