VJ Books Presents Author Alexander McCall Smith!
Alexander McCall Smith was born in 1948 in what is now Zimbabwe. He graduated from the University of Edinburgh with a PhD in law. He also holds 12 honorary doctorates from universities around the world, and was honored for his literary accomplishments by the president of Zimbabwe.
After graduating, McCall Smith began teaching at Queen's University Belfast, and during this period in his life he entered a writing competition in both adult novel and children's book categories. He won the latter category, and first his story The White Hippo was published in 1980, but his writing career did not begin in earnest until later in his life. McCall Smith's next adventure brought him back to Africa where he helped found the law school at the University of Botswana. During this period in his life he co-wrote a volume on the criminal law system of that country. He also founded Botswana's first center for operatic training, and wrote the libretto of their very first production.
When he returned to the United Kingdom, McCall Smith took up at the University of Edinburgh as a Professor of Medical Law, and today holds the position of Professor Emeritus there. He has also been a visiting professor at several other universities, in America, Italy, and elsewhere. McCall Smith vice-chaired the UK Human Genetics Commission for four years. He also chaired the British Medical Journal Ethics Committee for several years and was a member of the International Bioethics Commission of UNESCO.
McCall Smith is best known for his No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series, the first book of which was published in 1998. Alexander McCall Smith is an extremely prolific author and has published over 80 books for children and novels, not to speak of his short stories and academic works. He has received many literary awards, and was made a CBE for his services to literature in the Queen's New Year Honors List. You can find a selection of Alexander McCall Smith signed books below this biography.
Alexander McCall Smith currently lives in Edinburgh with his wife Elizabeth. He founded "The Really Terrible Orchestra" in which he plays the bassoon and his wife plays the horn.
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Alexander McCall Smith Bibliography
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Series
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The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency - 1998
- Tears of the Giraffe - 2000
- Morality for Beautiful Girls - 2001
- The Kalahari Typing School for Men - 2002
- The Full Cupboard of Life - 2003
- In the Company of Cheerful Ladies - 2004 (also known as The Night-Time Dancer)
- Blue Shoes and Happiness - 2006
- The Good Husband of Zebra Drive - 2007
- The Miracle at Speedy Motors - 2008
- Tea Time for the Traditionally Built - 2009
- The Double Comfort Safari Club - 2010
- Precious and the Puggies - 2010 (children's novella, first published in a Scots translation by James Robertson)
- Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party - 2011
- The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon - 2013
- The Handsome Man's Deluxe Cafe - 2014
- The Woman Who Walked in Sunshine - 2015
- Precious and Grace - October 2016
- To the Land of Long Lost Friends - October 2019
- How To Raise an Elephant - 2020
The 2˝ Pillars of Wisdom Series
- Portuguese Irregular Verbs - 2003
- The Finer Points of Sausage Dogs - 2003
- At the Villa of Reduced Circumstances - 2003
- Unusual Uses of Olive Oil - 2011
The Sunday Philosophy Club Series (also known as Isabel Dalhousie Mysteries)
- The Sunday Philosophy Club - 2004
- Friends, Lovers, Chocolate - 2005
- The Right Attitude to Rain - 2006
- The Careful Use of Compliments - 2007
- The Comforts of a Muddy Saturday - 2008 (published in the UK as The Comfort of Saturdays)
- The Lost Art of Gratitude - 2009
- The Charming Quirks of Others - 2010
- The Forgotten Affairs of Youth - 2011
- The Uncommon Appeal of Clouds - 2012
- The Novel Habits of Happiness - 2015
44 Scotland Street Series
- 44 Scotland Street - 2005
- Espresso Tales - 2005
- Love over Scotland - 2006
- The World According to Bertie - 2007
- The Unbearable Lightness of Scones - 2008
- The Importance of Being Seven - 2010
- Bertie Plays the Blues - 2011
- Sunshine on Scotland Street - 2012
- Bertie's Guide to Life and Mothers - 2013
Corduroy Mansions Series
- Corduroy Mansions - 2009
- The Dog Who Came in from the Cold - 2009 (originally published online daily in serial form; published as a hardcover in 2010)
- A Conspiracy of Friends - 2011
Other Novels
- La's Orchestra Saves the World - 2008
- Trains and Lovers - 2012
- The Forever Girl - 2014
- EMMA: A Modern Retelling - 2015
- The Good Pilot Alexander Woodhouse - May 2018
- The Geometry of Holding Hands - 2020
- The Talented Mr. Varg - 2020
- The Man With the Silver Saab - 2021
- The Joy and Light Bus Company - 2021
Short Story Collections
- Children of Wax: African Folk Tales - 1991
- Heavenly Date: And Other Flirtations - 1995
- The Girl Who Married a Lion: And Other Tales from Africa - 2004
Children's Books
- The White Hippo - 1980
- The Perfect Hamburger - 1984
- Alix and the Tigers - 1988
- The Tin Dog - 1990
- Calculator Annie - 1991
- The Popcorn Pirates - 1991
- Akimbo and the Lions - 1992
- The Doughnut Ring - 1992
- Akimbo and the Crocodile Man - 1993
- Paddy and the Ratcatcher - 1994
- The Muscle Machine - 1995
- The Bubblegum Tree - 1996
- Bursting Balloons Mystery - 1997
- The Five Lost Aunts of Harriet Bean - 1997
- Chocolate Money Mystery - 1999
- Teacher Trouble - 2000
- Akimbo and the Elephants - 2005
- Dream Angus - 2006
- Akimbo and the Snakes - 2006
- Akimbo and the Baboons - 2008
- Precious and the Mischeif at Meerkat Brae - 2013
Alexander McCall Smith Awards- The SAGA Award for Wit - 2003
- British Book Awards—Author of the Year Award
- Bookseller’s Association—Author of the Year Award
- Senior Fellow, Massey College, Toronto - 2006
- Theakston Old Peculier Award—Book of the Year for Blue Shoes and Happiness
- CBE for Services to Literature, United Kingdom- 2007
- Great Scot Award from National Trust for Scotland Foundation USA - 2008
- Giuseppe Acerbi Literary Prize - 2010
- Presidential Order of Merit from the President of Botswana for services through literature to the country - 2011
- Burke Medal for Outstanding Contribution to Public Discourse through the Arts, Debating Society of Trinity College, Dublin - 2012
- Duke University, NC, USA—Duke LEAF Award for Lifetime Environmental Achievement in the Fine Arts - 2013
- The Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction - 2015
- The National Arts Club of America Medal of Honor for Achievement in Literature - 2017
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