Description

“STORMED THE READING WORLD WITH ITS COMBINATION OF EXCITEMENT AND SENSATION”: FIRST EDITION OF THE THIRTY-NINE STEPS, IN VERY SCARCE ORIGINAL DUST JACKET

BUCHAN, John. The Thirty-Nine Steps. Edinburgh and London: William Blackwood and Sons, 1915. Small octavo, original blue cloth, original dust jacket. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. 

First edition of one of the first modern spy novels, the basis for several celebrated BBC radio productions and three films, including one directed by Alfred Hitchcock. This copy in the very scarce original dust jacket.

Buchan is best remembered “for his adventure stories, which he termed ‘shockers,’ most of which feature a recurring group of interconnected heroes; the first, which introduces Hannay, is The Thirty-Nine Steps, written while convalescing at Broadstairs” (Stringer, 98). Upon its publication, The Thirty-Nine Steps “fairly stormed the reading world with its combination of excitement and sensation, written as only a master of English can write” (DNB). “No wise reader… will ignore such deservedly outstanding favorites as the Richard Hannay stories” (Haycraft, 157). “Hannay’s novels are some of the finest examples of the novel of intrigue” (Reilly, 218). This novel was subsequently turned into three movie versions, the most famous of which was directed by Alfred Hitchcock and hailed as “the most original, literate and entertaining melodrama of 1935” (New York Times). Steinbrunner & Penzler, 51-52. Hubin, 56.

Interior clean, mild toning to spine, book near-fine. Expert restoration and cleaning to very scarce original dust jacket, with portion of spine head only (“The Thirty-Nine”) replaced in facsimile, extremely good, front and rear panels quite bright. A lovely and most desirable copy.