About
Alexander McCall Smith
Alexander McCall Smith is a British author, best known for his series of novels set in Botswana featuring the character Precious Ramotswe, the proprietor of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. He was born in Zimbabwe (then Rhodesia) in 1948 and studied law in Edinburgh, Scotland. After working as a lawyer and then a university professor for many years, he began writing fiction in the 1990s. Smith's novels have been translated into over 40 languages and have sold more than 20 million copies worldwide. He has also written several other series of novels, including the Isabel Dalhousie mysteries and the 44 Scotland Street series. Smith has received numerous awards for his writing, including the British Book Awards Author of the Year Award in 2005 and the Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best Book in 2006. He has also been awarded a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) for his services to literature. Smith's novels have been praised for their humor, warmth, and insight into human nature. He is considered one of the most popular and successful contemporary British authors.
Book Series by Alexander McCall Smith
No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Series
| Title | Published | Purchase |
|---|---|---|
| The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency | 1998 | Buy on Amazon |
| Tears of the Giraffe | 2000 | Buy on Amazon |
| Morality for Beautiful Girls | 2001 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Kalahari Typing School for Men | 2002 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Full Cupboard of Life | 2003 | Buy on Amazon |
| In the Company of Cheerful Ladies | 2004 | Buy on Amazon |
| Blue Shoes and Happiness | 2006 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Good Husband of Zebra Drive | 2007 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Miracle at Speedy Motors | 2008 | Buy on Amazon |
| Tea Time for the Traditionally Built | 2009 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Double Comfort Safari Club | 2010 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party | 2010 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection | 2012 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon | 2013 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Handsome Man's De Luxe Café | 2014 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Woman Who Walked in Sunshine | 2015 | Buy on Amazon |
| Precious and Grace | 2016 | Buy on Amazon |
| The House of Unexpected Sisters | 2017 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Colors of All the Cattle | 2018 | Buy on Amazon |
| To the Land of Long Lost Friends | 2019 | Buy on Amazon |
| How to Raise an Elephant | 2020 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Joy and Light Bus Company | 2021 | Buy on Amazon |
| A Song of Comfortable Chairs | 2022 | Buy on Amazon |
| From a Far and Lovely Country | 2023 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Great Hippopotamus Hotel | 2024 | Buy on Amazon |
No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Collections
| Title | Published | Purchase |
|---|---|---|
| The Cleverness of Ladies | 2012 | Buy on Amazon |
Professor Dr. Von Igelfeld Series
| Title | Published | Purchase |
|---|---|---|
| Portuguese Irregular Verbs | 2003 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Finer Points of Sausage Dogs | 2003 | Buy on Amazon |
| At the Villa of Reduced Circumstances | 2003 | Buy on Amazon |
| Unusual Uses for Olive Oil | 2011 | Buy on Amazon |
| Your Inner Hedgehog | 2021 | Buy on Amazon |
Isabel Dalhousie Series
| Title | Published | Purchase |
|---|---|---|
| The Sunday Philosophy Club | 2004 | Buy on Amazon |
| Friends, Lovers, Chocolate | 2005 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Right Attitude to Rain | 2006 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Careful Use of Compliments | 2007 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Comforts of a Muddy Saturday / The Comfort Of Saturdays | 2008 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Lost Art of Gratitude | 2009 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Charming Quirks of Others | 2010 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Forgotten Affairs of Youth | 2011 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Uncommon Appeal of Clouds | 2012 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Novel Habits of Happiness | 2015 | Buy on Amazon |
