“The Only Task For A Man”: Men and Manhood In John Buchan’s Richard Hannay Novels

Back in June John Crompton gave a talk about John Buchan’s novels for our event on the ‘Sagas, Serials and Sequels’ of the early twentieth century. Many thanks to John for sending me his full script to post here. From John’s talk: Why did I choose the topic of “men and manhood”? In the 1950s … Continue reading →

Prester John by John Buchan (1910)

Review by Mary P: As a boy the hero and narrator of the novel, David Crawfurd, sees a black man, the Reverend John Laputa, preach at his local kirk. When later David goes to South Africa to take up work as an  storekeeper he meets this same preacher on the boat, as well as a … Continue reading →

The Island of Sheep by John Buchan (1936)

This is the last of the Richard Hannay novels. The series runs: The Thirty-Nine Steps (1915), Greenmantle (1916), Mr Standfast (1919), The Three Hostages (1924), The Courts of the Morning (1929), The Island of Sheep (1936). Review by David R: The Island of the title is situated somewhere North of Scotland. Probably based on an island … Continue reading →

The Three Hostages by John Buchan (1924)

Review by David R: This is the fourth of Buchan’s novels to feature Richard Hannay. The action is set around 1921. After The Great War, Hannay has married Mary Lamington, (Mr. Standfast) and settled into a manor house, where he is quite content to live the life of the country squire. However, one day he … Continue reading →

Mr Standfast by John Buchan (1919)

Here’s another of John Buchan’s Richard Hannay novels. The series runs: The Thirty-Nine Steps (1915); Greenmantle (1916); Mr Standfast (1919); The Three Hostages (1924); The Island of Sheep (1936). Review by David R: As with “Greenmantle”, this is very much a novel of its time. Germans are occasionally referred to as “The Boche” and there … Continue reading →

The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan (1915)

This is John Buchan’s first ‘shocker’. He dedicated the book to his friend and business partner Thomas Nelson (of Thomas Nelson Publishing): My dear Tommy, You and I have long cherished an affection for that elementary type of tale which Americans call the ‘dime novel’ and which we know as the ‘shocker’ – the romance where the … Continue reading →

Greenmantle by John Buchan (1916)

This month we have also read the Richard Hannay novels by John Buchan. Responses were very mixed! Some thought the later novels inferior to the first, The Thirty-Nine Steps (1915), others thought them a rollicking read! The five Hannay novels are: The Thirty-Nine Steps (1915); Greenmantle (1916); Mr Standfast (1919); The Three Hostages (1924); The … Continue reading →

The Path of the King by John Buchan (1921)

Review by Helen C: An ingenious and unusual book by a master storyteller, based on the suggestion, made to the author in a discussion with friends, that great leaders or creative geniuses may seem to arise from humble backgrounds, but who knows whether they have descended from great men or rulers in the distant past, … Continue reading →