John Buchan(1875-1940) was Governor General of Canada, biographer of Walter Scott and author of adventure thrillers. Featuring the daring exploits of Richard Hannay in the years during and after the First World War, his novels are still widely read today, especially his masterpiece The Thirty Nine Steps. He was born in Scotland, educated at Oxford, assisted in the reconstruction of South Africa after the Boer War and led a life of public service, the experience of which is reflected in the detail of many of his novels. Professor Alistair McCleeryis Director Emeritus of the Scottish Centre for the Book at Edinburgh Napier University. He has published much work on the history of the publishing trade as well as on its contemporary prospects and is the author of over 120 refereed articles and book chapters as well as some 15 books. He has edited and written on Scottish authors from John Buchan to Neil M. Gunn, and he was first Chair of the Universities Committee on Scottish Literature as well as a Council member of the Association for Scottish Literary Studies.