| A Distant View of Everything | 2017 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Quiet Side of Passion | 2018 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Geometry of Holding Hands | 2020 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Sweet Remnants of Summer | 2022 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Conditions of Unconditional Love | 2024 | Buy on Amazon |
Isabel Dalhousie Short Stories/Novellas
| Title | Published | Purchase |
|---|---|---|
| The Perils of Morning Coffee (Short Story) | 2011 | Buy on Amazon |
| At the Reunion Buffet | 2015 | Buy on Amazon |
| Sweet, Thoughtful Valentine (Short Story) | 2016 | Buy on Amazon |
44 Scotland Street Series
| Title | Published | Purchase |
|---|---|---|
| 44 Scotland Street | 2005 | Buy on Amazon |
| Espresso Tales | 2005 | Buy on Amazon |
| Love Over Scotland | 2006 | Buy on Amazon |
| The World According to Bertie | 2007 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Unbearable Lightness Of Scones | 2008 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Importance of Being Seven | 2010 | Buy on Amazon |
| Bertie Plays the Blues | 2011 | Buy on Amazon |
| Sunshine on Scotland Street | 2012 | Buy on Amazon |
| Bertie's Guide to Life and Mothers | 2013 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Revolving Door of Life | 2015 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Bertie Project | 2017 | Buy on Amazon |
| A Time of Love and Tartan | 2017 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Peppermint Tea Chronicles | 2019 | Buy on Amazon |
| A Promise of Ankles | 2020 | Buy on Amazon |
| Love in the Time of Bertie | 2021 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Enigma of Garlic | 2023 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Stellar Debut of Galactica Macfee | 2024 | Buy on Amazon |
Myths Series
| Title | Published | Purchase |
|---|---|---|
| Dream Angus: The Celtic God of Dreams | 2006 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Fire Gospel ( By: Michel Faber) | 2006 | Buy on Amazon |
Corduroy Mansions Series
| Title | Published | Purchase |
|---|---|---|
| Corduroy Mansions | 2009 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Dog Who Came in from the Cold | 2009 | Buy on Amazon |
| A Conspiracy of Friends | 2010 | Buy on Amazon |
The School Ship Tobermory Series
| Title | Published | Purchase |
|---|---|---|
| School Ship Tobermory | 2015 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Sands of Shark Island | 2016 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Race to Kangaroo Cliff | 2019 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Secret of the Dark Waterfall ( With: Iain Mcintosh) | 2019 | Buy on Amazon |
The Perfect Passion Company Series
| Title | Published | Purchase |
|---|---|---|
| Cook For Me | 2023 | Buy on Amazon |
| A Laborer in the Vineyard of Love | 2023 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Girl From Melbourne | 2024 | Buy on Amazon |
Paul Stuart Series
| Title | Published | Purchase |
|---|---|---|
| My Italian Bulldozer | 2017 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Second-Worst Restaurant in France | 2019 | Buy on Amazon |
Detective Varg Series
| Title | Published | Purchase |
|---|---|---|
| Varg in Love (Short Story) | 2013 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Department of Sensitive Crimes | 2019 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Talented Mr. Varg | 2020 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Man with the Silver Saab | 2021 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Discreet Charm of the Big Bad Wolf | 2023 | Buy on Amazon |
Detective Varg Short Stories/Novellas
| Title | Published | Purchase |
|---|---|---|
| The Strange Case of the Moderate Extremists (Short Story) | 2019 | Buy on Amazon |
Akimbo Series with LeUyen Pham
| Title | Published | Purchase |
|---|---|---|
| Akimbo and the Lions (Short Story) | 1992 | Buy on Amazon |
| Akimbo and the Crocodile Man | 1993 | Buy on Amazon |
| Akimbo and the Elephants | 2005 | Buy on Amazon |
| Akimbo and the Snakes | 2006 | Buy on Amazon |
| Akimbo and the Baboons (Short Story) | 2008 | Buy on Amazon |
Harriet Bean Series
| Title | Published | Purchase |
|---|---|---|
| The Five Lost Aunts of Harriet Bean | 1990 | Buy on Amazon |
| Harriet Bean and the League of Cheats | 1991 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Cowgirl Aunt of Harriet Bean | 1993 | Buy on Amazon |
Max & Maddy Series
| Title | Published | Purchase |
|---|---|---|
| Max & Maddy and the Bursting Balloons Mystery | 1997 | Buy on Amazon |
| Max & Maddy and the Chocolate Money Mystery (Short Story) | 1999 | Buy on Amazon |
Precious Ramotswe's Very First Cases Series
| Title | Published | Purchase |
