Alexander McCall Smith

The story revolves around the comings and goings at No. 44 Scotland Street, a fictitious building in a real street in Edinburgh. Immediately recognisable are the Edinburgh chartered surveyor, stalwart of the Conservative Association, who dreams of membership of Scotland's most exclusive golf club. We have the pushy Stockbridge mother, and her prodigiously talented five-year-old son, who is making good progress with the saxophone and with his Italian. Then there is Domenica Macdonald who is that type of Edinburgh lady who sees herself as a citizen of a broader intellectual world.

In McCall Smith's hands such characters retain charm and novelty, simultaneously arousing both mirth and empathy. 44 Scotland Street is vintage McCall Smith, tackling issues of trust and honesty, snobbery and hypocrisy, love and loss, but all with great lightness of touch. Clever, elegant and funny, this is a novel that provides huge entertainment but which is underpinned by the moral dilemmas of everyday life and the characters' struggles to resolve them.  Book 1 of series.

The complete BBC radio adaptations of Alexander McCall's bestselling series Inspired by Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City 44 Scotland Street started life as a serial in The Scotsman. It was a huge hit and was soon novelised adapted on stage and dramatised for BBC Radio 4.

Collected here are all five radio series in which we follow the interconnected lives of the residents of adjoining flats in a tenement in Edinburgh's Georgian New Town. There's Pat a young tenant who arrives at 44 Scotland Street to flat-share with handsome surveyor Bruce (a man with more of an eye for the ladies than for a sound property); Matthew setting up the Something Special Gallery with little knowledge of art; and child prodigy Bertie Pollock who wants the life of an ordinary little boy but instead has psychotherapy yoga and Italian conversation lessons. And at the local cafA owner Big Lou is looking for love - but seems doomed to romantic disappointment... Their chance day-to-day criss-crossings quirky foibles and comic adventures are all observed by Number 44's longest-term resident anthropologist Domenica MacDonald her painter friend Angus Lordie - and Angus' dog Cyril the only canine in Scotland with a gold tooth.

Full of charm humour and empathy these delightful dramas star Carol Ann Crawford and Crawford Logan with a superb cast including James Mackenzie Samuel Keefe Belle Jones and Anita Vettesse. Also included is an edition of Radio 4's Bookclub in which Alexander McCall Smith talks about his novel 44 Scotland Street with James Naughtie and readers.

More cases for Mma Ramotswe and her assistant, Mma Makutsi. Plus there is trouble when Mma Makutsi's greedy uncles demand an extra-large bride price from her fiance. Book 7 of series.

Isabel Dalhousie attends an art auction and finds two paintings attributed to the same artist appearing on the market at the same time. Both exhibit unusual characteristics and Isabel suspects they may be forgeries.  Book 5 of series.

There are times when ladies must use all their wisdom and good sense to face life's problems and mysteries. Here are five tales of love, heartbreak, hope and the cleverness of ladies. Quick Reads.   Book 14 of series.

We follow the strange, wonderful goings on of the residents and visitors at Corduroy Mansions, Pimlico; from nasty Liberal Democrat MP Oedipus Snark to the newest resident, Pimlico Terrier Freddie de la Hay.  Book 1 of series.

In the genteel environs of Corduroy Mansions, Pimlico, strange doings are afoot, mostly in the name of love. Lonely William French and his faithful canine Freddie are recruited to the service of MI6 by a beguiling lady operative, and William's neighbour Caroline finds her suitor James mysteriously lacking. Meanwhile, Barbara Ragg is tempted to the Highlands by blossoming romance.

Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi are called to a safari lodge in Botswana's Okavango Delta to carry out a delicate mission on behalf of a former guest. Volume 11 of the series

Fresh from university, Emma Woodhouse arrives home eager to get her fledging design business off the ground. There is one person capable of crushing Emma’s confidence, her inscrutable neighbour George Knightly, and for a young woman who knows everything, Emma has a lot to learn about herself! Part of ‘The Austen Project’, where renowned authors adapt Austen’s novels for the present day.

More challenges for the residents of 44 Scotland street.  Book 2 of series.

When his loving wife Betty plans a trip to Ireland for Fatty O’Leary’s 40th birthday things go wrong almost immediately: the seats in economy class on the plane are too small; Irish bathroom furniture is not as commodious as he'd have liked. And all the time Fatty must put up with the unthinking cruelty of strangers.

A novel about love and following one’s heart, and the unexpected places to which this can lead us At the age of four Clover chooses her own name. Aged six, she falls in love with her best friend, James. But in the adult world, things are not so simple: Clover's mother finds she's fallen out of love with her husband, and realises that James's father is interested in her. As Clover and James, and their parents, navigate their irresistible but baffling mazes of emotion, we are given a beautifully realised tale about how love can shape a life.

Isabel Dalhousie thinks often of friends, sometimes of lovers, and on occasion of chocolate. As an Edinburgh philosopher she is certain of where she stands. She can review a book called In Praise of Sin with panache and conviction, but real life is... well, perhaps a bit more challenging...  Book 2 of series.

Mr JLB Matekoni is drawn into the work of the agency when he investigates a case involving an errant husband. But can a man investigate such matters with as much skill as one of the ladies? Mma Ramotswe has her doubts...  Book 8 of series.

Roll up! Roll up! A new season is about to begin at the Shortbread family's circus! The big-top is ready and everyone is excited to get started. But as the shows begin chief clown Mr Birdcage is in a bit of a pickle - none of his hilarious props seem to be working! When budding detectives Billy, Fern and Joe get on the case to investigate, they soon discover that the props have been tampered with! But who would want to sabotage Mr Birdcage and why?

