The Thirty-Nine Steps characters

Appears from the start

A Scottish mining engineer recently returned to London after years in southern Africa. Restless with ordinary life, he becomes the only living person who knows of a plot against Britain and must rely on disguise, outdoor skill, quick judgment, and considerable nerve while both the police and foreign agents pursue him.

Appears from the start

An American freelance agent who approaches Hannay with a warning about an international conspiracy. Nervous but resourceful, he has learned that a group of spies plans to murder a visiting statesman and obtain British military secrets, and he believes his enemies have traced him to London.

Appears from the start

The Greek statesman whose planned visit to Britain makes him the target of the conspiracy Scudder has uncovered. His death would serve interests seeking to destabilize Europe.

First appears in chapter 2

An old friend from Hannay's African years, remembered for teaching him how to read terrain, tracks, and small disturbances in the landscape. Hannay repeatedly draws on those lessons while traveling through Scotland.

First appears in chapter 3

A talkative Scottish innkeeper with literary ambitions who gives the fugitive Hannay food, shelter, and a receptive audience. His enthusiasm for adventure makes him willing to help Hannay preserve his disguise.

First appears in chapter 4

A young landowner and aspiring politician whom Hannay meets while Harry is campaigning for a radical cause. He initially takes Hannay for an ordinary traveler but listens when the fugitive explains that the danger concerns national security.

First appears in chapter 5

A man from Hannay's past in southern Africa whose vanity and disreputable history give Hannay leverage when they unexpectedly cross paths. Their encounter supplies Hannay with transport at a critical point in the pursuit.

First appears in chapter 5

A bespectacled road worker who appears to offer Hannay temporary safety after recognizing that he is being hunted. His lonely roadside position and interest in the chase make him a potentially useful ally.

First appears in chapter 6

A cultivated bald man living in a remote house and pursuing antiquarian interests. He receives the exhausted Hannay politely and seems at first to be an eccentric country scholar.

First appears in chapter 7

A senior figure in the British government whom Hannay reaches after escaping his pursuers. Experienced in intelligence and foreign affairs, he takes Scudder's warning seriously enough to test it against official plans.

First appears in chapter 8

A high-ranking naval official involved in a confidential meeting about Britain's defenses. His familiar appearance and manner become important when Hannay realizes that the enemy's methods extend beyond theft and pursuit.