100,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock πŸ‡³πŸ‡Ώ

Overnight NZ-wide Delivery πŸš€ Thank you for supporting our 100% NZ-owned store ❀️

The Thirty-Nine Steps

Authorised Edition
3.59 goodreads logo

Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.

Check link for latest rating.
( 45,398 ratings, 3,922 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan is a classic adventure novel following Richard Hannay, an ordinary man who becomes embroiled in an espionage conspiracy. After discovering a plot that threatens national security, he is forced to go on the run across the Scottish countryside, pursued by both the police and a dangerous syndicate. Hannay uses his wits to untangle the mystery whilst evading capture.
Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
TEMPORARILY OUT OF STOCK Please add to wishlist to be notified when back in stock

Sorry, we're currently out of stock of The Thirty-Nine Steps. Please add to your Wishlist and we'll send you an email as soon as it's back in stock.

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you're a fan of classic adventure novels filled with suspense and espionage. Set in the days leading up to World War I, it offers an exciting chase and a gripping plot, perfect for those who enjoy tales of intrigue and clever plotting.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

The Thirty-Nine Stepsis the original spy thriller and the inspiration for countless books, films and games.Adventurer Richard Hannay is bored with life, but after an encounter with an American who informs him of an assassination plot and is then promptly murdered in Hannay's London flat, he becomes the suspect and is forced to go on the run.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Recently returned from South Africa, adventurer Richard Hannay is bored with life. After a chance encounter with an American who informs him of an assassination plot and is then promptly murdered in Hannay's London flat, he becomes the obvious suspect and is forced to go on the run.

He heads north to his native Scotland, fleeing the police and his enemies. Hannay must keep his wits about him if he is to warn the government before all is too late.

The Thirty-Nine Steps is a thrilling chase story that combines mystery, excitement, and suspense in the best tradition of adventure fiction.

Series: The Richard Hannay Adventures

View all
  • New Release
    A Very Dangerous Pursuit
    Adventure can be a deadly business. It began in the manner of all the very best adventures: in a coffee house. When one Richard Hannayβ€”intrepid, inquisitive, and on the hunt for intrigueβ€”encounters an old acquaintance in Constantinople, he has an inkling that something thrilling is afoot. Charged with an item of great mystery and importβ€”a washbag, no less!β€”he soon finds...
    Paperback
    $2899
    Elsewhere:
    $3699
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Island of Sheep
    The Island of Sheep is the fifth, last, and most unusual of the Hannay books. Having returned once again to a quiet life at Fosse Manor, Hannay's life is shaken a final time when the son of an old acquaintance from Africa asks for his help in finishing a feud that goes back thirty years to a hilltop in Rhodesia....
    Paperback
    Sold Out
  • The Thirty-Nine Steps
    Recently returned from South Africa, adventurer Richard Hannay is bored with life. After a chance encounter with an American who informs him of an assassination plot and is then promptly murdered in Hannay's London flat, he becomes the obvious suspect and is forced to go on the run. He heads north to his native Scotland, fleeing the police and his...
    Paperback
    Sold Out
  • The Three Hostages
    After distinguished service in the First World War, Richard Hannay settles into peaceful domesticity with his wife Mary and their young son. However, news comes to him of three kidnappings. With no more than a few tantalisingly cryptic lines of verse as clues, he is soon on the trail of Dominick Medinaβ€”a charismatic polymath but a man 'utterly and consumedly...
    Paperback
    Sold Out
  • Greenmantle
    Richard Hannay is tasked to investigate rumours of an uprising in the Muslim world. He embarks on a hair-raising journey through German-occupied Europe to meet up with his old friend Sandy Arbuthnot in Constantinople. There, they must thwart the Germans' plans to use religion to help them win the war. Set during World War I, Greenmantle is a powerful meditation...
    Paperback
    Sold Out
  • Mr. Standfast
    Mr. Standfast is the third of five Richard Hannay thrillers. Brigadier-General Richard Hannay is recalled from active service on the Western Front and tasked with a secret mission to catch a dangerous German agent who is at large in Britain. Travelling incognito, he infiltrates a community of conscientious objectors with the aim of ferreting out the spy. During this adventure,...
    Paperback
    Sold Out

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

The Thirty-Nine Steps is praised for its influence on the spy thriller genre, bridging the gap between the works of Kipling and Fleming. Renowned figures like Alfred Hitchcock have acknowledged its significant impact on their own creative endeavours.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781846971983

Publisher: Birlinn General

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 17 May 2011

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Polygon An Imprint of Birlinn Limited

Edition: Authorised Edition

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 10.0mm

Width: 130.0mm

Height: 195.0mm

Weight: 118g

Pages: 160

About the Author

John Buchan was a Scottish diplomat, barrister, journalist, historian, poet and novelist, born in Perth in 1875. He published nearly 30 novels and seven collections of short stories. After spells as a war correspondent, Lloyd George's Director of Information and Conservative MP, Buchan moved to Canada in 1935. He served as Governor General there until his death in 1940.