|---|---|---|
| The Great Cake Mystery | 2009 | Buy on Amazon |
| Precious and the Monkeys | 2010 | Buy on Amazon |
| Precious and the Mystery of Meerkat Hill (Short Story) | 2012 | Buy on Amazon |
| Precious and the Mystery of the Missing Lion | 2013 | Buy on Amazon |
| Precious and the Zebra Necklace | 2015 | Buy on Amazon |
Young Corgi Series
| Title | Published | Purchase |
|---|---|---|
| Alix and the Tigers | 1988 | Buy on Amazon |
| Suzy Magician | 1990 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Tin Dog | 1990 | Buy on Amazon |
The Big-Top Mysteries Series
The Big-Top Mysteries – The Case of the Vanishing Granny (Short Story) ( With: Sam Usher)
2020
| Title | Published | Purchase |
|---|---|---|
| The Big-Top Mysteries – The Case of the Vanishing Granny (Short Story) ( With: Sam Usher) | 2020 | Buy on Amazon |
Alexander McCall Smith Other Novels
| Title | Published | Purchase |
|---|---|---|
| Uncle Gangster | 1989 | Buy on Amazon |
| La's Orchestra Saves the World | 2008 | Buy on Amazon |
| Fatty O'Leary's Dinner Party | 2014 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Forever Girl | 2014 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Good Pilot, Peter Woodhouse | 2017 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Pavilion in the Clouds | 2022 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Perfect Passion Company | 2024 | Buy on Amazon |
| Looking for You | 2025 | Buy on Amazon |
Alexander McCall Smith Children's Books
| Title | Published | Purchase |
|---|---|---|
| White Hippo | 1980 | Buy on Amazon |
| Film Boy | 1988 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Joke Machine | 1990 | Buy on Amazon |
| Marzipan Max | 1991 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Girl Who Changed the Weather | 1991 | Buy on Amazon |
| Calculator Annie | 1992 | Buy on Amazon |
| Springy Jane | 1992 | Buy on Amazon |
| Who Invented Peanut Butter? | 1993 | Buy on Amazon |
| My Chameleon Uncle | 1993 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Doughnut Ring | 1994 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Princess Trick | 1994 | Buy on Amazon |
| Paddy and the Ratcatcher | 1994 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Banana Machine | 1994 | Buy on Amazon |
| Billy Rubbish | 1995 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Bubblegum Tree | 1996 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Watermelon Boys | 1996 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Popcorn Pirates | 1999 | Buy on Amazon |
| Monkey Boy | 2000 | Buy on Amazon |
| Teacher Trouble | 2000 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Spaghetti Tangle | 2005 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Muscle Machine | 2006 | Buy on Amazon |
| Boing Boing | 2016 | Buy on Amazon |
| Hari & His Electric Feet | 2017 | Buy on Amazon |
| Max Champion and the Great Race Car Robbery | 2018 | Buy on Amazon |
| Freddie Mole (Short Story) | 2018 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Great Clown Conundrum (Short Story) | 2019 | Buy on Amazon |
| Noah Wild and the Floating Zoo | 2020 | Buy on Amazon |
Alexander McCall Smith Short Story Collections
| Title | Published | Purchase |
|---|---|---|
| Children of Wax: African Folk Tales | 1989 | Buy on Amazon |
| Heavenly Date and Other Flirtations | 1995 | Buy on Amazon |
| "Trouble at the North Pole" and Other Stories | 1996 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Perfect Hamburger and Other Delicious Stories | 2001 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Girl Who Married a Lion: and Other Tales from Africa | 2004 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Baboons Who Went This Way and That: Folktales from Africa | 2006 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Book That Changed My Life | 2006 | Buy on Amazon |
| Trains and Lovers | 2012 | Buy on Amazon |
| Chance Developments | 2016 | Buy on Amazon |
| Pianos and Flowers | 2019 | Buy on Amazon |
| Marvellous Mix-ups | 2020 | Buy on Amazon |
| In a Time of Distance and Other Poems | 2020 | Buy on Amazon |
| Tiny Tales: Stories of Romance, Ambition, Kindness, and Happiness | 2021 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Private Life of Spies and the Exquisite Art of Getting Even | 2023 | Buy on Amazon |
Alexander McCall Smith Non-Fiction Books
Who Built Scotland ( With: Kathleen Jamie, James Robertson, James Crawford, Alistair Moffat)
2017
| Title | Published | Purchase |
|---|---|---|
| A Work of Beauty: Alexander McCall Smith's Edinburgh | 2014 | Buy on Amazon |
| Who Built Scotland ( With: Kathleen Jamie, James Robertson, James Crawford, Alistair Moffat) | 2017 | Buy on Amazon |
