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StoryPDFThe Thirty Nine StepsJohn Buchan

The Thirty Nine Steps

John Buchan

Complete text
NovellaEnglish

Bored with London, Richard Hannay lets a stranger confide a tale of espionage and impending danger. When a murder makes his own position perilous, he flees into Scotland, trying to evade pursuit while working out how much of the warning he should believe.

11 sections40,955 wordsAbout 3 h 6 min
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About The Thirty Nine Steps

Buchan gives the chase momentum through improvised identities, changes of terrain, and repeated tests of whom to trust. Hannay narrates with practical confidence, but the supply of reliable information remains thin. The story rewards readers who enjoy physical movement and rapid inference, as a fugitive's immediate needs intersect with a larger political threat.

Reading focus

Follow a fast-moving escape through Scotland where disguise, uncertain allies, and fragmentary intelligence turn a murder accusation into a spy adventure.

This reading edition contains 40,955 words in 11 original sections. Read the text online with adjustable type and three colour themes, or keep a printable PDF.

Author: John Buchan. Language: English. Reading edition: 28 October 2026.

Opening excerpt

TO THOMAS ARTHUR NELSON (LOTHIAN AND BORDER HORSE)

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Contents

All sections
  1. Dedication to Thomas Arthur Nelson1 min
  2. Chapter I. The Man Who Died22 min
  3. Chapter II. The Milkman Sets Out on his Travels12 min
  4. Chapter III. The Adventure of the Literary Innkeeper21 min
  5. Chapter IV. The Adventure of the Radical Candidate20 min
  6. Chapter V. The Adventure of the Spectacled Roadman17 min
  7. Chapter VI. The Adventure of the Bald Archaeologist28 min
  8. Chapter VII. The Dry-Fly Fisherman19 min
  9. Chapter VIII. The Coming of the Black Stone14 min
  10. Chapter IX. The Thirty-Nine Steps12 min
  11. Chapter X. Various Parties Converging on the Sea25 min

Reading & download help

Is this the complete The Thirty Nine Steps?

This edition contains the complete English literary text, with 11 sections and 40,955 words. This reading edition preserves the checked English text and its section order. No study notes have been added.

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A4 is designed for 210 × 297 mm paper; US Letter for 8.5 × 11 inch paper. Both contain the same complete text, selectable text and section bookmarks.

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