Alexander McCall Smith
Author of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency
About the Author
Alexander McCall Smith was born on August 24, 1948 in Zimbabwe. He was a professor of medical law at the University of Edinburgh, but he left in 2005 to focus on his writing. He has written over 60 books, including specialist academic titles including Forensic Aspects of Sleep and The Criminal Law show more of Botswana, short story collections including Portuguese Irregular Verbs, and children's books including The Perfect Hamburger. He is best known for the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. He also writes the Corduroy Mansions, Isabel Dalhousie and 44 Scotland Street series. He has received numerous awards, including The Crime Writers' Association Dagger in the Library Award and the 2004 United Kingdom's Author of the Year Award. His book, The Full Cupboard of Life, received the Saga Award for Wit in the United Kingdom. In 2007, he received a CBE for his services in literature. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Series
Works by Alexander McCall Smith
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency | Tears of the Giraffe | Morality for Beautiful Girls (2001) 28 copies, 2 reviews
Altering the Blueprint: The Ethics of Genetics [A University-Level Course] (2004) 23 copies, 1 review
The Slice of No. 1 Celebration Storybook: Fifteen Years with Mma Ramotswe (2013) 16 copies, 1 review
[Title missing] 12 copies
Lonely Planet Better than Fiction: True Travel Tales from Great Fiction Writers (Lonely Planet Travel Literature) (2017) 10 copies
The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency: BBC Radio Casebook, Vol.2: Eight BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisations (2018) 8 copies
Tears of the Giraffe / Morality for Beautiful Girls / In the Company of Cheerful Ladies (2003) 4 copies
The No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency: BBC Radio Casebook Vol. 4: Eight BBC Radio 4 Full-Cast Dramatisations (2019) 4 copies
The No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency: BBC Radio Casebook Vol.3: Seven BBC Radio 4 Full-Cast Dramatisations (2018) 3 copies
The Big Cats Dance Party 3 copies
Doctors, Detectives, Common Sense 3 copies
Bertie's Christmas 3 copies
The Sunday Philosophy Club | Friends, Lovers, Chocolate | The Right Attitude to Rain (2015) 2 copies
Akimbo of Africa 2 copies
Precious och Grace 2 copies
No 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency: BBC Radio Casebook: BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisations (2017) 2 copies
My Italian Holiday 2 copies
No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Series – Volume 1: The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Tears of the Giraffe, Morality for Beautiful Girls (2015) 2 copies
Just the Attitude 1 copy
The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency: BBC Radio Casebook Vol.5: Four BBC Radio 4 Full-Cast Dramatisations (2021) 1 copy
IL CLUB DELLE VACCHE GRASSE 1 copy
Good Morning Killer 1 copy
Special Seasonal 1 copy
Men Don't Wear Pink 1 copy
44 Scotland Street Collection (The Unbearable Lightness of Scones, The World According to Bertie, Love Over Scotland) (2011) 1 copy
Het Beste Boek 269: Graan / Het Meisje Dat Geluk Had / Met Alle Geweld / Het Orkest Sat de Wereld Redt — Author — 1 copy, 1 review
Marvellous Mix-ups 1 copy
Still Life 1 copy
A Precious Christmas 1 copy
Under the Acacia 1 copy
The Return of Note 1 copy
East Coast Stories 1 copy
Der talentierte Herr Varg: Neues aus dem Dezernat für heikle Fälle. Kriminalroman (Ulf "Wolf" Varg, Band 2) (2022) 1 copy
Animal Intelligence 1 copy
A Goose for Christmas 1 copy
The Ceremony 1 copy
The Problem of Men 1 copy
Čudo u brzim motorima 1 copy
Associated Works
Christmas at Cold Comfort Farm and Other Stories (1940) — Introduction, some editions — 350 copies, 14 reviews
Swami and Friends / The Bachelor of Arts / The Dark Room / The English Teacher (1935) — Introduction — 242 copies, 3 reviews
The Lineup: The World's Greatest Crime Writers Tell the Inside Story of Their Greatest Detectives (2009) — Contributor — 239 copies, 5 reviews
Mr. Sampath: The Printer of Malgudi / The Financial Expert / Waiting for the Mahatma (1948) — Introduction — 165 copies, 3 reviews
The Book Lovers' Appreciation Society: Breast Cancer Care Short Story Collection (2009) — Contributor — 97 copies, 1 review
