By David M. Shribman
He was once a major figure in British colonial politics, the governor-general of Canada and author of "The Thirty-Nine Steps," which Alfred Hitchcock made into a famous film. But today the name John Buchan prompts no ripples of recognition. He is a figure from a fast-receding past — a time when dash and daring were recognized and revered, when Kipling and Stevenson were read and remembered.
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