Prester John
John Buchan was born in 1875 in Perth, Scotland, the son of a minister. His passion for the Scottish countryside is reflected in his writing. He was educated at Glasgow University and Brasenose College, Oxford. Called to the Bar in 1901, he became Lord Milner's assistant private secretary in South Africa. In 1907 he was a publisher with Nelson's. In World War I he was a Times correspondent at the Front, an officer in the Intelligence Corps and adviser to the War Cabinet. He was elected Conservative MP in 1927 and was created Baron Tweedsmuir in 1935. From 1935 until his death in 1940 he was Governor General of Canada. Buchan is most famous for his adventure stories. High in romance, these are peopled by a large cast of characters, of which Richard Hannay is his best known. Hannay appears in The Thirty-nine Steps.