Richard Hannay

Set just before the onset of the First World War, The Thirty-Nine Steps introduces one of literature's most memorable detectives, Richard Hannay, an expatriate Scot who has just returned to London from South Africa. Four days after hearing of an assassination plot and plans to steal Britain's military strategies, Hannay's informant is found dead in his apartment. Forced to flee from both the murderers and the police, Hannay must use his wits to stay ahead of his pursuers and warn the government before it is too late. One of the most popular adventure stories ever written, The Thirty-Nine Steps is regarded as the starting point for espionage fiction and established John Buchan as the original thriller writer. The Thirty-Nine Steps, the first book in the Richard Hannay series, inspired many others novelists and filmmakers including Alfred Hitchcock who directed the first of four film adaptations of the novel.

Richard Hannay has just returned to England after years in South Africa and is thoroughly bored with his life in London. But then a murder is committed in his flat, just days after a chance encounter with an American who had told him about an assassination plot that could have dire international consequences. An obvious suspect for the police and an easy target for the killers, Hannay goes on the run in his native Scotland where he will need all his courage and ingenuity to stay one step ahead of his pursuers.

The novel of international intrigue and adventure that set the standard for the modern spy thriller One May evening in 1914, an ordinary Londoner named Richard Hannay receives word of an anarchist plot to assassinate the prime minister of Greece. A few nights later, the eccentric American who revealed the conspiracy is found stabbed to death in Hannay's flat. With only the dead man's encrypted notes to guide him, Hannay must try to foil the assassination attempt while outpacing both the police and the conspirators, whose dastardly plans extend far beyond one Greek politician. The fate of England, it seems, rests on one mysterious phrase repeated throughout the American's notebook; just what exactly are the thirty-nine steps? Buchan's groundbreaking novel, the first in a series featuring Richard Hannay, was adapted by Alfred Hitchcock and paved the way for Graham Greene, Robert Ludlum, John le Carré, and many other masters of literary espionage. Lightning-paced, relentlessly clever, and politically insightful, The Thirty-Nine Steps is just as thrilling today as when it was first published a century ago. This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.

Europe is close to war and spies are everywhere. Richard Hannay the protagonist and narrator, an expatriate Scot, returns to his new home, a flat in London, after a long stay in Rhodesia, in order to begin a new life. One night he is buttonholed by a stranger, a well-travelled American, who claims to be in fear for his life. The man appears to know of an anarchist plot to destabilise Europe, beginning with a plan to assassinate the Greek Premier, Karolides, during his forthcoming visit to London.

HarperCollins is proud to present its new range of best-loved, essential classics. 'I snapped the switch, but there was nobody there. Then I saw something in the far corner which made me drop my cigar and fall into a cold sweat.' When Richard Hannay is warned of an assassination plot that has the potential to take Britain into a war, and then a few days later discovers the murdered body of the American that warned him in his flat, he becomes a prime suspect. He flees to the moors of Scotland and a spirited chase begins as he is pursued by the police and the German spies involved with stealing British plans. Buchan's tale unfolds into one of the seminal and most influential 'chase' books, mimicked by many, yet unrivalled in the tension and mystery created by his writing. Buchan reveres Hannay as an ordinary man who puts his country's good before his own and the classic themes of the novel influenced many films and subsequent 'man-on-the-run' novels. • Highly collectible, these must-have classics should feature in every family's home library. • Striking and recognizable black and white cover designs, achieving stand-out on the bookshelves against the competition. Features include: • A glossary of Classic Literature: Words and Phrases, adapted from the Collins English Dictionary. • A Life & Times section, detailing information about the author, their work and the time of publication. • A History of Collins, exploring the heritage and established reputation of Collins as a publisher of Classic fiction.

In this fast-paced spy thriller, a self-described "ordinary fellow" stumbles upon a plot involving not only espionage and murder but also the future of Britain itself. Richard Hannay arrives in London on the eve of World War I, where he encounters an American agent seeking help in preventing a political assassination. Before long, Hannay finds himself in possession of a little black book that holds the key to the conspiracy-and on the run from both the police and members of a mysterious organization that will stop at nothing to keep their secrets hidden. This is the first of five novels in John Buchan's Greenmantle series, featuring the adventures of the stalwart and resourceful Richard Hannay. Originally published in 1915, it also served as the basis for several movies and plays, including Alfred Hitchcock's classic cinematic adaptation.

