John Buchan — The Thirty-Nine Steps

Edinburgh & London, William Blackwood & Sons, 1939 . Cloth. An uncommon film tie-in edition of John Buchan's famous "man-on-the-run" thriller, published following Hitchcock's 1935 film adaptation of the book, in the original unclipped pictorial dust wrapper. The nineteenth impression of this novel, which was first published serially in All-Story Weekly in June 1915, and in Blackwood's Magazine between July and September 1915. It was then first published as a book during the October of the same year. In the original unclipped pictorial dust wrapper.The wrapper describes this work as "The Book of the Film", referring to the 1935 film adaption of the novel directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Friedrich Robert Donat. Hitchcock's adaptation was deemed a "masterpiece" by Orson Welles and was rated the fourth best British film of the twentieth century by British Film Institute in 1999. Uncommon in the earlier issue dust wrapper priced at 1/- shilling, with the later 2/- shilling dust wrapper more common.The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan is a suspenseful novel which follows the stiff-upper-lipped Richard Hannay as he attempts to evade the same fate as a man called Scudder who is murdered in his flat. This work is one of the earliest examples of the "man-on-the-run" trope which became a standard trope of many thrillers since. In the publisher's original cloth binding, with unclipped dust wrapper. A touch of shelf wear to back strip tail, otherwise externally fine. Dust wrapper back strip age toned, with losses of paper to back strip head and tail. Small closed tear to centre of fold over rear joint. Minor closed tear to rear wrap tail, otherwise externally fine. Internally, firmly bound. Pages lightly age toned to perimeters, but clean. Very Good Indeed . Ill.: None. Very Good Indeed/Very Good.