History Creator / JohnBuchan

* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: At the conclusion of ''Witch Wood'', Mark Kerr delivers one to the ministers and villagers of Woodilee about how badly they treated their minister.

Several of his novels are set during UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, most notably ''Literature/{{Greenmantle}}'' and ''Literature/MrStandfast'' (the former was published in 1916 and -- somewhat surprisingly -- features a sympathetic portrayal of the Kaiser). Buchan rose to become the British Government's Director of Information during that war, and also wrote a 24-volume history of it which began while it was still in progress.

** ''Sir Quixote of the Moors'' (1895)
** ''John Burnet of Barns'' (1898)
** ''A Lost Lady of Years'' (1899)

** ''A Prince of the Captivity'' (1933)
* Short stories
** ''The Watcher by the Threshold'' (1902)
** ''The Moon Endureth'' (1912)
** ''The Runagates Club'' (1928)
** These three books are long out of print; some of Buchan's short stories have since been republished under titles like ''The Best Short Stories of John Buchan'' and ''The Strange Adventures of Mr Andrew Hawthorn & Other Stories'', while they also appear in various short story anthologies.

** ''The Watcher by the Threshold'' (1902) -- short stories

** ''The Moon Endureth'' (1912) -- short stories and poetry

** ''The Runagates Club'' (1928) -- short stories

* Various short stories have been republished under titles like ''The Best Short Stories of John Buchan'' and ''The Strange Adventures of Mr Andrew Hawthorn & Other Stories'', and various short story anthologies.

** ''The Power-House'' (1916; originally written and serialised in 1913)

** ''Sick Heart River'' (1941; published posthumously)

* Various short stories have been republished under titles like ''The Best Short Stories of John Buchan'' and ''The Strange Adventures of Mr Andrew Hawthorn & Other Stories''

John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir, GCMG GCVO CH PC DL (26 August 1875 -- 11 February 1940) was a Scottish novelist, historian and politician. Today, he is best known as the author of ''Literature/TheThirtyNineSteps'', the second of his then-contemporary [[{{Thriller}} thrillers]] (or 'shockers' as he called them). A prolific writer, he was the author of 28 novels and over 50 works of non-fiction. Despite ill health, in addition to his literary career he was also at various times a diplomat, a barrister, a journalist, the director of a publishing company, a wartime propagandist (rising to the position of Director of Information for the British government in the First World War) and a Member of Parliament before being appointed to be the 15th Governor General of UsefulNotes/{{Canada}} (for which he was ennobled on the insistence of George V), a position he held from 1935 until his death in 1940. As Governor General, Buchan was enthusiastic about literacy and the development of Canadian culture. After his death, he received a state funeral in Canada before his ashes were returned to the United Kingdom. His posthumously-published autobiography, ''Memory Hold-the-Door'' (''Pilgrim's Way'' in the USA), is said to have been [[UsefulNotes/JohnFKennedy JFK]]'s favourite book.

John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir, GCMG GCVO CH PC DL (26 August 1875 – 11 February 1940) was a Scottish novelist, historian and politician. Today, he is best known as the author of ''Literature/TheThirtyNineSteps'', the second of his then-contemporary [[{{Thriller}} thrillers]] - or 'shockers' as he called them. A prolific writer, he was the author of 28 novels and over 50 works of non-fiction. Despite ill health, in addition to his literary career he was also at various times a diplomat, a barrister, a journalist, the director of a publishing company, a wartime propagandist (rising to the position of Director of Information for the British government in the First World War) and a Member of Parliament before being appointed to be the 15th Governor General of UsefulNotes/{{Canada}} (for which he was ennobled on the insistence of George V), a position he held from 1935 until his death in 1940. As Governor General, Buchan was enthusiastic about literacy and the development of Canadian culture. After his death, he received a state funeral in Canada before his ashes were returned to the United Kingdom. His posthumously-published autobiography, ''Memory Hold-the-Door'' (''Pilgrim's Way'' in the USA), is said to have been [[UsefulNotes/JohnFKennedy JFK]]'s favourite book.