Hanney, an expatriated Scot, returns from a long stay in South Africa to his flat in London. One night he is buttonholed by an American who appears to know of an anarchist plot to destabilise Europe, and claims to be in fear for his life. Hannay lets the American hide in his flat, and returns later to find that another man has been found shot dead in the same building, apparently a suicide. Four days later Hannay finds the American stabbed to death... Followed by "Greenmantle", and "Mr. Standfast".

As war looms in Europe, Richard Hannay returns from Rhodesia to his home in London. His neighbor, an American freelance spy named Franklin Scudder, claims to know of an assassination plot to destabilize Europe. When Hannay finds Scudder dead in his flat he is drawn into a fast-paced labyrinthine adventure that takes him from the hills of Scotland to an unassuming location by the sea. The progenitor of the classic man-on-the-run thriller, The Thirty-Nine Steps first appeared as a serial adventure story in Blackwood's Magazine from August to September 1915 and in book form in October of that year. Since its publication it has never been out of print and has been frequently adapted for television, radio, theater, and film, including, quite famously, a 1935 film directed by Alfred Hitchcock.

Hannay is called in to investigate rumours of an uprising in the Muslim world, and undertakes a perilous journey through enemy territory to meet up with his friend Sandy in Constantinople. Once there, he and his friends must thwart the Germans' plans to use religion to help them win the war, climaxing at the battle of Erzurum.

Deployed to the Middle East during the First World War, British secret agent Richard Hannay must stop the Germans and Turks from creating an uprising in the Muslim World-an uprising that would prove devastating to Allied efforts to win the war. Forced to find his own way through enemy territory to rendezvous with his friend and comrade Sandy Arbuthnot, Richard's survival depends on figuring out the enemy's plan and stopping it before it is too late. Revisiting the memorable characters from The Thirty-Nine Steps, Greenmantle is one of two Richard Hannay novels set during the First World War. The Thirty-Nine Steps and its four sequels established John Buchan as an original thriller writer and pioneer of espionage fiction.

With an introduction by Christopher Hitchens. Richard Hannay is tasked to investigate rumors of an uprising in the Muslim world and takes off on a hair-raising journey through German-occupied Europe to meet up with his old friend Sandy Arbuthnot in Constantinople, where they must thwart the Germans' plans to use religion to help them win the war. Set during World War I, Greenmantle is a controversial meditation on the power of political Islam (it was pulled from Radio 4's schedule at the time of the 7 July bombings).

Hannay is called in to investigate rumours of an uprising in the Muslim world, and undertakes a perilous journey through enemy territory to meet up with his friend Sandy in Constantinople. Once there, he and his friends must thwart the Germans' plans to use religion to help them win the war, climaxing at the battle of Erzurum.

"Greenmantle" is the second of five novels by John Buchan featuring the character of Richard Hannay. It is one of two Hannay novels set during the First World War, the other being Mr Standfast (1919); Hannay's first and best-known adventure, The Thirty-Nine Steps (1915), is set in the period immediately preceding the war. (Excerpt from Wikipedia)

The second installment in the electrifying adventures of Richard Hannay, Britain's greatest secret agent Major Richard Hannay, hero of The Thirty-Nine Steps, is recovering from wounds sustained in the bloody Battle of Loos when his old friend Sir Walter Bullivant summons him to the Foreign Office. Hoping for a promotion, Hannay is asked instead to investigate rumors that a "star rising in the West" is about to bring the entirety of the Muslim world under the Kaiser's control. Hannay enlists the help of a polyglot British soldier and a dyspeptic American spy to go undercover first in Germany and then in Constantinople, where the glamorous and enigmatic Hilda von Einem is behind the conspiracy. In a stunning climax set during the pivotal clash between Russian and Ottoman forces over the Turkish city of Erzerum, Hannay and his cohorts risk everything to ensure that England and her allies will live to fight another day. With its skillful blend of political insight and heart-stopping action, Greenmantle was a huge step forward in the development of the modern espionage novel. It was also, and still very much is, an irresistible thrill ride from first page to last. This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.