Also by John Buchan

View all
  • The Thirty-Nine Steps
    A gripping tale of adventure that has enthralled readers since it was first published, John Buchan's The Thirty-Nine Steps is edited with an introduction and notes by Sir John Keegan in Penguin Classics. Adventurer Richard Hannay has just returned from South Africa and is thoroughly bored with his London life β€” until a spy is murdered in his flat, just...
    Paperback
    $1900
    Elsewhere:
    $2100
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Thirty-Nine Steps: Popular Penguins
    The Thirty-Nine Steps follows the thrilling story of Richard Hannay, who finds his return to England from years in South Africa to be dreadfully monotonous. This uneventful existence in London takes a dramatic turn when a murder occurs in his flat. Just days earlier, Hannay had a chance encounter with an American who revealed an assassination plot with the potential...
    Paperback
    $1599
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Thirty-Nine Steps
    The Thirty-Nine Steps features Richard Hannay, a restless hero, determined to showcase the integrity of the ordinary man who stands in defence of his country. Buchan's terrific yarn excelled as a Hitchcock movie of the same name and inspired all subsequent spy thrillers, including the much later incarnation of Fleming's suave James Bond. The book plays on fears of invasion...
    Paperback
    $2199
    Available
    Ships in 1 week
  • The Thirty-Nine Steps
    Twenty new titles in the much-loved and hugely successful Penguin English Library series. The Thirty-Nine Steps 'My guest was lying sprawled on his back. There was a long knife through his heart which skewered him to the floor.' Richard Hannay has just returned to England after years in South Africa and is thoroughly bored with his life in London. But...
    Paperback
    $2400
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • The Strange Stories of John Buchan
    To mark the 150th anniversary of Scottish author John Buchan's birth, strange fiction expert James Machin presents a new selection of the writer's best uncanny fiction, including stories from The Runagates Club.Though best known today as the author of The Thirty-Nine Steps, this new volume aims to foreground his contribution to the early weird tale, including some of his most...
    Hardback
    $3999
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • John MacNab
    In 1925, John Buchan published his second most famous novel, John Macnab. Three high-flying menβ€”a barrister, a cabinet minister, and a bankerβ€”are suffering from boredom. They concoct a plan to cure it. They inform three Scottish estates that they will poach from each two stags and a salmon within a given time. They sign collectively as 'John Macnab' and await...
    Paperback
    $2499
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • The Little Book of Trolls
    Trolls have escaped from the black lava wastes of Iceland and the dense pine forests of Scandinavia to take on a new life in the collective global imagination. They may not steal goats and eat people quite so much, but they remain disruptive and dangerous, even if their limited imaginations sometimes make them comic and even quite likeable. Emerging from...
    Hardback
    $2999
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • The 39 Steps
    One of the greatest adventure stories ever written, freshly repackaged for a new generation of readers and featuring an exclusive introduction from the author’s grandson. β€˜This latest edition of the novel has been redesigned, resulting in an authentic looking cloth-bound book ... Exciting and thrilling, this should be read by all.’ – The Sun β€˜A handsome new edition’ – The...
    Hardback
    $3099
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • The Thirty-Nine Steps
    Pre-order
    The Thirty-Nine Steps
    A thrilling blend of adventure and spy novel, The Thirty-Nine Steps has been continuously in print since first publication in 1915 and has been adapted for stage and screen multiple times, including Alfred Hitchcock's famous film adaptation. β€˜Ordinary fellow’ Richard Hannay returns home one night and is horrified to find a dead body. He recognises the murdered man as his...
    Hardback
    $2500
    Pre-order
    Out 29 Sep 2026
  • The Island of Sheep
    The Island of Sheep is the fifth, last, and most unusual of the Hannay books. Having returned once again to a quiet life at Fosse Manor, Hannay's life is shaken a final time when the son of an old acquaintance from Africa asks for his help in finishing a feud that goes back thirty years to a hilltop in Rhodesia....
    Paperback
    Sold Out
  • The Free Fishers
    When Anthony Lammas, Kirk minister and Professor of Logic at St Andrews University, sets off for business in London, little does he realise that he will soon be entangled in a web of conspiracy. But Anthony is no ordinary professor. Set during the Napoleonic Wars, The Free Fishers is classic Buchanβ€”a fast-paced tale of treason and espionage. With an introduction...
    Paperback
    Sold Out
  • Midwinter
    The Jacobite army marches into England, and Alistair Maclean, a close confidant of Charles Edward Stewart, embarks on a secret mission to raise support for the cause in the west. He soon begins to suspect that someone close to the Prince is passing information to the Government. Just as he closes in on the traitor, his own life is put...
    Paperback
    Sold Out

