What do you think?
Rate this book
The Watcher by the Threshold (Annotated): With Biographical Introduction
John Buchan (1st Baron Tweedsmuir) was a Scottish novelist and public servant who combined a successful career as an author of thrillers, historical novels, histories and biographies with a parallel career in public life. At the time of his death he was Governor-General of Canada.
Buchan was born in Scotland and educated at Glasgow and Oxford Universities. After a brief career in law he went to South Africa in 1902 where he contributed to the reconstruction of the country following the Boer War. His love for South Africa is a recurring theme in his fiction.
On returning to Britain, Buchan built a successful career in publishing with Nelsons and Reuters. During the first world war, he was Director of Information in the British government. He wrote a twenty-four volume history of the war, which was later abridged.
Alongside his busy public life, Buchan wrote superb action novels, including the spy-catching adventures of Richard Hannay, whose exploits are described in The Thirty-Nine Steps, Greenmantle, Mr. Standfast, The Three Hostages, and The Island of Sheep.
Apart from Hannay, Buchan created two other leading characters in Dickson McCunn, the shrewd retired grocer who appears in Huntingtower, Castle Gay, and The House of the Four Winds; and the lawyer Sir Edward Leithen, who features in the The Power-House,John Macnab, The Dancing Floor, The Gap in the Curtain and Sick Heart River.
From 1927 to 1935 Buchan was Conservative M.P. for the Scottish Universities, and in 1935, on his appointment as Governor-General to Canada, he was made a peer, taking the title Baron Tweedsmuir. During these years he was still productive as a writer, and published notable historical biographies, such as Montrose, Sir Walter Scott, and Cromwell.
When he died in Montreal in 1940, the world lost a fine statesman and story-teller.
Buchan was born in Scotland and educated at Glasgow and Oxford Universities. After a brief career in law he went to South Africa in 1902 where he contributed to the reconstruction of the country following the Boer War. His love for South Africa is a recurring theme in his fiction.
On returning to Britain, Buchan built a successful career in publishing with Nelsons and Reuters. During the first world war, he was Director of Information in the British government. He wrote a twenty-four volume history of the war, which was later abridged.
Alongside his busy public life, Buchan wrote superb action novels, including the spy-catching adventures of Richard Hannay, whose exploits are described in The Thirty-Nine Steps, Greenmantle, Mr. Standfast, The Three Hostages, and The Island of Sheep.
Apart from Hannay, Buchan created two other leading characters in Dickson McCunn, the shrewd retired grocer who appears in Huntingtower, Castle Gay, and The House of the Four Winds; and the lawyer Sir Edward Leithen, who features in the The Power-House,John Macnab, The Dancing Floor, The Gap in the Curtain and Sick Heart River.
From 1927 to 1935 Buchan was Conservative M.P. for the Scottish Universities, and in 1935, on his appointment as Governor-General to Canada, he was made a peer, taking the title Baron Tweedsmuir. During these years he was still productive as a writer, and published notable historical biographies, such as Montrose, Sir Walter Scott, and Cromwell.
When he died in Montreal in 1940, the world lost a fine statesman and story-teller.
32 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1902
3 people are currently reading
60 people want to read
About the author
John Buchan
1,735 books466 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
John Buchan was a Scottish novelist, historian, and Unionist politician who served as Governor General of Canada, the 15th since Canadian Confederation.
As a youth, Buchan began writing poetry and prose, fiction and non-fiction, publishing his first novel in 1895 and ultimately writing over a hundred books of which the best known is The Thirty-Nine Steps. After attending Glasgow and Oxford universities, he practised as a barrister. In 1901, he served as a private secretary to Lord Milner in southern Africa towards the end of the Boer War. He returned to England in 1903, continued as a barrister and journalist. He left the Bar when he joined Thomas Nelson and Sons publishers in 1907. During the First World War, he was, among other activities, Director of Information in 1917 and later Head of Intelligence at the newly-formed Ministry of Information. He was elected Member of Parliament for the Combined Scottish Universities in 1927.
In 1935, King George V, on the advice of Canadian Prime Minister R. B. Bennett, appointed Buchan to succeed the Earl of Bessborough as Governor General of Canada and two months later raised him to the peerage as 1st Baron Tweedsmuir. He occupied the post until his death in 1940. Buchan promoted Canadian unity and helped strengthen the sovereignty of Canada constitutionally and culturally. He received a state funeral in Canada before his ashes were returned to the United Kingdom.
John Buchan was a Scottish novelist, historian, and Unionist politician who served as Governor General of Canada, the 15th since Canadian Confederation.
