Alexander McCall Smith

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Alexander McCall Smith

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Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, Wales.

10 Captivating Contemporary Novels Set in the British Isles

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12 Novels Considered the “Greatest Book Ever Written”

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Portrait of Edgar Allan Poe by Frederick T. Stuart, c. about 1845

The Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe

Girl Reading On Turquoise Couch

9 American Countercultural Books

Discover

Shah Jahan. Taj Mahal. Mughal architecture. Emperor Shah Jahan fifth Mughal Emperor (reigned 1628-1658) India, Himachal Pradesh, Basohli or Jammu and Kashmir, Mankot, circa 1690 Drawings; Opaque watercolor, gold, and ink on paper (see notes)

6 Important Mughal Emperors

Easter Procession of Maria Santisima del Sacromonte in Granada, Spain. This statue is known as Virgen de los Gitanos or The Virgin of the Gypsies.

What is Holy Week?

Lusitania sinking, illustration from The War of the Nations (New York), December 31, 1919. World War I, WWI. This image is one of three on the page. (See source file for the other two.)

7 of the World’s Deadliest Shipwrecks

Hemp (Cannabis sativa).

9 Mind-Altering Plants

Currency. Money. Cash. Dollars. Bills. Pile of ten, twenty, fifty, and hundred dollar bills.

6 Questions About the History of Money and Banking Answered

Illustration for Demystified "How Dangerous is Quicksand"

How Deadly Is Quicksand?

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12 Novels Considered the “Greatest Book Ever Written”

Alexander McCall Smith: Facts & Related Content

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Facts

Also Known As	Sandy McCall Smith
Born	August 24, 1948 (age 76) • Bulawayo • Zimbabwe
Notable Works	“Children of Wax: African Folk Tales” • “Forgotten Affairs of Youth, The” • “Fulgens and Lucrece” • “La’s Orchestra Saves the World” • “Love in the Time of Bertie” • “Miracle at Speedy Motors, The” • “The Finer Points of Sausage Dogs, The” • “The Handsome Man’s De Luxe Café” • “The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency” • “The Pavilion in the Clouds” • “The Revolving Door of Life” • “The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party” • “The Sunday Philosophy Club”

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Alexander McCall Smith

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C.S. Lewis

C.S. Lewis

Irish-born author and scholar

One of Britain's most popular authors

Philip Pullman

British writer

J.K. Rowling

J.K. Rowling

British author

Penelope Lively

British author

Rose Tremain

Rose Tremain

British author

Rumer Godden

British writer

Buchi Emecheta

Buchi Emecheta

Nigerian author and sociologist

J.I.M. Stewart

British author

Robert Louis Stevenson

Robert Louis Stevenson

British author

Arthur Conan Doyle

Arthur Conan Doyle

British author

Andrew Lang

British scholar

Solomon M. Mutswairo

Zimbabwean author

Josephine Tey, 1934

Josephine Tey

Scottish author

George Macdonald, engraving

George Macdonald

British author

Lewis Carroll

Lewis Carroll

British author

Rudyard Kipling

Rudyard Kipling

British writer

Toni Morrison

Toni Morrison

American author

The man who invented Middle-earth

J.R.R. Tolkien

English author

Salman Rushdie, 2008

Salman Rushdie

British-American writer

Emerald Fennell

Emerald Fennell

British actress and director

Quiz

Book Jacket of "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by American children's author illustrator Eric Carle (born 1929)

Classic Children’s Books Quiz