The Power House: Authorised Edition (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781846970290)

John Buchan, one of Alfred Hitchcock's favorite writers, was a Scottish diplomat, barrister, journalist, historian, poet and novelist. He published nearly 30 novels and seven collections of short stories. He was born in Perth, an eldest son, and studied at Glasgow and Oxford. In 1901 he became a barrister of the Middle Temple and a private secretary to the High Commissioner for South Africa. In 1907 he married Susan Charlotte Grosvenor and they subsequently had four children. After spells as a war correspondent, Lloyd George's Director of Information and Conservative MP, Buchan moved to Canada in 1935. He served as Governor General there until his death in 1940. Stella Rimington, who provides the introduction, is a Buchan enthusiast. She spent her career in MI5, working in counter espionage, counter subversion and counter terrorism, becoming Director General from 1992 to 1996. Her autobiography Open Secret was published in 2001 and she has written three thrillers, At Risk, Secret Asset and Illegal Action, all broadly based on her experiences and featuring the MI5 officer, Liz Carlyle.