Several of his novels are set during UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, most notably ''Greenmantle'' and ''Mr Standfast'' (the former was published in 1916 and -- somewhat surprisingly -- features a sympathetic portrayal of the Kaiser). Buchan rose to become the British Government's Director of Information during that war, and also wrote a 24-volume history of it which began while it was still in progress.

** ''Literature/TheThirtyNineSteps'' (1915) -- the wiki page for this novel covers the sequels as well
** ''Greenmantle'' (1916)
** ''Mr Standfast'' (1919)
** ''The Three Hostages'' (1924)
** ''The Island of Sheep'' (1936)

** ''The Courts of the Morning'' (1929)

** Richard Hannay stops being this after he meets Mary Lamington in ''Mr Standfast'' (they're happily married by the start of Hannay's next adventure, ''The Three Hostages'').
** Sandy Arbuthnot, having resisted the charms of [[TheBaroness Hilda von Einem]] in ''Greenmantle'', is this until he meets Barbara Dasent in ''The Courts of the Morning''.

* Various short stories have been republished under titles like ''The Best Short Stories of John Buchan: Volume One'' and ''The Strange Adventures of Mr Andrew Hawthorn & Other Stories''

* YouMeddlingKids: The Gorbals Die-Hards, who provide invaluable assistance to Dickson [=McCunn=] in his adventures.

* CharacterOverlap: Many of Buchan's novels -- those set in the (then) present day at least -- occupy the same universe. Sir Edward Leithen and Richard Hannay, his two most frequent protagonists, are both members of the same gentlemen's club -- which gives its name to ''The Runagates Club'', a collection of short stories which is the only book to feature both characters. Leithen encounters Hannay's friend Archie Roylance in ''John Macnab'', and Archie in turn works with Dickson [=McCunn=] in ''Huntingtower'' and ''The House of the Four Winds''.

** ''Literature/TheThirtyNineSteps'' (1915) [the wiki page covers the sequels as well]

** ''Literature/TheThirtyNineSteps'' (1915)

* ActionDad: Richard Hannay in ''The Island of Sheep'' - he's accompanied by his son, Peter John. In the same novel, Valdemar Haraldsen is also this as his daughter Anna is involved. [[spoiler: Haraldsen actually becomes TheBerserker when he single-handedly captures the main villain and ''throws him off a cliff''.]]
* AgeGapRomance: When Richard Hannay meets Mary Lamington in ''Mr Standfast'', he's approaching forty and she's under twenty. Hannay is somewhat self-conscious about the age gap, but nobody regards it as a serious obstacle. Similarly, Sandy Arbuthnot is about twenty years older than Barbara Dasent in ''The Courts of the Morning''.
* AuthorAvatar: Like Buchan himself, Sir Edward Leithen, the protagonist of five novels, is a Scottish barrister and MP who moves in high society circles and enjoys fly fishing (that said, Leithen enjoys considerably better health - until ''Sick Heart River'', that is). On a lesser note, the American spymaster John S. Blenkiron is afflicted by a duodenal ulcer - something from which Buchan himself suffered for many years - in ''Greenmantle''; by the the events of ''Mr Standfast'', he's had an operation to relieve him of this ailment (sadly, the same was never true for his creator).
* BondVillainStupidity: Perhaps unsurprising, given that Creator/IanFleming was a fan of Buchan. In particular, the villains in ''Mr Standfast'' and ''The Three Hostages'' have ample opportunities to do away with Richard Hannay but opt not to do so. [[spoiler: In the former, Hannay is put into a DeathTrap ''without being relieved of his gun''.]]

* TheChessmaster: As [[TheSpymaster spy chiefs]], Sir Walter Bullivant and John S. Blenkiron qualify. [[DiabolicalMastermind Villains]] like Hilda von Einem (''Greenmantle'') and Dominick Medina (''The Three Hostages'') also count.

** In that novel, Richard Hannay visits a house that, of all the houses in the Scottish Lowlands, just happens to be the one that the spies are renting. [[spoiler:Furthermore, the [[LockingMacGyverInTheStoreCupboard room they lock him]] in just happens to have explosives in the cupboard. Hannay, of course, is a mining engineer and so knows how to use them safely in order to effect his escape.]]
** In ''Greenmantle'', it just so happens that Hannay is in Lisbon at the same time as his old friend Peter Pienaar, who is more than willing to join him on his mission.
** At the start of ''The Island of Sheep'', Hannay recalls an old acquaintance, Lombard (who he hasn't seen for years), after hearing his name mentioned in a speech. Guess who's in the same compartment as Hannay on the train home?

