No-man's-land

John Buchan (1875-1940), 1st Baron Tweedsmuir, would have filled a respectable page in history even if he had never written a word of fiction. He led a busy and useful life as colonial administrator, barrister, publisher, intelligence officer, historian, Member of Parliament, and finally Governor-General of the Dominion of Canada. But he is best remembered as the author of the prototypical espionage tale, The Thirty-Nine Steps, its sequels, some excellent historical novels, and several memo...