25. The Thirty-Nine Steps: The First James Bond

Jul 27, 2026 1h 13m

About this episode

How did the First World War inspire The 39 Steps? Why did John Buchan set the novel in Scotland? And, is the dashing protagonist Richard Hannay, a model for later Spy heroes? Join Dominic Sandbrook and Tabitha Syrett as they delve into the fascinating story behind the writing of The 39 Steps, and the world it was born of. Email us: ⁠⁠thebookclub@goalhanger.com⁠⁠ For analysis, book recommendations and more, sign up to our newsletter, Book Club Notes, introduced weekly by Tabby or Dominic. Sign up at: https://www.thebookclubhq.com/&nbsp; Instagram: ⁠⁠@bookclubpodhq⁠⁠ TikTok: ⁠⁠@thebookclubpodhq⁠⁠ X: ⁠⁠@bookclubpodhq⁠⁠ YouTube: ⁠⁠@TheBookClubPodHQ⁠⁠ Senior Producer: Nicole Maslen Assistant Producer: Alfie Norris Social Producer: Harry Balden Video Editors:&nbsp; Lorcan Moullier & Joe Pettit Executive Producer: Dom Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Podcast episodes are one of the highest-density ways to absorb English at native pace. 25. The Thirty-Nine Steps: The First James Bond from The Book Club gives you natural dialogue, unscripted speech, and vocabulary that actually appears in real conversations.

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