Author   
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Alexander McCall Smith

Alexander McCall Smith

Born: 1948, Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe)
First Book: The White Hippo (Hamish Hamilton, 1980)
Awards: The No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency received two 1998 Booker Prize for Fiction Judges’ Special Recommendations and was voted as one of The Times Literary Supplement’s International Books of the Year and the Millennium. The Full Cupboard of Life was winner of the 2003 Saga Wit Award. In 2004 McCall Smith was named 'Author of the Year’ by both the Booksellers Association and British Book Awards, and in 2007 he was awarded the CBE for services to literature.

Most widely celebrated as the creator of the Botswanan sleuth, Precious Ramotswe of The No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, Alexander McCall Smith is the bestselling author of over sixty books ranging from reference works such as The Forensic Aspects of Sleep to his immensely popular children’s titles, short-story collections and novels.

Born in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in 1948, McCall Smith was educated in Bulawayo before moving to Scotland to study law at the University of Edinburgh. He returned to Africa to set up and teach at the law faculty at the University of Botswana before returning to Edinburgh.

He was, until 2005, a professor of medical law at the University of Edinburgh, but gave up the position to concentrate on his writing and now writes full time.

 The No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series now numbers a total of eleven books (The No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, Tears of the Giraffe, Morality for Beautiful Girls, The Kalahari Typing School for Men, The Full Cupboard of Life, In the Company of Cheerful Ladies, Blue Shoes and Happiness, The Good Husband of Zebra Drive, The Miracle at Speedy Motors, The Double Comfort Safari Club and The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party). The series has sold over 20 million copies in the English language worldwide, has been translated into forty-six languages and has been turned into a hugely successful television series on both sides of the Atlantic. His latest book, Precious and the Monkeys, tells the story of Precious Ramotswe as a child and her very first case.

Alexander has also written the Introduction to
Mma Ramotswe’s Cookbook, a sumptuous journey through the food of Botswana in the company of Precious Ramotswe, written by Stuart Brown and available from Polygon.

His
44 Scotland Street series, which appears in daily episodes in the Scotsman newspaper and is published in full by Polygon, has also been enjoying considerable success. The light-hearted series concerns itself with the comings and goings of an eclectic group of Edinburgh residents and has received wide critical acclaim. There are six books to date: 44 Scotland Street, Espresso Tales, Love Over Scotland, The World According to Bertie, The Unbearable Lightness of Scones and The Importance of Being Seven with a seventh – Bertie Plays the Blues - due to be published in July 2011 by Polygon.

The Sunday Philosophy Club series features the half-American, half-Scottish Isabel Dalhousie, editor of The Review of Applied Ethics and amateur Edinburgh sleuth. Much like Precious Ramotswe, she often entangles herself in problems that are none of her business – including murder, love and sedition – and which put to good use her philosophical brilliance. The series is made up of The Sunday Philosophy Club; Friends, Lovers, Chocolate; The Right Attitude to Rain; The Careful Use of Compliments, The Comfort of Saturdays. The Forgotten Affairs of Youth will be published in September.

In The von Igelfeld series, McCall Smith introduces the unnaturally tall Professor Dr Moritz-Maria von Igelfeld of the Institute of Romance Philology, who is engaged in a comical, never-ending mission to win the respect that he is convinced he is due from others. The original trilogy of books –Portuguese Irregular Verbs, The Finer Points of Sausage Dogs and The Villa of Reduced Circumstances – is now published in one volume, The 2½ Pillars of Wisdom. And a new title, Unusual Issues for Olive Oil, will be published in November.

Alexander McCall Smith lives in Edinburgh with his wife Elizabeth. They are both members of the Really Terrible Orchestra, in which he plays the bassoon.

Find out more about the many wonderful worlds of Alexander McCall Smith at
www.alexandermccallsmithbooks.co.uk and view some interviews with Alexander courtesy of Penn State PBS here.

Picture by Chris Watt.
Related articles   
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The Sun Shines for Precious and Alexander

The Sun Shines for Precious and Alexander
17 March 09


Brand new series of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency on BBC One


Read more >>

New on-line fiction from Alexander McCall Smith

New on-line fiction from Alexander McCall Smith
05 September 08


Read Corduroy Mansions on-line with The Telegraph.