Hannay is summoned to the Foreign Office by Sir Walter Bullivant, a senior intelligence man, whom Hannay met and assisted in The 39 Steps. Bullivant gives Hannay an outline of the political situation in the Middle East, and hints that the Germans and their Turkish allies are plotting to cause a great uprising throughout the Muslim world, that will throw the whole of the Middle East, India and North Africa into turmoil; Bullivant proposes that Hannay takes on the task of investigating rumours.

In his classic espionage thriller The Thirty-Nine Steps, John Buchan introduced Richard Hannay, an appealing antihero with the intelligence and daring to thwart a conspiracy involving British secrets and German spies. Greenmantle, the second in Buchan's five-part series of spy novels, reintroduces the intrepid secret agent Hannay. Tasked by the Foreign Office with investigating a rumored uprising in the Muslim world, Hannay and his associates must prevent Germany and its Turkish partners from turning the tide of World War I by launching a jihad against the Allies. Buchan's fast-paced tale of pursuits and escapes takes readers across war-torn Europe and behind enemy lines from Vienna to Constantinople and the Russian front. Written in lean, contemporary prose, this gripping novel offers an action-packed and remarkably topical tale of Middle Eastern politics and intrigue.

Set in the later years of World War I, Brigadier-General Hannay is recalled from active service on the Western Front to undertake a secret mission hunting for a dangerous German agent at large in Britain. He is forced to work undercover disguised as a pacifist, roaming the country incognito to investigate the deadly spy and his agents.

Recalled from active service on the Western Front, Richard Hannay is sent undercover on a crucial secret mission to find a dangerous German agent at large in Britain. Disguised as a pacifist, Hannay travels from London to Glasgow to the Scottish Highlands and Islands in his search, which eventually ends in a spectacular climax above the battlefields of Europe. John Buchan's inside knowledge of trench warfare and government intelligence lend a formidable realism to this superlative spy story. This is a nail-biting classic from a master storyteller.

'Mr. Standfast' is the third part of a trilogy which begins with 'The Thirty-Nine Steps' and 'Greenmantle'. In this nail-biting adventure story, Hannay must outwit a foe far more intelligent than himself; muster the courage to propose to the lovely, clever Mary Lamington; and survive a brutal war. Although Mr. Standfast is a sequel to The Thirty-Nine Steps, it offers far more characterisation and philosophy than the earlier book. For its pace and suspense, its changes of scenery and thrilling descriptions of the last great battles against the Germans, Mr. Standfast offers everything that has made its author so enduringly popular.

Recalled from duty on the Western Front by renowned spymaster Sir Walter Bullivant, British secret agent Richard Hannay goes undercover as a pacifist, working to outwit a dangerous German spy and his agents. Guided by his contact-and love interest-Mary Lamington, Hannay tracks his enemy from London to Glasgow to the Scottish Highlands, eventually confronting him in a dramatic climax above the battlefields of Europe. Revisiting the memorable characters from The Thirty-Nine Steps, Mr. Standfast is one of two Richard Hannay novels set during the First World War. The Thirty-Nine Steps and its four sequels established John Buchan as an original thriller writer, and a pioneer of espionage fiction.

In the last of his World War I adventures, Richard Hannay undertakes his most dangerous assignment yet When England calls, Richard Hannay answers. Not yet forty and already a brigadier general, he has led the charge into some of the fiercest fighting of World War I: Loos, the Somme, Arras. There is no telling how far up the ranks he might climb if only the Foreign Office would stop taking him off the front lines for cloak and dagger work. Adding insult to injury, Hannay's latest clandestine mission requires him to commit the most shameful of sins in a country under siege: pacifism. In the idyllic Cotswolds, a circle of conscientious objectors has been infiltrated by a masterful German spy. To unmask the enemy, Hannay must disavow everything he holds dear. Fortunately, his old American friend John Blenkiron is also on the case, as is Mary Lamington, a brave and beautiful girl with the rare ability to turn Hannay from thoughts of war. First things first, though-before love comes duty, and the trail of treachery runs all the way from the south of England, to a pink chalet high in the Swiss mountains, to Parisian streets echoing with the roar of German guns. Published just a few months after the Allied victory, Mr. Standfast is an homage to the courage and fortitude of every patriot in His Majesty's service. It is also one of the most thrilling and unforgettable spy novels ever written. This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.

