Published near the beginning of World War I "The Thirty-Nine Steps" is one of the earliest examples of the 'man-on-the-run' thriller archetype in which the author, John Buchan, holds up Richard Hannay as an example to his readers of an ordinary man who puts his country's interests before his own safety. Movie-maker Alfred Hitchcock was the first director to see the potential appeal of this novel, which has been made into four movies and a play. * * * "The Thirty-Nine Steps" * * * It is May 1914 and Europe is close to war with spies everywhere. Richard Hannay has just returned to London from Rhodesia in order to begin a new life, when a spy called Franklin P. Scudder calls on him for help. Scudder reveals that he has uncovered a German plot to murder the Greek Premier and steal British plans for the outbreak of war. Scudder claims to be following a ring of German spies called The Black Stone. A few days later, Hannay returns to his flat to find Scudder murdered. If Hannay goes to the police, he will be arrested for Scudder's murder. Hannay decides to continue Scudder's work and his adventure begins, pursued by both the spies and the police. * * * "Greenmantle" * * * Greenmantle continues the adventures of Richard Hannay as he is called in to investigate rumors of an uprising in the Muslim world, and undertakes a perilous journey through enemy territory to meet up with his friend Sandy in Constantinople. Once there, he and his friends must thwart the Germans' plans to use religion to help them win the war. * * * "Mr. Standfast" * * * Mr. Standfast is set in the later years of World War I, Richard Hannay, now a Brigadier-General, is recalled from active service on the Western Front to undertake a secret mission hunting for a dangerous German agent at large in Britain. He is forced to work undercover disguised as a pacifist, roaming the country incognito to investigate the deadly spy and his agents.