** Hilda von Einem in ''Greenmantle''. She's brilliant, ruthless and [[MoreDeadlyThanTheMale more dangerous than any of the male antagonists]]. Blenkiron is of the opinion that a man would not have been able to achieve what she has done.
** Otto von Schwabing in ''Mr Standfast'' - the German spy and MasterOfDisguise [[spoiler: (two other characters, the pacifist leader Moxon Ivery and the American journalist Clarence Donne, are actually his aliases)]], who is plotting to undermine the British war effort.
** Dominick Medina in ''The Three Hostages'' is a [[VillainWithGoodPublicity well-known and respected public figure]] who's also the head of an international crime syndicate.
* EverybodySmokes: It even helps Richard Hannay, as he grabs some pipe tobacco from the jar in his flat before leaving for Scotland in ''The Thirty-Nine Steps'', [[spoiler: only to find that that's where Scudder hid his notebook before being killed]].
* FictionalCounterpart: A few...
** The garden city of Biggleswick, which Hannay visits while working undercover in ''Mr Standfast'', is based on Letchworth in Hertfordshire.
** Olifa, the fictional South American country in ''The Courts of the Morning'', is based on Peru.
** More obviously, the Norland Islands in ''The Island of Sheep'' are the Faroe Islands.

* FourStarBadass: Richard Hannay, who is commissioned as a Captain at the start of the First World War and ends it as a Major-General with [[UsefulNotes/BritishHonours knighthood]] and a ChestOfMedals.

* GentlemanAdventurer: Richard Hannay, particularly in ''The Thirty-Nine Steps''.

* HeroicSelfDeprecation: Hannay indulges in this when talking with Bullivant about his experiences on the Western Front in ''Greenmantle'':
--> 'I believe I've got a good chance. I'm not in this show for honour and glory, though. I want to do the best I can, but I wish to heaven it was over. All I think of is coming out of it with a whole skin.'
--> He laughed. 'You do yourself an injustice. What about the forward observation post at the Lone Tree? You forgot about the whole skin then.'
--> I felt myself getting red. 'That was all rot,' I said, 'and I can't think who told you about it. I hated that job, but I had to do it to prevent my subalterns going to glory. They were a lot of fire-eating young lunatics. If I had sent one of them he'd have gone on his knees and asked Providence for trouble.'
* HistoricalDomainCharacter: Most famously, Kaiser Wilhelm II gets a sympathetic portrayal when he briefly meets Richard Hannay in ''Greenmantle'' (all the more impressive when you consider that that book was published ''during'' the First World War). There's more of this in Buchan's historical novels...

