The Thirty-Nine Steps: Authorised Edition

Exciting, but of its time

I've been meaning to read this book for years, having sat through the film versions on several occasions and wondering what the original source was like. It turns out it's very different.
Stylistically, it's similar to several similar books I've read from the same period, most closely to Rogue Male which also deals with someone hiding from those hunting for him. Rogue Male is better - Steps is more at the pulpy end of the spectrum. The character of Hannay is not entirely likeable, possessing a view of Jews and foreigners that grates but is characteristic of the period. As with other books of this vintage the dialogue is a bit overblown, and there are some remarkable coincidences (he meets an old acquaintance in the wilds of Scotland and then again later in London).
But it's a ripping yarn, a quick read, and a taste of a period where these tales were lapped up.