BEYOND THE THIRTY-NINE STEPS: A Life of John Buchan. [Author SIGNED copy.]

UK,8vo HB+protected dw/dj,author SIGNED,1st edn. [complete number line 2 4 6 8 10 9 7 5 3 1.Ursula Buchan is the grand-daughter of the subject,John Buchan.] MINT/MINT. No owner inscrptn but author's neat handwritten signature - without dedication - to title page and no price-clip to dw/dj.Bright,crisp,clean,wrap-around, matt,white background with subject's contemporary b/w portrit photographic illustrated front of dw/dj with capitalised,whitelettered part-title,other red-lettered sub-title,black-lettered author name and black+red lettered review (Alexander McCall Smith) to front panelof dw/dj; spine/backstrip with capitalised,black-lettered part-title and other red-lettered author name,with publisher's white illustrated Diana logo/colophon to foot of same,rear panel of dw/dj with montage of subject's 3 contemporary biographical b/w photographs,and 6 assorted critics' black+red lettered reviews.Negligible shelf-wear to edges and corners – no nicks,tears or splits present.Top+fore-edges bright crisp,clean without blemish/foxing/spotting ; contents bright,tight,clean,solid and sound – no dog-ear reading creases to any pages' corner tips – appears unread,other than my own collation.Publisher's bright, crisp,clean/unblemished,sharp-cornered,original plain grey cloth boards with bright,crisp,blocked silver gilt lettering to spine/backstrip,a red silk headband,and immaculate plain white endpapers.UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn,2-492pp [paginated] includes author's Introduction,10 chapters and an Afterword,24pp contemporary b/w,sepia photographs and b/w illustrations in 3 blocks of 8pp apiece,between pp152/53,pp248/49 and pp344/45 respectively,Notes,a 19pp Select Bibliography,Acknowledgements,and an Index; plus [unpaginated] half-title,author SIGNED title page,a dedication,a Contents list/table and to the rear,separate Notes on the Author and the Type respectively,plus 8pp blanks. Visually the exterior appearance is exceptional and particularly internally,is also in an exceptional condition/ state of preservation and presentation.It really is an exceptional,exemplary example for its cleanliness, brightness and lack of detracting faults. Ursula Buchan, his granddaughter, has drawn on recently discovered family documents to write this comprehensive and illuminating biography. With perception, style, wit and a penetratingly clear eye, she brings vividly to life this remarkable man and his times. John Buchan's name is known across the world for The Thirty-Nine Steps. In the past hundred years the classic thriller has never been out of print and has inspired numerous adaptations for film, television, radio and stage, beginning with the celebrated version by Alfred Hitchcock.
Yet there was vastly more to 'JB'. He wrote more than a hundred books - fiction and non-fiction - and a thousand articles for newspapers and magazines. He was a scholar, antiquarian, barrister, colonial administrator, journal editor, literary critic, publisher, war correspondent, director of wartime propaganda, member of parliament and imperial proconsul - given a state funeral when he died, a deeply admired and loved Governor-General of Canada.
His teenage years in Glasgow's Gorbals, where his father was the Free Church minister, contributed to his ease with shepherds and ambassadors, fur-trappers and prime ministers. His improbable marriage to a member of the aristocratic Grosvenor family means that this account of his life contains, at its heart, an enduring love story. Please contact seller,for correct shipping/P+p quotes - particularly ALL overseas customers - BEFORE ordering through the order page! N.B. ALL buyers please note, stocks' actual shipping/P+p costs are adjusted and any difference is refunded,after order's receipt and before the order's despatch,especially if the item(s) are offered either P+p included/FREE. **N.B. US/Canada customers please be aware: Standard AIRMAIL postage from UK to these destinations can now cost more than the price of the book! If speed is not of the essence,then Economy rate is recommended - at approx. anything from a 1/3rd to 1/2 of the standard US AIR quote/rate - sometimes arriving sooner than the 42 days - but not always. **