The Thirty-Nine Steps [39]

145 pp. Color frontispiece, line drawings, by Edward Ardizzone. Richard Hannay, a restless hero, is set to show the integrity of the ordinary man who stands in defence of his country. Buchan's terrific yarn excelled as a Hitchcock movie of the same name, and inspired all subsequent spy thrillers, including the much later incarnation of Fleming's suave James Bond. The book plays on fears of invasion, and turns the simple view of good versus evil into a page-turning adventure for the ages.