Alexander McCall Smith Books in Order (Updated May 10, 2026)

Alexander McCall Smith is a Scottish author of crime fiction, comic novels, serial fiction, children’s books, short stories, poetry, and nonfiction. He is best known for The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, but that is only one part of a large bibliography.

There is no single Alexander McCall Smith reading order that works for every reader. His books are best read by series, because Precious Ramotswe, Isabel Dalhousie, Bertie Pollock, Professor von Igelfeld, Ulf Varg, and Paul Stuart all belong to separate fictional worlds.

The safest rule is this: choose the series first, then read that series in publication order.

Choose Your Starting Door

1. For the best-known series: Start with The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency.
2. For Edinburgh philosophy and domestic mystery: Start with The Sunday Philosophy Club.
3. For comic Edinburgh ensemble fiction: Start with 44 Scotland Street.
4. For academic comedy: Start with Portuguese Irregular Verbs.
5. For Scandinavian crime satire: Start with The Department of Sensitive Crimes.
6. For a standalone novel: Start with La’s Orchestra Saves the World or Trains and Lovers.
7. For children: Start with Akimbo and the Elephants or The Five Lost Aunts of Harriet Bean.

The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency Books in Order

This is McCall Smith’s most famous series. It follows Mma Precious Ramotswe, Botswana’s first female private detective, along with Grace Makutsi, Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni, and the people who bring their troubles to the agency.

Read this series in order. The mysteries are gentle, but the relationships and agency life develop steadily.

1. The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency (1998): Precious Ramotswe opens her detective agency in Botswana and begins solving human problems with patience, memory, and moral clarity.
2. Tears of the Giraffe (2000): Mma Ramotswe investigates an old disappearance while her personal life with Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni moves toward commitment.
3. Morality for Beautiful Girls (2001): The agency takes on beauty-pageant concerns and family complications while Grace Makutsi begins stepping into a larger role.
4. The Kalahari Typing School for Men (2002): Mma Makutsi opens a typing school, creating a parallel path of ambition, dignity, and competition.
5. The Full Cupboard of Life (2003): Mma Ramotswe handles a wealthy client’s romantic problem while her own wedding remains strangely delayed.
6. In the Company of Cheerful Ladies (2004): Trouble from Mma Ramotswe’s past returns, and Mma Makutsi finds new confidence in work and love.
7. Blue Shoes and Happiness (2006): Mma Makutsi’s famous shoes and Mma Ramotswe’s casework turn small worries into questions of self-respect.
8. The Good Husband of Zebra Drive (2007): Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni tries detective work, while Mma Ramotswe faces uncertainty about how much change the agency can bear.
9. The Miracle at Speedy Motors (2008): Mma Ramotswe helps a woman search for lost family while medical and mechanical worries touch the agency household.
10. Tea Time for the Traditionally Built (2009): A football team’s losing streak becomes a case, while old loyalties and new commercial pressures test familiar characters.
11. The Double Comfort Safari Club (2010): Mma Ramotswe travels north for a safari-related case that mixes inheritance, gratitude, and deception.
12. The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party (2011): Mma Makutsi’s wedding approaches, while cattle, memory, and old wrongdoing complicate agency life.
13. The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection (2012): Mma Ramotswe meets the author of her beloved detective manual, forcing her to test theory against real kindness.
14. The Cleverness of Ladies (2012): A shorter No. 1 Ladies story that works as optional companion material rather than a full main-series step.
15. The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon (2013): Mma Makutsi’s maternity leave and a beauty salon case make the agency balance professional work and family change.
16. The Handsome Man’s De Luxe Café (2014): Mma Makutsi tries to open a café, while Mma Ramotswe helps a woman who has lost her memory.
17. The Woman Who Walked in Sunshine (2015): Mma Ramotswe attempts a holiday from detecting, only to find that questions follow her even in retirement-like quiet.
18. Precious and Grace (2016): A Canadian visitor asks for help revisiting her childhood in Botswana, creating a case about memory, belonging, and emotional truth.
19. The House of Unexpected Sisters (2017): Mma Ramotswe uncovers a family surprise that changes what she thinks she knows about her own history.
20. The Colours of All the Cattle (2018): Mma Ramotswe is drawn into local politics, while a hit-and-run case raises questions about public duty.
21. To the Land of Long Lost Friends (2019): Old acquaintances, family ties, and moral choices bring the agency back to the meaning of friendship.
22. How to Raise an Elephant (2020): An elephant, a business problem, and Mma Makutsi’s domestic worries create one of the series’ warmer late entries.
23. The Joy and Light Bus Company (2021): Charlie’s business ideas and agency concerns create tension between ambition and responsibility.
24. A Song of Comfortable Chairs (2022): Furniture, rivalry, and workplace loyalty pull Mma Ramotswe into questions of comfort, pride, and fairness.
25. From a Far and Lovely Country (2023): A distant visitor asks Mma Ramotswe to help with family history, keeping the series focused on memory and reconciliation.
26. The Great Hippopotamus Hotel (2024): Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi investigate problems at a hotel, where hospitality hides tension.
27. In the Time of Five Pumpkins (2025): A new agency problem arrives as Mma Ramotswe continues applying calm judgment to ordinary lives under pressure.
28. The Big Cats Dance Party (2026): The next listed No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency novel and book 27 in some publisher numbering, due after In the Time of Five Pumpkins.

