About this item

John Buchan's name is known across the world for The Thirty-Nine Steps. In the past hundred years the classic thriller has never been out of print and has inspired numerous adaptations for film, television, radio and stage, beginning with the celebrated version by Alfred Hitchcock. Yet there was vastly more to 'JB'. He wrote more than a hundred books - fiction and non-fiction - and a thousand articles for newspapers and magazines. He was a scholar, antiquarian, barrister, colonial administrator, journal editor, literary critic, publisher, war correspondent, director of wartime propaganda, member of parliament and imperial proconsul - given a state funeral when he died, a deeply admired and loved Governor-General of Canada.His teenage years in Glasgow's Gorbals, where his father was the Free Church minister, contributed to his ease with shepherds and ambassadors, fur-trappers and prime ministers.



About the Author

Ursula Buchan

Ursula Buchan's latest book, 'Beyond the Thirty-Nine Steps: A Life of John Buchan', who was her grandfather, was published by Bloomsbury in April 2019. It has recently been nominated for an 'Edgar' by the Mystery Writers of America, the winners of which will be announced on April 30th.Ursula is a multi-award-winning author, journalist and lecturer, specialising in social history, gardening, and garden history. She has written 18 books, including 'The English Garden', and 'A Green and Pleasant Land: How England's Gardeners Fought the Second World War'. In 2007, she won the 'Enthusiasts' Book of the Year' from the Garden Media Guild with 'Garden People' (Thames and Hudson) . In 2011, she was named 'Garden Columnist of the Year' for her Gardens column in 'The Spectator'. She gives lectures and illustrated talks. She lives with her husband and two spaniels in Northamptonshire, England. When she is not writing or lecturing, she spends a great deal of time in her large country garden, time that never seems wasted.



Report incorrect product information.