The No. 1 Ladies's Detective Agency: The Complete First Season (2009) — Original novel — 87 copies, 2 reviews
An Innocent Abroad: Life-Changing Trips from 35 Great Writers (2014) — Contributor — 87 copies, 4 reviews
100 Journeys for the Spirit: Sacred, Inspiring, Mysterious, Enlightening (2010) — Contributor — 67 copies
New Beginnings: New Writing from Bestselling Authors Sold in Aid of the Indian Ocean Tsunami Earthquake Charities (2005) — Contributor — 48 copies
Better Than Fiction 2: True Adventures from 30 Great Fiction Writers (2015) — Contributor — 34 copies
Reader's Digest Select Editions 2010 v01 #307: Gone Tomorrow / Lost & Found / The Murder of King Tut / La's Orchestra Saves the World (2010) — Author — 14 copies
Livros Condensados: O Miradouro | O Jardineiro Francês | A Última Aula | A Orquestra de La Salva o Mundo (2010) — Author — 5 copies
Australian Reader's Digest Select Editions: The Murder Artist • Start From Here • At Risk • The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency (2005) 5 copies, 1 review
Reader's Digest Select Editions: Assegai • La's Orchestra Saves the World • Envy the Night • For the Love of Julie (2009) — Author — 4 copies
Australian Reader's Digest Select Editions: Assegai • La's Orchestra Saves the World • Envy the Night • The Various Flavours of Coffee (2009) — Author — 3 copies
Livros Condensados: Algum Risco | A Alquimia do Amor | Premeditado | Agência nº 1 de Mulheres-Detectives (2006) — Contributor — 2 copies
Livros Condensados: Nada a perder | A Orquestra de La salva o mundo | A pirâmide | A garota que caçava a lua — Author — 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- McCall Smith, R. Alexander
- Birthdate
- 1948-08-24
- Gender
- male
- Education
- University of Edinburgh (LL.B|PhD)
Christian Brothers College, Bulawayo - Occupations
- author
novelist
writer
professor (Medical Law) - Organizations
- The Really Terrible Orchestra
Royal Society of Edinburgh (Fellow ∙ 2001) - Awards and honors
- Order of the British Empire (Commander, 2006)
British Book Award (Author of the Year, 2004)
Edinburgh University's School of Law, Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws, 2007 - Agent
- Caroline Walsh (David Higham Associates)
- Short biography
- ALEXANDER McCALL SMITH has a double existence. He is a Professor of Medical Law, but also an author who has now written over fifty books on a wide range of subjects. These range from specialist titles such as 'Forensic Aspects of Sleep', (the only book on the subject) to 'The Criminal Law of Botswana' (also the only book on the subject) and from the widely translated 'The Perfect Hamburger' (a children's novel) to 'Portuguese Irregular Verbs' (a collection of stories about eccentric German professors). His collection of African stories, 'Children of Wax', received critical acclaim and has been the subject of an award-winning film.
- Nationality
- UK
- Birthplace
- Bulawayo, Zimbabwe (then Southern Rhodesia)
- Places of residence
- Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
Botswana
Swaziland
Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK - Map Location
- Scotland, UK
Members
Discussions
Anyone Read Alexander McCall Smith's Emma? in I Love Jane Austen (October 2015)
March Read - NO SPOILERS - The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency in The Green Dragon (March 2013)
March Read - Spoilers - The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency in The Green Dragon (March 2013)
#1 Ladies Detective Agency in All Books Africa (May 2009)
Reviews
Alexander McCall Smith, creator of the popular No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series, about a woman detective in Botswana, turns to the childhood of his popular character, Precious Ramotswe, in this first beginning chapter-book adventure. An observant child with a kind heart, Precious decides from an early age that she will be a detective, spurred on by her father's observation that she has what it takes. Her first case involves the theft of a number of goodies and treats, brought from home show more by Precious' classmates to enjoy after the healthy but uninspiring school lunch. The two children who lost items to the thief soon decide that it must be Poloko, an unpopular and overweight child in their school, but Precious is not so sure...
It's been a number of years since I read The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, but I do recall enjoying it, as well as the HBO miniseries made from it. Reading The Great Cake Mystery: Precious Ramotswe's First Case was such a pleasure that I was seized with a desire to reread that original book, its sequels, and the sequels to this children's novel based upon it. Precious is such an engaging and sympathetic character, and Smith's narrative is so compassionate and humane, that I found his story wholly satisfying. I also enjoyed the beautiful illustrations from Iain McIntosh, done in vivid shades of reddish brown, black and gray. It's interesting to note that this book was first published as Precious and the Puggies in Scots (sometimes regarded as an older dialect of English, sometimes as a separate language), and then translated into standard British English in Precious and the Monkeys. Generally speaking, I tend to frown on the renaming of British books for the American market - Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone becoming Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, and so on - but in this case, I prefer the American title, as the British onehints too broadly at the solution to the mystery, potentially spoiling the suspense for some young readers . I highly recommend this little chapter-book gem, both to beginning chapter-book readers who enjoy mysteries, and to fans of the adult series looking to see how their favorite sleuth got started. show less
It's been a number of years since I read The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, but I do recall enjoying it, as well as the HBO miniseries made from it. Reading The Great Cake Mystery: Precious Ramotswe's First Case was such a pleasure that I was seized with a desire to reread that original book, its sequels, and the sequels to this children's novel based upon it. Precious is such an engaging and sympathetic character, and Smith's narrative is so compassionate and humane, that I found his story wholly satisfying. I also enjoyed the beautiful illustrations from Iain McIntosh, done in vivid shades of reddish brown, black and gray. It's interesting to note that this book was first published as Precious and the Puggies in Scots (sometimes regarded as an older dialect of English, sometimes as a separate language), and then translated into standard British English in Precious and the Monkeys. Generally speaking, I tend to frown on the renaming of British books for the American market - Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone becoming Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, and so on - but in this case, I prefer the American title, as the British one
“Very few people imagine their own future accurately. And then they're often pleasantly surprised.” — Alexander McCall Smith, “The Good Pilot Peter Woodhouse”
A good novel, like a good life, is one that offers pleasant surprises, and Alexander McCall Smith's 2017 stand-alone novel “The Good Pilot Peter Woodhouse” certainly does this. His first surprise is that Peter Woodhouse turns out to be neither a pilot nor even a man but a dog.
The story covers nearly 40 years and several show more countries, beginning in England during World War II. Val Eliot joins the Women's Land Army, meaning that she takes work on a farm while most of the young men are fighting the war. She proves a good worker for Archie, an elderly farmer. She soon falls in love with Mike, an American pilot stationed nearby.
As for Peter Woodhouse, he belongs to a nearby farmer who mistreats his animals. Val's simple-minded cousin Willy works for this farmer and steals the dog after a beating, taking him to Archie's farm. So the other farmer won't find him, Peter Woodhouse is passed on to Mike at the base. Mike begins taking the dog on his reconnaissance flights over Germany, the reason for "the Good Pilot" part of the title. When Mike is shot down over the Netherlands, Peter Woodhouse goes down too.
By then the war is nearly over, and Ubi, a German soldier who never liked fighting anyway, finds the pilot and the dog but protects them both, leading to a postwar friendship.
The plot moves quickly, with numerous sudden turns along the way, not all pleasant ones. Yet with the possible exception of surviving the plane crash without benefit of parachutes, they seem realistic ones. And as with Forrest Gump's box of chocolates, readers never know what they are going to get. It proves a pleasure finding out. show less
A good novel, like a good life, is one that offers pleasant surprises, and Alexander McCall Smith's 2017 stand-alone novel “The Good Pilot Peter Woodhouse” certainly does this. His first surprise is that Peter Woodhouse turns out to be neither a pilot nor even a man but a dog.
The story covers nearly 40 years and several show more countries, beginning in England during World War II. Val Eliot joins the Women's Land Army, meaning that she takes work on a farm while most of the young men are fighting the war. She proves a good worker for Archie, an elderly farmer. She soon falls in love with Mike, an American pilot stationed nearby.
As for Peter Woodhouse, he belongs to a nearby farmer who mistreats his animals. Val's simple-minded cousin Willy works for this farmer and steals the dog after a beating, taking him to Archie's farm. So the other farmer won't find him, Peter Woodhouse is passed on to Mike at the base. Mike begins taking the dog on his reconnaissance flights over Germany, the reason for "the Good Pilot" part of the title. When Mike is shot down over the Netherlands, Peter Woodhouse goes down too.
By then the war is nearly over, and Ubi, a German soldier who never liked fighting anyway, finds the pilot and the dog but protects them both, leading to a postwar friendship.
The plot moves quickly, with numerous sudden turns along the way, not all pleasant ones. Yet with the possible exception of surviving the plane crash without benefit of parachutes, they seem realistic ones. And as with Forrest Gump's box of chocolates, readers never know what they are going to get. It proves a pleasure finding out. show less
Book number 21 in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. In this one, Mma Ramotswe has new neighbors and a visit from a distant cousin who needs money. Also, Charlie borrows her van to transport something large and mysterious that leaves an odd animal smell behind. What could it be?
As always, though, this installment isn't remotely about plot. Indeed, it's barely even bothering to wave vaguely in plot's general direction. The appeal, rather, is in spending some leisurely time with the show more characters, enjoying their gentle foibles and their good-hearted philosophizing. Some of that philosophizing is, admittedly, a little repetitive here, even by these books' usual standards. But the rest of it is more than charming enough to make up for it.
You, know, there seems to be a trend, these days, towards books that are described as "cozy" and meant to be comfortable, reassuring, morally uplifting, and pleasant. In general, I find these tend to bore and irritate me, and I'm starting to come to the conclusion that anything that gets described as "wholesome" in a blurb is decidedly Not for Me, even if I agree with its point of view. And yet, these books... These ones, I never fail to find genuinely cozy, reassuring, uplifting, and pleasant. And this installment left me with a warm feeling and a welcome, comforting sense that, yes, no matter how difficult the world is, there is always beauty in it, too, and we can always make it better simply by being good to each other. Why does that work for this series when so many others that are trying to have that effect leave me cold? I'm really not sure, but I am very glad of it, nonetheless. show less
As always, though, this installment isn't remotely about plot. Indeed, it's barely even bothering to wave vaguely in plot's general direction. The appeal, rather, is in spending some leisurely time with the show more characters, enjoying their gentle foibles and their good-hearted philosophizing. Some of that philosophizing is, admittedly, a little repetitive here, even by these books' usual standards. But the rest of it is more than charming enough to make up for it.
You, know, there seems to be a trend, these days, towards books that are described as "cozy" and meant to be comfortable, reassuring, morally uplifting, and pleasant. In general, I find these tend to bore and irritate me, and I'm starting to come to the conclusion that anything that gets described as "wholesome" in a blurb is decidedly Not for Me, even if I agree with its point of view. And yet, these books... These ones, I never fail to find genuinely cozy, reassuring, uplifting, and pleasant. And this installment left me with a warm feeling and a welcome, comforting sense that, yes, no matter how difficult the world is, there is always beauty in it, too, and we can always make it better simply by being good to each other. Why does that work for this series when so many others that are trying to have that effect leave me cold? I'm really not sure, but I am very glad of it, nonetheless. show less
Things are going surprisingly well at the Institute of Romance Philology, with the incessant and bitter rivalry between Professor Dr Dr Moritz-Maria von Igelfeld and Professor Dr Unterholzer at a truce for the moment. Then a new assistant librarian arrives, a young woman who decides that the library doesn't need to hold twenty-two copies of Professor Dr Dr Igelfeld's opus Portuguese Irregular Verbs and clears them off the shelves. This begins the assistant's assault on tradition and respect show more at the institute, backed by the man in the highest position, the mysterious His Magnificence, who believes it's time to prove that the institute isn't elitist.
This is my favorite series from McCall Smith and I'm glad that he's continuing with this latest book. It's quirky and the humor frequently comes from the undignified situations that occur to this small group of utterly composed men who just want to do their research on linguistic minutiae. This book is different from the previous in the series in that it addresses current events somewhat, with a young academic who wants to be given control over the institute. show less
This is my favorite series from McCall Smith and I'm glad that he's continuing with this latest book. It's quirky and the humor frequently comes from the undignified situations that occur to this small group of utterly composed men who just want to do their research on linguistic minutiae. This book is different from the previous in the series in that it addresses current events somewhat, with a young academic who wants to be given control over the institute. show less
Lists
Latin America (1)
Latin America (1)
Favourite Books (1)
el (1)
Comfort Reads (1)
Next in Series (1)
Unread books (1)
Poetry (1)
Sonlight Books (1)
Detective Stories (14)
Africa (3)
A Novel Cure (3)
Urban Fiction (2)
Books Read in 2019 (10)
Carole's List (12)
AlphaKIT: Brown (1)
Favorite Series (2)
Awards
You May Also Like
Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 308
- Also by
- 51
- Members
- 124,964
- Popularity
- #59
- Rating
- 4.0
- Reviews
- 3,682
- ISBNs
- 3,419
- Languages
- 34
- Favorited
- 264
