Greenmantle vs The Thirty-Nine Steps: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Hannay, Richard Hannay, World War I, Intelligence service, World War, Great Britain

Greenmantle John Buchan · 1915 ★★★★☆ 3.7 243 pages · ≈ 4 h 30 m · Challenging

In Greenmantle (1916) Richard Hannay, hero of The Thirty-Nine Steps, travels across war-torn Europe in search of a German plot and an Islamic Messiah. He is joined by three more of Buchan's heroes: Peter Pienaar, the…

Guerre mondiale Secret service Classic Literature Mystery

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The Thirty-Nine Steps John Buchan · 1915 ★★★★☆ 3.6 104 pages · ≈ 1 h 56 m · Challenging

Richard Hannay has just returned to England after years in South Africa and is thoroughly bored with his life in London. But then a murder is committed in his flat, just days after a chance encounter with an American…

1 film adaptation

Textbooks for foreign speakers Fugitives from justice Secret societies English language

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Side by side

The verdict

Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
The Thirty-Nine Steps is the quickest read — about 1 hours vs 4 for Greenmantle.
The Thirty-Nine Steps has the widest readership — 48698 ratings behind its score.

How to choose

Want a one-evening read? The Thirty-Nine Steps ≈ 1h vs 4h for Greenmantle Want the crowd-tested pick? The Thirty-Nine Steps 48698 ratings vs 5352 for Greenmantle

Scores by source

	Greenmantle	The Thirty-Nine Steps
Goodreads	3.7 (5352)	3.6 (48698)
Hardcover	3.4 (14)	4.0 (1)
Apple Books	4.0 (66)	4.0 (492)

Reception

	Greenmantle	The Thirty-Nine Steps
Ratings	5352	48698
Editions	521	881
Film adaptations	1	1
Want to read	3882	25610
Reading it now	374	2384
Written reviews	548	4315
Wikipedia attention	1827	9861
Pages	243	104

Questions readers ask

Which is rated higher: Greenmantle or The Thirty-Nine Steps?

Greenmantle has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Greenmantle 3.7/5, The Thirty-Nine Steps 3.6/5).

Which is shorter to read: Greenmantle or The Thirty-Nine Steps?

The Thirty-Nine Steps is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The Thirty-Nine Steps (104 pages, ≈ 1 h 56 m); Greenmantle (243 pages, ≈ 4 h 30 m).

Which is harder to read: Greenmantle or The Thirty-Nine Steps?

Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Greenmantle: Challenging; The Thirty-Nine Steps: Challenging.

Have both books been made into films?

Greenmantle: no film adaptation on record; The Thirty-Nine Steps: 4 film adaptations.