* HuntingAccident: Attempted in ''The Three Hostages'' as a means of getting rid of Richard Hannay. [[spoiler: It doesn't work.]]
* IGaveMyWord: In ''The Island of Sheep'', Hannay gets involved in the action because, long ago, he swore an oath to Marius Haraldsen that he would protect his son.
* ImmuneToMindControl: Hannay is naturally resistant to being hypnotised, which stands him in good stead against the BigBads of ''Greenmantle'' and ''The Three Hostages'', both of whom use hypnotism on people they want to control.
* ImprovisationalIngenuity: Richard Hannay is good at the Limited Time flavour of this. There are several occasions, particularly in ''The Thirty-Nine Steps'', when he just goes for an IndyPloy.
* LampshadeHanging: No doubt realising that most of the people who enjoyed his 'shockers' would probably not appreciate his more serious non-fiction, Buchan wrote the following foreword to ''The Three Hostages'':
--> Dedication to a young gentleman of Eton College [[note]]Buchan's eldest son was a pupil at Eton at the time. Coincidentally, so was Creator/IanFleming.[[/note]]
--> Honoured sir,
--> On your last birthday a well-meaning godfather presented you with a volume of mine, since you had been heard on occasion to express approval of my works. The book dealt with a somewhat arid branch of historical research, and it did not please you. You wrote to me, I remember, complaining that I had 'let you down', and summoning me, as I valued your respect, to 'pull myself together'. In particular you demanded to hear more of the doings of Richard Hannay, a gentleman for whom you professed a liking. I, too, have a liking for Sir Richard, and when I met him the other day (he is now a country neighbour), I observed that his left hand had been considerably mauled, an injury which I knew had not been due to the war. He was so good as to tell me the tale of an unpleasant business in which he had recently been engaged, and to give me permission to retell it for your benefit ... So I herewith present it to you, in the hope that in the eyes of you and your friends it may atone for certain other writings of mine with which you have been afflicted by those in authority.
--> J.B.
--> June 1924
* LazyAlias: Richard Hannay usually averts this when working under cover, but sometimes he slips up. Having used the pseudonym 'Cornelius Brandt' in ''Greenmantle'', he opts for the almost-identical 'Cornelius Brand' in ''Mr Standfast''.
* MasterOfDisguise: Sandy Arbuthnot. On more than one occasion, Hannay - a close friend - meets him while he's in disguise and ''has no idea'' that it's him. Quite a few of the villains count as well - especially Otto von Schwabing, one of the German spies in ''The Thirty-Nine Steps'' who goes on to be the BigBad in ''Mr Standfast''. Hannay's friend Peter Pienaar and at times Hannay himself also have their moments.
* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: In ''The Courts of the Morning'', Sandy Arbuthnot's physical appearance is very similar to that of UsefulNotes/TELawrence (which it had not been in earlier novels like ''Greenmantle''). Lawrence was a friend of Buchan's, although they only met after the First World War.

* ProphecyTwist: ''Greenmantle'' revolves around a foretelling that a great Islamic prophet will reveal himself to the people at a time when they are in great need. The villains are trying to set up a puppet prophet to gain influence over the Islamic world in the hope of using this to destabilise the British Empire. [[spoiler: Sandy, who has infiltrated the villains' operation undercover, gets picked to be the false prophet after the original candidate dies. Subsequently, he escapes wearing the full prophetic regalia to forestall the fake revelation. Later, after the villains are defeated and the Russian forces have, with the heroes' help, won the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erzurum_Offensive Battle of Erzerum]], the heroes go to join the army heading into the city, with Sandy in particular so keen to join in that he doesn't bother to change out of the regalia. Observing the reaction of the defeated Turks as Sandy rides past with soldiers from the conquering army,]] Hannay observes that the prophecy has technically been fulfilled: "Greenmantle had appeared at last to an awaiting people."
* RefugeInAudacity: The Black Stone spy-ring in ''Literature/TheThirtyNineSteps'' are Germans trying to steal Britain's war plans. [[spoiler: One of them is able to successfully disguise himself as the First Sea Lord (the professional head of the Royal Navy, no less) and attend a high-level government meeting; it's only by chance that Hannay is present when he's leaving the meeting and recognises him.]]
* RetiredBadass: Richard Hannay is called out of his comfortable semi-retirement for the events of ''The Three Hostages'' and ''The Island of Sheep''.

* ShoutOut: The literary innkeeper in ''The Thirty-Nine Steps'' describes Hannay's story as "pure [[Creator/HRiderHaggard Rider Haggard]] and [[Creator/ArthurConanDoyle Conan Doyle]]".
** ''Mr Standfast'' can be seen as one big shout-out to ''The Pilgrim's Progress'' by John Bunyan - Hannay uses a copy of that book to decipher coded messages throughout the story, and the title refers to a character from it.

* StiffUpperLip: Richard Hannay and friends, so very much.
* VillainWithGoodPublicity: Dominick Medina in ''The Three Hostages''. Even Hannay can't quite believe that he's bad at first.
* WeHardlyKnewYe: Scudder, the freelance spy who Hannay agrees to let stay in his flat at the start of ''The Thirty-Nine Steps'', is dead by the end of the first chapter.
* WouldHurtAChild: Dominick Medina, the BigBad of ''The Three Hostages'' - for one of the titular hostages that he is holding prisoner is a small boy. Hannay, who has previously [[RefusalOfTheCall refused to help out]] with the hostage situation, is only persuaded to get involved after he meets with the boy's father. This leads him to think about how he'd feel if it were his own son, and realise that he won't be able to live with himself if he doesn't try.
* WouldNotShootACivilian: Taken to extremes by Richard Hannay. At one point in ''Mr Standfast'', Hannay has an opportunity to shoot the BigBad - but, because he's in a crowded location and ''has got his back to him'', he declines.

