The Thirty-Nine Steps

Richard Hannay, a colonial mining engineer recently returned to London, is bored with English life until a chance encounter with a mysterious American neighbor plunges him into a world of international intrigue. The stranger, Franklin Scudder, claims to have uncovered a plot to assassinate the Greek Premier and trigger a European war, and he is soon found murdered in Hannay's flat. Fearing both the police and the conspirators, Hannay flees to the Scottish moors, pursued by spies and assassins. With only Scudder's cryptic notes as a guide, he must evade capture and decipher the clues to prevent a catastrophe. A classic espionage thriller that defined the genre, filled with narrow escapes and a relentless chase.

A public-domain text edition with newly prepared typography and a typographic cover. Original printed illustrations are not reproduced.