1938 The Adventures of Sir Edward Leithen by John Buchan First Collected Edition
 
Title & Bibliographic Details
Title: The Adventures of Sir Edward Leithen
Author: John Buchan
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Printer: The Camelot Press
Place of Publication: London
Date: 1938
Edition: First collected edition
Format: Publisher’s original decorated cloth binding
 
Edition Statement 
This volume represents the first collected edition (1938) bringing together the principal Sir Edward Leithen adventures in a single omnibus volume.
The individual novels originally appeared separately between 1916 and 1932, but this was their first appearance together under the unified Leithen title sequence.
Included works:
The Power-House (1916) 
John Macnab (1925) 
The Dancing Floor (1926) 
The Gap in the Curtain (1932) 
plus “Sing a Song of Sixpence” from The Runagates Club 
 
Illustrations & Maps
This substantial omnibus includes two notable maps:
The Island of Plakos as seen from the North 
Map to illustrate The Doings of John Macnab 
These enhance the travel-adventure realism characteristic of Buchan’s fiction.
 
Literary Context
John Buchan is best remembered today for creating Richard Hannay in The Thirty-Nine Steps, but Sir Edward Leithen represents a more reflective and intellectually complex protagonist.
Leithen appears across several novels exploring:
political intrigue 
psychological tension 
imperial-era travel settings 
metaphysical speculation 
interwar British identity 
This omnibus forms one of the most convenient and desirable collected presentations of the sequence.
 
Binding & Exterior Condition
Bound in the publisher’s original light cloth boards with coloured borders and blue and black lettering to the front board and spine.
Condition includes:
light marking and mild discolouration to cloth 
gentle rubbing to corners 
light bumping to extremities 
binding remains structurally sound and attractive 
no dust jacket present 
 
Interior Condition
Internally the volume is complete and well preserved.
Features include:
pages lightly tanned as expected 
tanning to pastedowns and endpapers 
no pen or pencil inscriptions present 
light crinkling to preliminary leaves 
occasional very small edge tears not affecting text 
pages remain secure throughout 
light crack beside title page 
further crack between pages 1012–1013 
otherwise, clean and highly readable 
Collation confirmed:
ix + 1013 pages complete
Maps present as issued.
 
Physical Details
Pagination: ix + 1013 pages
Maps: 2
Binding: publisher’s decorated cloth
Dimensions: approx. 19 × 13.6 × 4.5 cm
Weight: approx. 944 g
 
About the Author 
John Buchan (1875–1940) was a Scottish novelist, historian, and statesman who later became Governor General of Canada. Best known for his adventure fiction and espionage thrillers, he combined political insight with fast-paced narrative and helped shape the modern adventure genre.