More from General Fiction

View all
  • The Wedding People
    'BEST READ OF THE YEAR SO FAR' THE TIMES 'BOOKS AS FUN AS THIS ONE ARE FEW AND FAR BETWEEN' GUARDIAN Phoebe Stone arrives at a grand beachside hotel in Rhode Island wearing her best dress and least comfortable shoes. Immediately she is mistaken for one of the wedding people β€” but she's actually the only guest at the Cornwall...
    Paperback
    $2399
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    (3)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Throne of Glass Box Set (Paperback)
    Enter the realm. Unleash the darkness. Live the legend. Discover the worldwide phenomenon of the #1 New York Times-bestselling Throne of Glass series in this gorgeous 8-book box set! In a land without magic, an assassin is summoned to the castle. She has no love for the vicious king who rules from his throne of glass, but she has not...
    Set
    $12400
    Elsewhere:
    $15500
    (6)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Goal
    Welcome to Briar U!Get ready for your newest obsession . . . Discover the addictive world of the Off-Campus series from The Queen of Hockey Romance, Elle Kennedy!Read The Goal now for the perfect forced proximity romance! She's good at achieving her goals . . . College senior Sabrina James has her whole future planned out: graduate from college, kick...
    Paperback
    $2499
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    Yesteryear
    A BOLD AND BITING SATIRE. WILL HAVE YOU GASPING TO THE FINAL PAGE β€” Nita Prose WICKEDLY FUNNY, BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN AND FRIGHTENINGLY PERCEPTIVE β€” Abigail Dean INVENTIVE, ADDICTIVE, A WILD RIDE β€” Ashley Audrain SHOT THROUGH WITH HUMOUR AND LACED WITH DARKNESS β€” Clare Mackintosh The Stepford Wives meets The Handmaid's Tale β€” Hannah Deitch My name was Natalie Heller...
    Paperback
    $2999
    Elsewhere:
    $3699
    (2)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    The Ballad of Falling Dragons [Special Deluxe edition]
    The No.1 Sunday Times bestselling sensation When the Moon Hatched continues with the second book in The Moonfall Series, The Ballad of Falling Dragons… Raeve’s thirst for vengeance continues to burn, as does her love for Kaan Vaegor – a staunch beacon from a past she’s yet to face. With Rekk’s blood still fresh on her hands, she learns the...
    Hardback
    $5999
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Score
    Welcome to Briar U! Get ready for your newest obsession... Discover the addictive world of the Off-Campus series from The Queen of Hockey Romance, Elle Kennedy! Read The Score now for the perfect friends with benefits romance! He knows how to score, on and off the ice... Allie Hayes is in crisis mode. With graduation looming, she still doesn't have...
    Paperback
    $2499
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Theo of Golden
    THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING PHENOMENON'For anything to be truly good, there must be love in it. Nothing is what it's supposed to be if love is not at the core.' One morning, a stranger arrives in the town of Golden. No one knows who he is or where he came from…His name is Theo and he's arrived there by chance –...
    Paperback
    $2899
    Elsewhere:
    $3499
    (5)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Mistake
    Welcome to Briar U! Get ready for your newest obsession . . . Discover the addictive world of the Off-Campus series from The Queen of Hockey Romance, Elle Kennedy! Read The Mistake now for the perfect second chance romance! He's a player in more ways than one . . . College junior John Logan can get any girl he wants....
    Paperback
    $2499
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Carl's Doomsday Scenario
    Join Carl and his ex-girlfriend's cat Princess Donut as they fight fantastical creatures and deadly mobs in the second book in the smash-hit Dungeon Crawler Carl series -now with bonus material exclusive to the print edition Now on the third floor, Carl and Donut have to fight harder than ever. They've already proven that a Coast Guard vet and once-and-forever...
    Hardback
    $4699
    Elsewhere:
    $6000
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Project Hail Mary
    Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, the SUNDAY TIMES and NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author of The Martian, offers a gripping new adventure in hard science fiction. With endorsement from notable figures such as Barack Obama and a slew of five-star reviews, this novel promises a thrilling and intellectually stimulating journey. Ryland Grace, a lone astronaut, finds himself on a...
    Paperback
    $2399
    Elsewhere:
    $2400
    (4)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    On Mystic Lake
    One of the greatest storytellers of our time - Delia Owens, author of Where the Crawdads Sing Annie Colwater's only child has just left home for school in England. On that same day, her husband of twenty years confesses that he's in love with a younger woman. Left alone in the beautiful California house which was once a home, Annie...
    Paperback
    $3100
    Elsewhere:
    $3800
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Legacy
    Welcome to Briar U! Get ready for your newest obsession . . . Discover the addictive world of the Off-Campus series from the Queen of Hockey Romance, Elle Kennedy! Read The Legacy now for the much-anticipated answer to the question: Where are they now? Four stories. Four couples. Three years of real life after graduation . . . A wedding....
    Paperback
    $2499
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships today

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.