* UsefulNotes/WorldWarI: The setting for several novels, most notably ''Greenmantle'' and ''Mr Standfast'' (the former was published in 1916 and - somewhat surprisingly - features a sympathetic portrayal of the Kaiser). Buchan rose to become the British Government's Director of Information during that war, and also wrote a 24-volume history of it which began while it was still in progress.

* SharedUniverse: Many of Buchan's novels - those set in the (then) present day at least - occupy the same universe. Sir Edward Leithen and Richard Hannay, his two most frequent protagonists, are both members of the same gentlemen's club - which gives its name to ''The Runagates Club'', a collection of short stories which is the only book to feature both characters. Leithen encounters Hannay's friend Archie Roylance in ''John Macnab'', and Archie in turn works with Dickson [=McCunn=] in ''Huntingtower'' and ''The House of the Four Winds''.

* UsefulNotes/WorldWarI: The setting for several novels, most notably ''Greenmantle'' and ''Mr Standfast'' (the former was published in 1916 and - somewhat surprisingly - features a sympathetic portrayal of the Kaiser). Buchan rose to become the British Government's Director of Information during that war, and also wrote a 24-volume history of it which began while it was still in progress.

* HaveAGayOldTime: Given that he was writing in the early twentieth century, Buchan has his moments - most notably, the fact that Richard Hannay is known to his friends as 'Dick'. One of his novels (first published in 1930) is actually called ''Castle Gay''.

* HaveAGayOldTime: Given that he was writing in the early twentieth century, Buchan has his moments. One of his novels (first published in 1930) is actually called ''Castle Gay''.

* GenteelInterbellumSetting: Something of a given, since most of Buchan's novels - the contemporary ones, that is - were written in the 1920s and 1930s, in addition to which most of his characters tend to move in high society. Most notably, the events of ''The Gap in the Curtain'' begin at a country house party.

* GenteelInterbellumSetting: Something of a given, since most of Buchan's novels - the contemporary ones, that is - were written during the Inter-War Period and most of his characters tend to move in high society. Most notably, the events of ''The Gap in the Curtain'' begin at a country house party.

BondVillainStupidity: Perhaps unsurprising, given that Creator/IanFleming was a fan of Buchan. In particular, the villains in ''Mr Standfast'' and ''The Three Hostages'' have ample opportunities to do away with Richard Hannay but opt not to do so. [[spoiler: In the former, Hannay is put into a DeathTrap ''without being relieved of his gun''.]]

RetiredBadass: Richard Hannay is called out of his comfortable semi-retirement for the events of ''The Three Hostages'' and ''The Island of Sheep''.
* {{Ruritania}}: In ''The House of the Four Winds'', Dickson [=McCunn=] and others visit a Central European country called Evallonia.

BondVillainStupidity: Perhaps unsurprising, given that Creator/IanFleming was a fan of Buchan. In particular, the villains in ''Mr Standfast'' and ''The Three Hostages'' have ample opportunities to do away with Richard Hannay but opt not to do so. [[spoiler: In the former, Hannay is put in what amounts to a DeathTrap ''without being relieved of his gun''.]]

** Otto von Schwabing in ''Mr Standfast'' - the German spy and MasterOfDisguise [[spoiler: (two other characters, the pacifist leader Moxon Ivery and the American journalist Clarence Donne, are actually his aliases)]], who is plotting to use the pacifist movement to undermine the British war effort. [[spoiler: His physical cowardice precludes him from MagnificentBastard status.]]
** Dominick Medina in ''The Three Hostages'' is a [[VillainWithGoodPublicity well-known and respected public figure]] who's also the head of an international crime syndicate. [[spoiler: It's only when he personally tries to get rid of Hannay that the latter realises that he is in fact the BigBad.]]