''John Macnab'' is a novel by

John Buchan John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir (; 26 August 1875 – 11 February 1940) was a Scottish novelist, historian, and Unionist politician who served as Governor General of Canada, the 15th since Canadian Confederation. After a brief legal career ...

, published in 1925.

Plot summary

Three successful but bored friends in their mid-forties decide to turn to

poaching Poaching has been defined as the illegal hunting or capturing of wild animals, usually associated with land use rights. Poaching was once performed by impoverished peasants for subsistence purposes and to supplement meager diets. It was set a ...

. They are Sir

Edward Leithen Sir Edward Leithen is a fictional character in several of John Buchan's novels: ''The Power-House'', '' John Macnab'', '' The Dancing Floor'', '' The Gap in the Curtain'' and '' Sick Heart River''. These were published over a number of years, the f ...

, lawyer,

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

(MP), and ex-

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

;

John Palliser-Yeates John Palliser-Yeates is a fictional character created by John Buchan. He appears in several Buchan novels, notably ''John Macnab''. He is a banker and sportsman, and an old school friend of Edward Leithen and Charles Lamancha. Appearances *''Joh ...

, banker and sportsman; and Charles, Earl of Lamancha, former adventurer and present Conservative

Cabinet Minister A minister is a politician who heads a ministry, making and implementing decisions on policies in conjunction with the other ministers. In some jurisdictions the head of government is also a minister and is designated the ‘prime minister’, � ...

. Under the collective name of "John Macnab", they set up in the Highland home of Sir Archie Roylance, a disabled war hero who wishes to be a Conservative MP. They issue a challenge to three of Roylance's neighbours: first the Radens, who are an old-established family, about to die out; next, the Bandicotts: an American archaeologist and his son, who are renting a grand estate for the summer while excavating the tomb of Harald Blacktooth; and lastly the Claybodys, vulgar, be-kilted ''

nouveaux riches ''Nouveau riche'' (; ) is a term used, usually in a derogatory way, to describe those whose wealth has been acquired within their own generation, rather than by familial inheritance. The equivalent English term is the "new rich" or "new money" ( ...

''. These neighbours are forewarned that "John Macnab" will poach a salmon or a stag from their land and return it to them undetected. The outcome is that the men's boredom is dispelled with the assistance of helpers (including a homeless waif, "Fish Benjie", and an athletic journalist, Crossby), and Archie Roylance marries Janet Raden, daughter of the grandee.

Influence

*''

The Return of John Macnab ''The Return of John Macnab'' was the second novel by Scottish writer Andrew Greig. The novel was shortlisted for the Romantic Novelists' Association Award. Plot summary Andrew Greig has rewritten ''John Macnab'' by John Buchan for the late 20 ...

'' (1996) was written by

Andrew Greig Andrew Greig (born 23 September 1951) is a Scottish writer. He was born in Bannockburn, near Stirling, and grew up in Anstruther, Fife. He studied philosophy at the University of Edinburgh and is a former Glasgow University Writing Fellow and S ...

as a 1990s retelling of the story. *''The Legend of John Macnab'' (2015) by James Christie, was also inspired by the Buchan book *''Castle Macnab'' (2018) by Robert J Harris re-unites the "Macnabs", along with Richard Hannay, in a new adventure a year after the events of the original book.

TV adaptation

John Prebble John Edward Curtis Prebble, FRSL, OBE, (23 June 1915 – 30 January 2001) was an English journalist, novelist, and screenwriter. He is known for his studies of Scottish history. Early life He was born in Edmonton, Middlesex, England, but in 192 ...

adapted the book for a three-part BBC television production in 1976, directed by Donald McWhinnie. Cast : * Lord Lamancha –

Derek Godfrey Derek Godfrey (3 June 1924 – 18 June 1983) was an English actor, associated with the Royal Shakespeare Company from 1960, who also appeared in several films and BBC television dramatisations during the 1960s and 1970s. Born in London, he perfor ...

* Sir Edward Leithen – James Maxwell * John Palliser-Yeates –

Bernard Horsfall Bernard Arthur Gordon Horsfall (20 November 1930 – 28 January 2013) was an English actor of stage and screen. Early life Horsfall was born in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, and educated at Rugby School. He trained as an actor at the Webb ...

* Archie Roylance –

Cavan Kendall Cavan Spencer Kendall McCarthy (22 May 1942 – 29 October 1999) was a British actor. Life Kendall was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. His father was the son of music hall comedian and actress Marie Kendall. Through his father, Kendall was a ...

* Colonel Raden –

Basil Dignam Basil Dignam (24 October 1905 – 31 January 1979) was an English character actor. Basil Dignam was born in Sheffield, West Riding of Yorkshire. Before the acting, he tried many jobs, from a company clerk to a journalist. He acted on film and ...

* Janet Raden –

Susan Wooldridge Susan Wooldridge (born 31 July 1950) is a British actress. She won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for '' Hope and Glory'' (1987). Her television credits include '' Jewel in the Crown'', (1984), ''All Quiet on the Preston ...

* Agatha Raden –

Wendy Allnutt Wendy Allnutt (born 1 May 1946) is an English stage and screen actress. She now teaches at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, leading a degree course in Training Actors Movement. Life Born in Lincoln, Allnutt trained for an acting career ...

* Wattie Lithgow –

Roddy McMillan Roddy McMillan OBE (23 March 1923 – 9 July 1979) was a Scottish actor and playwright, possibly most famous for his comedy role as Para Handy for BBC Scotland's television series, ''The Vital Spark''. He also played the lead role in Edwa ...

* Bennie – Joseph McKenna * Jimmie –

Ron Bain Ron Bain is a Scottish television actor, director, producer, comedian and former stage actor who now focuses primarily on directing. He is known for his work with comedian Rikki Fulton, with whom he first worked while performing Molière's ' ...

* Junius Bandicott – Jack Galloway * Professor Bandicott –

Ronald Radd Ronald Radd (22 January 1929 – 23 April 1976) was a British television actor. He is perhaps best remembered for originating the role of Hunter in the television thriller series '' Callan''. In 1971, he was nominated for a Tony Award for ''Ab ...

* Crossby –

Patrick Malahide Patrick Gerald Duggan (born 24 March 1945), known professionally as Patrick Malahide, is a veteran British film, television and theatre actor, author and producer, known, amongst other things, for his roles as Inspector Alleyn in ''The Inspect ...

* Lord Claybody – John Sharp * Lady Claybody –

Lally Bowers Kathleen "Lally" Bowers (21 January 1914 – 18 July 1984) was an English actress. Bowers was born in Oldham, Lancashire, where she was educated at Hulme Grammar School. She worked as a secretary before walking-on and understudying at the ...

* Johnson Claybody – Ian Ricketts * Macqueen – Bill Armour * Angus – James Kennedy * Stokes – Anthony Langdon * Macpherson – Gerard Slevin Jr

References

External links

Review
in Scots) * *
Complete novel
at

Project Gutenberg Australia Project Gutenberg Australia, abbreviated as PGA, is an Internet site which was founded in 2001 by Colin Choat. It is a sister site of Project Gutenberg, though there is no formal relationship between the two organizations. The site hosts free eboo ...

Academic article on the novel
1925 British novels Novels by John Buchan Novels set in Scotland 1925 in Scotland Scottish crime novels Hodder & Stoughton books British novels adapted into television shows {{Scotland-stub