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Download 44 Scotland Street walking trail

Download 44 Scotland Street walking trail
04 August 08


A walking trail based on 44 Scotland Street novels is now available to download.
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The Story So Far . . . by Alexander McCall Smith

The Story So Far . . . by Alexander McCall Smith
24 October 07



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The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency Limited Edition

The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency Limited Edition
27 September 07


Read an exclusive extract from the new limited edition!
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A new extract from The World According to Bertie!

A new extract from The World According to Bertie!
30 August 07


Read a new extract from The World According to Bertie by Alexander McCall Smith.
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Read an extract from The World According to Bertie

Read an extract from The World According to Bertie
23 July 07


Read an extract from Alexander McCall Smith's new novel, The World According to Bertie
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Related events   
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Alexander McCall Smith, Oundle Festival

07 March 12


Alexander McCall Smith, Oundle Festival

Alexander McCall Smith kickstarts this exciting festival talking about his new book. He is supported by The Rusty Players. A must-see!

Read more >>


Alexander McCall Smith, Essex Book Festival

08 March 12


Alexander McCall Smith, Essex Book Festival

Alexander McCall Smith will be making an appearance at this festival which is a mix of best-selling authors and fresh new talent.

Read more >>


Alexander McCall Smith, BathLitFest

10 March 12


Alexander McCall Smith, BathLitFest

Join one of the world's greatest and best-loved authors in Bath!

Read more >>


Alexander McCall Smith, Aye Write!

12 March 12


Alexander McCall Smith, Aye Write!

Edinburgh's favourite author talks about his latest work in Glasgow.

Read more >>


Books   
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Bertie Plays the Blues

Bertie Plays the Blues


ISBN: 9781846971884
Category: Fiction
Author: Alexander McCall Smith
Publication Date: August 2011
Format: Hardback
Price: £16.99
Stock Status: in stock  
Click here to buy it now


Synopsis:

'I love the familiarity of the characters, and the voyeuristic feeling you get in reading about their lives. It's a bit like popping in on neighbours and getting to see behind the scenes, the reality of what they're thinking and feeling' - Book Bag

The story of Bertie and his dysfunctional family continues in this seventh instalment alongside the familiar cast of favourites - Big Lou, Domenica, Angus Lordie, Cyril and others - in their daily pursuit of a little happiness.

 


Read more >>

Bertie Plays the Blues

Bertie Plays the Blues


ISBN: BLUESSIGNED
Category: Fiction
Author: Alexander McCall Smith
Publication Date: August 2011
Format: Hardback
Price: £16.99
Stock Status: in stock  
Click here to buy it now


Synopsis:

'I love the familiarity of the characters, and the voyeuristic feeling you get in reading about their lives. It's a bit like popping in on neighbours and getting to see behind the scenes, the reality of what they're thinking and feeling' - Book Bag

The story of Bertie and his dysfunctional family continues in this seventh instalment alongside the familiar cast of favourites - Big Lou, Domenica, Angus Lordie, Cyril and others - in their daily pursuit of a little happiness.

 


Read more >>

Conspiracy of Friends, A

Conspiracy of Friends, A


ISBN: 9781846971822
Category: Fiction
Author: Alexander McCall Smith
Publication Date: May 2011
Format: Hardback
Price: £16.99
Stock Status: in stock  
Click here to buy it now


Synopsis:

"Even if other novelists were writing about Pimlico terriers and their owners, I doubt whether any of them could do so with McCall Smith's gentle wit, intelligence and moral grace." - The Scotsman

Following on from the huge success of the 44 Scotland Street series, Alexander McCall Smith has ‘moved house’ to a crumbling four-storey mansion in Pimlico – Corduroy Mansions.


Read more >>

Conspiracy of Friends, A

Conspiracy of Friends, A


ISBN: FRIENDSSIGNED
Category: Fiction
Author: Alexander McCall Smith
Publication Date: May 2011
Format: Hardback
Price: £16.99
Stock Status: in stock  
Click here to buy it now


Synopsis:

"Even if other novelists were writing about Pimlico terriers and their owners, I doubt whether any of them could do so with McCall Smith's gentle wit, intelligence and moral grace." - The Scotsman 

Following on from the huge success of the 44 Scotland Street series, Alexander McCall Smith has ‘moved house’ to a crumbling four-storey mansion in Pimlico – Corduroy Mansions.