As a youth, Buchan began writing poetry and prose, fiction and non-fiction, publishing his first novel in 1895 and ultimately writing over a hundred books of which the best known is The Thirty-Nine Steps. After attending Glasgow and Oxford universities, he practised as a barrister. In 1901, he served as a private secretary to Lord Milner in southern Africa towards the end of the Boer War. He returned to England in 1903, continued as a barrister and journalist. He left the Bar when he joined Thomas Nelson and Sons publishers in 1907. During the First World War, he was, among other activities, Director of Information in 1917 and later Head of Intelligence at the newly-formed Ministry of Information. He was elected Member of Parliament for the Combined Scottish Universities in 1927.
In 1935, King George V, on the advice of Canadian Prime Minister R. B. Bennett, appointed Buchan to succeed the Earl of Bessborough as Governor General of Canada and two months later raised him to the peerage as 1st Baron Tweedsmuir. He occupied the post until his death in 1940. Buchan promoted Canadian unity and helped strengthen the sovereignty of Canada constitutionally and culturally. He received a state funeral in Canada before his ashes were returned to the United Kingdom.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
December 15, 2018
5 stars for The Watcher by the Threshold, a skilful example of a supernatural tale with a chilling folkloric atmosphere. The rest of the stories vary greatly in quality.
Want to read
November 27, 2022PLACEHOLDER REVIEWS
"The Wind In The Portico" - Clubmember Nightingale relates a story about how, when in the Shropshire countryside in December to do some research, he meets the local squire of the Dubellay family, who holds a document he wants to examine. But The squire is considered odd by the villagers, who report that he has built a large pagan temple on his grounds, attached to his ancestral home, housing an altar he found in the hills....
Atmospheric story, with some great nature descriptions. Solid folk horror - the image of the Roman forest god Vaunus, as a male Gorgon with snakes sprouting as his mustache and beard, is quite striking and unearthly. A good, solid story.
"Skule Skerry" - A birding enthusiast figures out that yearly migrants must alight on a particular island off the Scottish coast, and so plans to camp there, despite warnings of the locals. The island proves remote, abandoned and soon after arriving the weather turns for the worse...
This is a rather cool story - essentially a cross between Jack London, Bradbury's "The Lighthouse" (but without the sentiment) and a general "Natural - near Cosmic - Horror". The natural descriptions are excellent (loved that line about the "milky" light of the North) and the payoff - which finds our protagonist doubting whether he can ever believe in science again, until the question is resolved accidentally - is great, being both satisfying but not absolute and hitting a particular cultural moment in time as well. Great stuff.
"The Wind In The Portico" - Clubmember Nightingale relates a story about how, when in the Shropshire countryside in December to do some research, he meets the local squire of the Dubellay family, who holds a document he wants to examine. But The squire is considered odd by the villagers, who report that he has built a large pagan temple on his grounds, attached to his ancestral home, housing an altar he found in the hills....
Atmospheric story, with some great nature descriptions. Solid folk horror - the image of the Roman forest god Vaunus, as a male Gorgon with snakes sprouting as his mustache and beard, is quite striking and unearthly. A good, solid story.
"Skule Skerry" - A birding enthusiast figures out that yearly migrants must alight on a particular island off the Scottish coast, and so plans to camp there, despite warnings of the locals. The island proves remote, abandoned and soon after arriving the weather turns for the worse...
This is a rather cool story - essentially a cross between Jack London, Bradbury's "The Lighthouse" (but without the sentiment) and a general "Natural - near Cosmic - Horror". The natural descriptions are excellent (loved that line about the "milky" light of the North) and the payoff - which finds our protagonist doubting whether he can ever believe in science again, until the question is resolved accidentally - is great, being both satisfying but not absolute and hitting a particular cultural moment in time as well. Great stuff.