Dick Hannay is called out of uniform by his old comrade, spymaster Sir Walter Bullivant, and sent to Fosse Manor in the Cotswolds to receive further instructions. He must pose as a South African, an objector to the war, and once more takes on the name Cornelius Brand.

Recalled from active service on the Western Front, Richard Hannay is sent undercover on a crucial secret mission to find a dangerous German agent at large in Britain. Disguised as a pacifist, Hannay travels from London to Glasgow to the Scottish Highlands and Islands in his search, which eventually ends in a spectacular climax above the battlefields of Europe. John Buchan's inside knowledge of trench warfare and government intelligence lend a formidable realism to this superlative spy story. This is a nail-biting classic from a master storyteller.

After the War, Hannay is married to Mary and living peacefully in the Cotswolds, when he receives a request to help solve the mysterious kidnapping of the children of three prominent people. Given nothing to go on but a few mysterious clues, Hannay, assisted by friends like Sandy Arbuthnot, must track down the dastardly villains behind the plot before it's too late...

Hannay is married to Mary and living peacefully in the Cotswolds, when he receives a request to help solve the mysterious kidnapping of the children of three prominent people. Given nothing to go on but a few mysterious clues, Hannay, assisted by friends like Sandy Arbuthnot, must track down the dastardly villains behind the plot before it's too late...

The action occurs twelve years later on from the last novel, when Hannay, now in his fifties, is called by an old oath to protect the son of a man he once knew, who is also heir to the secret of a great treasure.

Hannay is called by an old oath to protect the son of a man he once knew, who is also heir to the secret of a great treasure. He obtains help from Sandy Arbuthnot, now Lord Clanroyden, and Lombard.

I know what it is to feel lonely and helpless and to have the whole world against me, and those are things that no men or women ought to feel. When adventurer Richard Hannay is alerted of an assassination plot that could completely take down Europe, he finds himself caught in a tangled web of politics and must run to his home of Scotland to evade arrest. In order to prevent his arrest and the destruction of his country, he must figure out what the baffling clue is that will determine the fate of millions: the thirty-nine steps.

Set in the later years of World War I, Brigadier-General Hannay is recalled from active service on the Western Front to undertake a secret mission hunting for a dangerous German agent at large in Britain. He is forced to work undercover disguised as a pacifist, roaming the country incognito to investigate the deadly spy and his agents.

The original novel that was adapted for the famous Hitchcock film. Set in Europe in 1914, a foreign power attempts to steal British plans for war...

"Mr. Standfast" is the third of five Richard Hannay novels by John Buchan, first published in 1919. (Excerpt from Wikipedia)

A Shocking Adventure Novel. 'I believe everything out of the common. The only thing to distrust is the normal.' The Thirty-Nine Steps is a fast-paced adventure novel. Richard Hannay is a Scottish hero with a knack for getting himself into and out of trouble. The Thirty Nine Steps has been adapted many times, most notably by Alfred Hitchcock.

John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir; 26 August 1875 – 11 February 1940) was a Scottish novelist, historian and Unionist politician who served as Governor General of Canada, the 15th since Canadian Confederation. John Buchan wrote The Thirty-Nine Steps while he was ill in bed with a duodenal ulcer, an illness which remained with him all his life. The novel was his first "shocker", as he called it - a story combining personal and political dramas. The novel marked a turning point in Buchan's literary career and introduced his famous adventuring hero, Richard Hannay. He described a "shocker" as an adventure where the events in the story are unlikely and the reader is only just able to believe that they really happened. (Excerpt from Wikipedia)

Joined by Peter Pienaar, the old Boer Scout; John S. Blenkiron, the American determined to fight the Kaiser; and Sandy Arbuthnot, adventurer Richard Hannay travel across war-torn Europe in search of the grotesque Stumm and the evil beauty of Hilda von Einem. This espionage novel set during the First World War features thrilling disguises, despicable plots, and some of the most devious spies in literature.