Motherhood proves to be no obstacle to Mma Makutsi's success, as she launches a new enterprise of her own - a restaurant for Gaborone's most fashionable diners. But she isn't fully prepared for the challenges that come with running one's own business. Help may come from an unexpected source, if only Mma Makutsi can swallow her pride and ask. Book 16 of series.

In these hilarious stories of perverse meetings, casual dates and romantic encounters, we are enthralled, saddened, inspired and surprised by the encounters we witness. Entanglements that can be shocking, edifying, compulsive, complicated and sometimes completely disastrous.

In I Think of You, the reader travels through literary Edinburgh in summer, heartbreak in a rain-drenched glen in the Highlands, a voyage on the Argo in Ancient Greece, and from Dallas to Helsinki and home again.

Throughout this collection, the author explores various themes of love, kindness and friendship, as well as the philosophy of food, the idiosyncrasies of language and the importance of canonical hours. Each poem is a journey of the soul that interrogates what it is to love and to be alive.

Now married to Mr JLB Matekoni, Mma Ramotswe finds that the work of her Detective Agency still keeps her very busy. She also has to intervene in a serious disagreement between Mma Makutsi and one of the garage mechanics. Book 6 of series.

Precious Ramotswe faces competition from the new 'Satisfaction Guarantee Detective Agency' set up by Cephas Buthelezi. Meanwhile Mma Makutsi sets up a typing school for men and finds romance. Book 4 of series.

The estimable Clovis Andersen, author of The Principles of Private Investigation - the No. 1 Ladies' prized manual - has arrived in Botswana, on a case of his own. Professional courtesy suggests that he call and announce himself to Mma Ramotswe...   Book 13 of series.

Isabel Dalhousie is drawn into the murky world of financial double-dealing when she encounters an old foe, Minty Auchterlonie, at a birthday party. At the same time her neice Cat has become engaged to a tightrope-walking stuntman and Isabel fears his next job could end in disaster.  Book 7 of series.

With Mma Makutsi busy with motherhood, Mma Ramotswe must tackle detective work alone. Well-known troublemaker Violet Sephotho may or not be behind a smear campaign against the Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon, and a dispute over the will of a local dignitary points to a shocking family secret. Book 15 of series.

When she receives a threatening anonymous letter, Mma Ramotswe is compelled to reconsider her unconquerable belief in a kind world. While she ponders the identity of the letter-writer, Mma Ramotswe has a further set of problems to solve, both professional and personal.  Book 9 of series.

Mma Ramotswe and her assistant, Mma Makutsi, are asked to investigate the contestants at a local beauty pageant. Meanwhile Mr JLB Matekoni seems to be losing interest in his business and Mma tries to find the reason.  Book 3 of series.

When Precious Ramotswe receives an inheritance from her father, she decides to set up Botswana's very first private detective agency - 'for the problems of ladies, and others'. Aided by the loyal, resourceful Grace Makutsi, and multiple cups of red bush tea, she sets out to investigate cases including missing husbands, wayward wives, unscrupulous con artists and unexpected deaths.

She may not be an old-school investigator like her idol, Clovis Andersen, but her warm heart, empathetic nature and common-sense approach enable her to solve the most curious of mysteries - and win the heart of gentle motor mechanic Mr JLB Matekoni...

Included here are all 35 stories from the acclaimed BBC radio series, written and adapted by Alexander McCall Smith from his own internationally bestselling books. These charming dramatisations are brought to life with vibrant, evocative African music and a first-rate cast, including Claire Benedict and Janice Acquah as Mma Ramotswe, Nadine Marshall as Mma Makutsi and Joseph Marcell and Ben Onwukwe as Mr JLB Matekoni.

Precious Ramotswe is Botswana's only female private detective. Her methods are not conventional but she has warmth and canny intuition on her side as she deals with philandering partners, conmen and wayward children.  Book 1 of series.

Is there anything funny about German professors? This novel features the endless mishaps of the inimitable German professor, Dr Moritz-Maria von Igelfeld.

The key to contentment in the Scottish climate is the right attitude to rain - just as in life the key to happiness lies in making the best of what you have. Bruised in love by her faithless Irish husband, Isabel Dalhousie is a connoisseur of intimate moral issues. She spends a great deal of her time considering how to improve the lives of those around her, especially when the problems involve matters of the heart...

As the countdown to Mma Makutsi's wedding begins, all is not as it should be at the No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency. Mma Ramotswe, has reason to reflect on Rule No. 3 of The Principles of Private Detection: never lie to the client.  Book 12 of series.

Amateur sleuth Isabel Dalhousie is a philosopher who uses her training to solve unusual mysteries. She also hosts The Sunday Philosophy Club at her house in Edinburgh. Behind the city's Georgian facades its moral compasses are spinning with greed, dishonesty and murderous intent. Instinct tells Isabel that the young man who tumbled to his death in front of her eyes at a concert in the Usher Hall didn't fall. He was pushed.  Book 1 of series.

The proprietor of a local football team has enlisted the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency to help explain its dreadful losing streak: surely someone must be fixing the games, it can't just be a case of unskilled players. Volume 10 of series

As a newly engaged person, Precious Ramotswe continues the work of her detective agency whilst trying to decide with Mr JLB Matekoni about their future life together. But why is Mr JLB Matekoni's maid trying to frame Mma Ramotswe?  Book 2 of series.