253 pages
English language
Published Jan. 2, 2011 by Vintage Classic.
May 1914. Britain is on the eve of war with Germany. Richard Hannay is living a quiet life in London, but after a chance encounter with a mysterious stranger he stumbles into a hair-raising adventure-desperate hunt across the country and against the clock, pursed by the police and cunning, ruthless enemy. Hannys life and security of Britain are in grave peril, and everything rests on the solution to a baffling enigma: what are the thirty-nine steps?
Fast-paced wartime adventure that's also a fast read. It's only 138 pages long. Our stiff upper lipped hero, Richard Hannay, outwits an international ring of spies and murderers and dastardly foreigners in a very English adventure story. Very much a novel of its time, some of the attitudes are so dated now as to be laughable but, in a way, that adds to the charm of the story. A great escapist read for a rainy afternoon!