Alexander McCall Smith Short Stories/Novellas
| Title | Published | Purchase |
|---|---|---|
| Good Dog Lion ( With: David Dean) | 2014 | Buy on Amazon |
| Freddie Mole, Lion Tamer ( With: Kate Hindley) | 2017 | Buy on Amazon |
Austen Project Series
| Title | Published | Purchase |
|---|---|---|
| Sense & Sensibility ( By: Joanna Trollope) | 2013 | Buy on Amazon |
| Northanger Abbey ( By: Val McDermid) | 2014 | Buy on Amazon |
| Emma | 2014 | Buy on Amazon |
| Eligible ( By: Curtis Sittenfeld) | 2016 | Buy on Amazon |
Mysterious Profiles Series
| Title | Published | Purchase |
|---|---|---|
| Rambo ( By: David Morrell) | 2022 | Buy on Amazon |
| Elvis Cole and Joe Pike ( By: Robert Crais) | 2022 | Buy on Amazon |
| Jack Taylor ( By: Ken Bruen) | 2022 | Buy on Amazon |
| Jack Reacher ( By: Lee Child) | 2022 | Buy on Amazon |
| Charlie Parker ( By: John Connolly) | 2022 | Buy on Amazon |
| Hieronymus Bosch ( By: Michael Connelly) | 2022 | Buy on Amazon |
| Lincoln Rhyme ( By: Jeffery Deaver) | 2022 | Buy on Amazon |
| Alex Delaware ( By: Jonathan Kellerman) | 2022 | Buy on Amazon |
| Tess Monaghan ( By: Laura Lippman) | 2022 | Buy on Amazon |
| Charlie Resnick ( By: John Harvey) | 2022 | Buy on Amazon |
| Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus ( By: Faye Kellerman) | 2022 | Buy on Amazon |
| Inspector Morse ( By: Colin Dexter) | 2022 | Buy on Amazon |
| Dismas Hardy ( By: John Lescroart) | 2022 | Buy on Amazon |
| Bob Lee Swagger ( By: Stephen Hunter) | 2022 | Buy on Amazon |
| Aloysius X. L. Pendergast ( By: Douglas Preston) | 2022 | Buy on Amazon |
| Lou Boldt (Short Story) ( By: Ridley Pearson) | 2022 | Buy on Amazon |
| Spenser ( By: Robert B. Parker) | 2022 | Buy on Amazon |
| Charlotte and Thomas Pitt ( By: Anne Perry) | 2022 | Buy on Amazon |
| John Rebus ( By: Ian Rankin) | 2022 | Buy on Amazon |
| Mallory ( By: Carol O'Connell) | 2022 | Buy on Amazon |
| Jane Whitefield (Short Story) ( By: Thomas Perry) | 2022 | Buy on Amazon |
| Ian Rutledge (Short Story) ( By: Charles Todd) | 2022 | Buy on Amazon |
| Amos Walker (Short Story) ( By: Loren D. Estleman) | 2022 | Buy on Amazon |
| Precious Ramotswe (Short Story) | 2022 | Buy on Amazon |
| Maisie Dobbs (Short Story) ( By: Jacqueline Winspear) | 2022 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Lincoln Lawyer (Short Story) ( By: Michael Connelly) | 2022 | Buy on Amazon |
| Condor (Short Story) ( By: James Grady) | 2023 | Buy on Amazon |
| Ben Kincaid (Short Story) ( By: William Bernhardt) | 2023 | Buy on Amazon |
| Repairman Jack (Short Story) ( By: F. Paul Wilson) | 2023 | Buy on Amazon |
| Joe Pickett (Short Story) ( By: C.J. Box) | 2024 | Buy on Amazon |
| Peter Diamond (Short Story) ( By: Peter Lovesey) | 2024 | Buy on Amazon |
| Nathan Heller (Short Story) ( By: Max Allan Collins) | 2024 | Buy on Amazon |
Writers on Writers Series
| Title | Published | Purchase |
|---|---|---|
| Notes on Sontag ( By: Phillip Lopate) | 2009 | Buy on Amazon |
| On Whitman ( By: C.K. Williams) | 2010 | Buy on Amazon |
| On Conan Doyle ( By: Michael Dirda) | 2011 | Buy on Amazon |
| What W. H. Auden Can Do for You | 2013 | Buy on Amazon |
| On Elizabeth Bishop ( By: Colm Tóibín) | 2015 | Buy on Amazon |
| On Empson ( By: Michael Wood) | 2017 | Buy on Amazon |
| On Henry Miller: Or, How to Be an Anarchist ( By: John Burnside) | 2018 | Buy on Amazon |
| On Seamus Heaney ( By: Roy Foster) | 2020 | Buy on Amazon |
Alexander McCall Smith Anthologies
| Title | Published | Purchase |
|---|---|---|
| A Treasury of Five-Minute Stories | 2000 | Buy on Amazon |
| One City | 2005 | Buy on Amazon |
| A New Omnibus of Crime | 2005 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Sunday Night Book Club | 2006 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Best British Mysteries IV | 2007 | Buy on Amazon |
| Midsummer Nights | 2009 | Buy on Amazon |
| Ox-Tales | 2009 | Buy on Amazon |
| Crimespotting | 2009 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Mammoth Book of Best British Crime 7 | 2010 | Buy on Amazon |
| Imagined Lives | 2010 | Buy on Amazon |
| No Rest for the Dead | 2011 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Mammoth Book of Best British Crime 8 | 2011 | Buy on Amazon |
| What You Wish For | 2011 | Buy on Amazon |
| Better Than Fiction: True Travel Tales From Great Fiction Writers | 2012 | Buy on Amazon |
| How Rude! Modern Manners Defined | 2012 | Buy on Amazon |
| OxCrimes: 27 Killer Stories from the Cream of Crimewriters | 2014 | Buy on Amazon |
| Who Built Scotland | 2017 | Buy on Amazon |
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