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John Burnet of Barns

by John Buchan

ISBN: 9781846970733
Imprint: Polygon
Publication Date: Aug 2008
Format: Paperback
Price: £7.99
Stock Status: in stock

'Buchan showed the way. His pace and drive always spelled adventure, always writ large.' – Graham Greene

John Burnet of Barns was Buchan’s first fully realised, full-length work of fiction. It tells the story of two young noblemen – John Burnet, heir to the ancient house of Barns the last in a long line of Border reivers, and his cousin, Captain Gilbert Burnet, a dashing, ruthless soldier. Their lifelong rivalry results in treachery, betrayal and a desperate struggle for survival.

One of Alfred Hitchcock’s favourite writers, John Buchan was a Scottish diplomat, barrister, journalist, historian, poet and novelist. He published nearly 30 novels and seven collections of short stories. He was born in Perth, an eldest son, and studied at Glasgow and Oxford. In 1901 he became a barrister of the Middle Temple and a private secretary to the High Commissioner for South Africa. In 1907 he married Susan Charlotte Grosvenor and they subsequently had four children. After spells as a war correspondent, Lloyd George’s Director of Information and Conservative MP, Buchan moved to Canada in 1935. He served as Governor General there until his death in 1940.

Sir Thomas Dalyell Loch of The Binns, 11^th Baronet – better known as Tam Dalyell – was an MP in the House of Commons from 1962 to 2005, first for West Lothian and then for Linlithgow. He became Father of the House after the 2001 General Election, was a Member of the European Parliament from 1975 to 1979 and a member of the Labour National Executive from 1986 to 1987 for the Campaign group.

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