Alexander McCall Smith

Alexander McCall Smith was born and raised in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). He moved to Scotland to study law at the University of Edinburgh where he continues to work as a professor of medical law.  He has written over fifty books, including non-fiction legal titles, children's books, and his famous No. 1 Ladies Detective Series which became a hit in the United States by word of mouth after it was published in 2002.

McCall Smith's life in Africa and his love of the continent have influenced both his children's novels and his adult fiction.  While not all of his books are set in Africa, he has written an collection of African folktales and the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency concerns Precious Ramotswe, a woman from Botswana who becomes the country's first female detective.  Readers find themselves falling in love with the country too as they learn about Botswana's culture. 

Recent offerings from the author include 44 Scotland Street which tells the story of residents of an apartment building in Edinburgh and a detective series, The Sunday Philosophy Club, starring a Scottish-American philosopher named Isobel Dalhousie, and the Portuguese Irregular Verbs series  starring Professor Dr. Moritz-Maria von Igelfeld of the Institute of Romance Philology whose hilarious adventures take him to various locations around the world.

Click here to see what Alexander McCall Smith titles are held by Escondido Public Library.