Read more >>

Dog Who Came in From the Cold, The

Dog Who Came in From the Cold, The


ISBN: DOGSIGNED
Category:
Author: Alexander McCall Smith
Publication Date: May 2010
Format: Hardback
Price: £16.99 £11.99
Stock Status: in stock  
Click here to buy it now


Synopsis:
The second installment of the much-loved Corduroy Mansions series, as seen in The Telegraph, by one of Scotland’s most prolific authors.
Read more >>

Dog Who Came in From the Cold, The

Dog Who Came in From the Cold, The


ISBN: 9781846971617
Category: Fiction
Author: Alexander McCall Smith
Publication Date: May 2010
Format: Hardback
Price: £16.99 £11.99
Stock Status: not in stock  


Synopsis:
The second installment of the much-loved Corduroy Mansions series, as seen in The Telegraph, by one of Scotland’s most prolific authors.
Read more >>

Importance of Being Seven, The

Importance of Being Seven, The


ISBN: 9781846971457
Category: Fiction
Author: Alexander McCall Smith
Publication Date: July 2010
Format: Hardback
Price: £16.99
Stock Status: in stock  
Click here to buy it now


Synopsis:

With customary charm and deftness, Alexander McCall Smith has given us another instalment to this popular series that is as clever, witty and as delightful as the rest. Bertie, Angus Lordie and his gold-toothed dog Cyril star alongside the familiar cast of favourites, as we follow their daily pursuit of a little happiness.


Read more >>

La's Orchestra Saves the World

La's Orchestra Saves the World


ISBN: 9781846970924
Category: Literature, Fiction
Author: Alexander McCall Smith
Publication Date: November 2008
Format: Hardback
Price: £14.99
Stock Status: not in stock  


Synopsis:
La’s Orchestra Saves the World is another delightful story from Alexander McCall Smith, celebrating friendship and the healing power of music, told with the warmth and charm we’ve come to love from one of the nation’s favourite storytellers.

Read more >>

Love Over Scotland - SIGNED

Love Over Scotland - SIGNED


ISBN: LOVESIGNED
Category: Literature, Fiction
Author: Alexander McCall Smith
Publication Date: June 2006
Format: Hardback
Price: £14.99
Stock Status: in stock  
Click here to buy it now


Synopsis:

For a limited time these signed copies of Love Over Scotland, the third novel in Alexander McCall Smith's popular Scotland Street series, is available to buy exclusively through our website.


Read more >>

No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, The

No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, The


ISBN: 9781846970610
Category: Literature, Fiction
Author: Alexander McCall Smith
Publication Date: November 2007
Format: Hardback
Price: £50.00 £40.00
Stock Status: in stock  
Click here to buy it now


Synopsis:

Limited to only 1,200 copies, this beautifully crafted book contains two-colour illustrations throughout and comes in a sumptuous hardback slip case taking McCall Smith’s best-selling novel to new heights of reading.

Numbered and signed by both the author and illustrator.


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Precious and the Monkeys

Precious and the Monkeys


ISBN: 9781846972195
Category: Children's, Fiction
Author: Alexander McCall Smith
Publication Date: February 2012
Format:
Price: £6.99
Stock Status: in stock  
Click here to buy it now


Synopsis:

'A treasure of a writer whose books deserve immediate devouring' - Guardian

A charming tale telling of how the young Precious Ramotswe became the No. 1 Detective she is today.


Read more >>

Precious and the Monkeys

Precious and the Monkeys


ISBN: 9781846972041
Category: Fiction, Children's
Author: Alexander McCall Smith
Publication Date: July 2011
Format:
Price: £9.99
Stock Status: in stock  
Click here to buy it now


Synopsis:

'A treasure of a writer whose books deserve immediate devouring' - Guardian

A charming tale telling of how the young Precious Ramotswe became the No. 1 Detective she is today.


Read more >>

Unbearable Lightness of Scones, The

Unbearable Lightness of Scones, The


ISBN: 9781846970573
Category: Fiction, Literature
Author: Alexander McCall Smith
Publication Date: July 2008
Format: Hardback
Price: £14.99
Stock Status: not in stock  


Synopsis:
The story of Bertie and his dysfunctional family continues in this fifth instalment of 44 Scotland Street alongside the familiar cast of favourites – Big Lou, Domenica, Angus Lordie, Cyril and others.

Read more >>