August 28, 2024
3.64⭐
Introduction (The Watcher by the Threshold) • essay by Kenneth Hillier 4⭐
A Journey of Little Profit • (1896) 4⭐
he Herd of Standlan • (1899) 2.5⭐
Streams of Water in the South • (1899) 4⭐
At the Article of Death • (1897) 3.5⭐
The Moor-Song • (1897) 2.5⭐
Comedy in the Full Moon • (1899) 3.75⭐
The Oasis in the Snow • (1899) 2.25⭐
No-Man's-Land • (1899) 4.25⭐
The Far Islands • (1899) 4⭐
The Watcher by the Threshold • (1900) 4.5⭐
Fountainblue • (1901) 4.25⭐
The Outgoing of the Tide • (1902) 3⭐
The Knees of the Gods • (1907) 3.25⭐
The Grove of Ashtaroth • (1910) 3.25⭐
Space • (1911) 3.5⭐
The Green Glen • (1912) 3.25⭐
The Green Wildebeest • (1927) 3.5⭐
Basilissa • (1914) 3⭐
Fullcircle • (1920) 3⭐
Watches of the Night • (1921) 3.25⭐
The Shut Door • (1926) 3.5⭐
Tendebant Manus • (1927) 3.5⭐
The Wind in the Portico • (1928) 4⭐
Skule Skerry • (1928) 5⭐
Dr. Lartius • (1928) 4⭐
The Magic Walking Stick • (1927) 5⭐
The Strange Adventures of Mr. Andrew Hawthorn • (1932) 3.25⭐
Ho! The Merry Masons • (1933) 5⭐
Introduction (The Watcher by the Threshold) • essay by Kenneth Hillier 4⭐
A Journey of Little Profit • (1896) 4⭐
he Herd of Standlan • (1899) 2.5⭐
Streams of Water in the South • (1899) 4⭐
At the Article of Death • (1897) 3.5⭐
The Moor-Song • (1897) 2.5⭐
Comedy in the Full Moon • (1899) 3.75⭐
The Oasis in the Snow • (1899) 2.25⭐
No-Man's-Land • (1899) 4.25⭐
The Far Islands • (1899) 4⭐
The Watcher by the Threshold • (1900) 4.5⭐
Fountainblue • (1901) 4.25⭐
The Outgoing of the Tide • (1902) 3⭐
The Knees of the Gods • (1907) 3.25⭐
The Grove of Ashtaroth • (1910) 3.25⭐
Space • (1911) 3.5⭐
The Green Glen • (1912) 3.25⭐
The Green Wildebeest • (1927) 3.5⭐
Basilissa • (1914) 3⭐
Fullcircle • (1920) 3⭐
Watches of the Night • (1921) 3.25⭐
The Shut Door • (1926) 3.5⭐
Tendebant Manus • (1927) 3.5⭐
The Wind in the Portico • (1928) 4⭐
Skule Skerry • (1928) 5⭐
Dr. Lartius • (1928) 4⭐
The Magic Walking Stick • (1927) 5⭐
The Strange Adventures of Mr. Andrew Hawthorn • (1932) 3.25⭐
Ho! The Merry Masons • (1933) 5⭐
June 21, 2023
Read the first two stories and enjoyed them immensly, the brownie one was definitely my favourite, although the resolution was pretty anticlimatic id still reccomend it. Trigger warning for those considering reading there is mention of the rape and murder of little girls, it is not put in a good light (thank god) and its part of the horror of the story but it is still there and should be mentioned. The second story (the one where the man keeps having hallucinations about the island in the fog) kept me at the edge of my seat wondering what the HELL was going on, only til the last page did everything click together nicely. (And hooboy was it eerie)
I stopped at the third one because the main characters crush on his cousin icked me out and i was just reading for fun so i saw no reason to push through it.
I stopped at the third one because the main characters crush on his cousin icked me out and i was just reading for fun so i saw no reason to push through it.
February 4, 2021
....It was the hour, as the French say, 'between dog and wolf', when the mind is disposed to marvels.
-- "Space" (1911)
My review:
http://jayrothermel.blogspot.com/2021...
-- "Space" (1911)
My review:
http://jayrothermel.blogspot.com/2021...
December 9, 2022
The eponymous "Watcher by the Threshold" along with the brilliant "No-Man's Land" carry this collection on their shoulders.
The other stories are not bad on themselves, but rather a mixed bag.
The other stories are not bad on themselves, but rather a mixed bag.
December 5, 2023
"Watcher" is a solid, atmospheric story. Nicely written, I ran a across this in a "Scottish Ghosts" collection from Lomond Books.
Currently reading
October 21, 2024The Strange Adventure of Mr. Andrew Hawthorn is also printed in the Big Book of the Masters of Horror
The Wind in the Portico is also printed in the Big Book of the Masters of Horror
The Wind in the Portico is also printed in the Big Book of the Masters of Horror
July 7, 2025
A hugely enjoyable early collection of short stories from Buchan with an emphasis on the supernatural and weird. While the title story is good, my favorite was certainly the incomparably creepy "No-Man's-Land." Full review for John Buchan June on the blog.
December 29, 2010
Something of an oddity, The Watcher by the Threshold is a turn-of-the-century colletion of short stories based mostly on Scottish supernatural folklore, rounded off with a few humorous and very short tales. I picked it up for the supernatural stories, but it was the short humor pieces I enjoyed the most -- one about a low-ranking screw-up of a soldier who accidentally ends up ruling over a small French town in the middle of World War I, and another about a seafarer who makes a very odd discovery on a tropical island. Well worth a look if you're interested in Scotland, Edwardian fiction, or older horror tales, but with one word of warning -- och! But thae's a muckle great amoun' o' dialect to waid yer way throo here, laddies!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews