Alexander McCall Smith





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Alexander McCall Smith

Goodreads author profile


url

born
August 24, 1948 in Bulawayo (formerly the British colony of Southern Rhodesia), Zimbabwe

gender
male

website

genre

member since
April 2010


About this author

Alexander McCall Smith is the author of the international phenomenon The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, the Isabel Dalhousie Series, the Portuguese Irregular Verbs series, and the 44 Scotland Street series. He is professor emeritus of medical law at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and has served on many national and international bodies concerned with bioethics. He was born in what is now known as Zimbabwe and he was a law professor at the University of Botswana. He lives in Scotland. Visit him online at www.alexandermccallsmith.com, on Facebook, and on Twitter.


Average rating: 3.78 · 228,091 ratings · 23,497 reviews · 162 distinct works
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective...
3.65 of 5 stars 3.65 avg rating — 60,766 ratings — published 1998 — 60 editions
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Tears of the Giraffe (No. 1...
3.89 of 5 stars 3.89 avg rating — 17,538 ratings — published 2000 — 38 editions
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Morality for Beautiful Girl...
3.9 of 5 stars 3.90 avg rating — 14,771 ratings — published 1998 — 41 editions
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The Kalahari Typing School ...
3.93 of 5 stars 3.93 avg rating — 13,780 ratings — published 2002 — 40 editions
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The Full Cupboard of Life (...
3.95 of 5 stars 3.95 avg rating — 11,049 ratings — published 1998 — 34 editions
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Blue Shoes and Happiness (N...
3.98 of 5 stars 3.98 avg rating — 9,788 ratings — published 2006 — 34 editions
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In the Company of Cheerful ...
4.0 of 5 stars 4.00 avg rating — 9,778 ratings — published 2004 — 38 editions
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The Good Husband of Zebra D...
3.99 of 5 stars 3.99 avg rating — 8,997 ratings — published 2007 — 38 editions
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The Miracle at Speedy Motor...
4.01 of 5 stars 4.01 avg rating — 7,911 ratings — published 2006 — 28 editions
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Tea Time for the Traditiona...
4.02 of 5 stars 4.02 avg rating — 6,573 ratings — published 2009 — 28 editions
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More books by Alexander McCall Smith…
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective... Tears of the Giraffe Morality for Beautiful Girls The Kalahari Typing School ... The Full Cupboard of Life In the Company of Cheerful ... Blue Shoes and Happiness
No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (13 books)
by
3.841954209270118 of 5 stars 3.84 avg rating — 169,685 ratings
The Sunday Philosophy Club Friends, Lovers, Chocolate The Right Attitude to Rain The Careful Use of Compliments The Comforts of a Muddy Sat... The Lost Art Of Gratitude: ... The Charming Quirks of Others
Sunday Philosophy Club (8 books)
by
3.555114566284779 of 5 stars 3.56 avg rating — 24,440 ratings
44 Scotland Street Espresso Tales Love Over Scotland The World According To Bertie The Unbearable Lightness of... The Importance of Being Seven Bertie Plays The Blues
44 Scotland Street (7 books)
by
3.7454329068729546 of 5 stars 3.75 avg rating — 16,805 ratings
Portuguese Irregular Verbs The Finer Points of Sausage... At the Villa of Reduced Cir... Unusual Uses for Olive Oil
Portuguese Irregular Verbs (4 books)
by
3.4898413169212517 of 5 stars 3.49 avg rating — 6,743 ratings
Corduroy Mansions The Dog who Came in from th... A Conspiracy of Friends
Corduroy Mansions (3 books)
by
3.5102367242482404 of 5 stars 3.51 avg rating — 3,126 ratings
More series by Alexander McCall Smith…

Upcoming Events

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Interviews

May 2009, Alexander McCall Smith
"I think it is important to remember that, in spite of [HIV], countries in sub-Saharan Africa keep going as best they can, and therefore we should not concentrate exclusively on writing about the bad things in Africa. There is plenty of good news, and there are many very good things happening there, so why should we not celebrate these?" ...More

more interviews »

Alexander's Recent Updates

"Kathy wrote: "How much input did you get in the making of this series, and which episodes do you especially like, if any?

I like the casting and the f
...more
"
"Suzanne wrote: "Hello Mr.Smith. When you created Precious and her series, did you intend to write a simple plot and simple cast of characters that wou...more "
"Jamie wrote: "Hi Mr. McCall Smith,

I was just wondering, what does it mean at the end of the books when you write Africa, Africa, Africa, ect.?

I love t
...more
"
"Anna wrote: "Dear Mr McCall Smith, I am the person to whom you kindly answered for an interview published on a Italian Review of Books. Just a questio...more "
"In the next book, The Importance of Being Seven, Bertie goes fishing with his father. They have various adventures and he gets a glimpse of what might...more "
3724634
Who is your favorite character from the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series?

he voted for Precious Ramotswe
32846
More of Alexander's books…
“You can go through life and make new friends every year - every month practically - but there was never any substitute for those friendships of childhood that survive into adult years. Those are the ones in which we are bound to one another with hoops of steel.”
Alexander McCall Smith, The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency

“It is sometimes easier to be happy if you don't know everything.”
Alexander McCall Smith, Morality for Beautiful Girls

“She was made for untidy rooms and rumpled beds.”
Alexander McCall Smith, The Sunday Philosophy Club

Polls

Which Series Should We Start With?

Thursday Next by Jasper Fforde
 
  3 votes, 50.0%

The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
 
  2 votes, 33.3%

Foundation by Isaac Asimov
 
  1 vote, 16.7%

Anita Blake Vampire Hunter by Laurell K. Hamilton
 
  0 votes, 0.0%

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Topics Mentioning This Author

32846 Q&A with Alexander McCall Smith — 492 members — last activity May 16, 2012 12:17pm
THIS Q&A HAS CONCLUDEDBest-selling author Alexander McCall Smith joined Goodreads fans for a Q&A and group chat May 10-17, 2010. The official Q&A is n...more



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