Isabel Dalhousie Books in Order

The Isabel Dalhousie novels are set in Edinburgh and follow a philosopher, editor, mother, and amateur solver of moral puzzles. These are less conventional mysteries and more novels about conscience, art, love, and social obligation.

Read them in order because Isabel’s family life and relationships develop across the series.

1. The Sunday Philosophy Club (2004): Isabel witnesses a suspicious fall at a concert and begins investigating both the death and her own moral responsibilities.
2. Friends, Lovers, Chocolate (2005): A heart-transplant mystery draws Isabel into questions of memory, identity, and emotional intuition.
3. The Right Attitude to Rain (2006): Isabel’s romantic life and family connections become more complicated while she studies other people’s motives.
4. The Careful Use of Compliments (2007): Isabel’s work as an editor and collector of art leads into questions about truth, reputation, and affection.
5. The Comfort of Saturdays / The Comforts of a Muddy Saturday (2008): Isabel investigates a damaged medical reputation while adjusting to motherhood and domestic change.
6. The Lost Art of Gratitude (2009): Isabel becomes involved with a financier’s secret, testing her instinct to intervene in other people’s affairs.
7. The Charming Quirks of Others (2010): A school appointment, anonymous accusations, and Isabel’s curiosity combine into a moral investigation.
8. The Forgotten Affairs of Youth (2011): Isabel helps a philosopher uncover family origins while her own sense of memory and love deepens.
9. The Perils of Morning Coffee (2011): A shorter Isabel story that belongs between the main novels but can be treated as optional.
10. The Uncommon Appeal of Clouds (2012): A stolen painting draws Isabel into an art-world problem involving loyalty, guilt, and beauty.
11. At the Reunion Buffet (2015): A short Isabel piece that works as optional companion reading.
12. The Novel Habits of Happiness (2015): Isabel investigates a child’s unsettling memories, creating one of the series’ more reflective psychological cases.
13. Sweet, Thoughtful Valentine (2016): A short seasonal Isabel story, optional for readers who are following only the novels.
14. A Distant View of Everything (2017): Isabel reflects on jealousy, friendship, and moral boundaries while another delicate problem comes her way.
15. The Quiet Side of Passion (2018): Isabel’s household becomes busier, and her private life presses against her philosophical habits.
16. The Geometry of Holding Hands (2020): A financial request from Isabel’s niece opens questions about trust, family, and generosity.
17. The Sweet Remnants of Summer (2022): Scottish history, family feeling, and Isabel’s continuing curiosity shape a quieter late-series mystery.
18. The Conditions of Unconditional Love (2024): Isabel faces further emotional and philosophical tests around love, patience, and the claims people make on one another.
19. The Subtle Pleasures of Indiscretion (2026): The next listed Isabel Dalhousie novel, continuing the Edinburgh philosophical-mystery sequence.

44 Scotland Street Books in Order

The 44 Scotland Street books began as serial fiction and follow an ensemble of Edinburgh residents, especially Bertie Pollock, his mother Irene, Domenica Macdonald, Big Lou, Matthew, Pat, and other shifting neighbors.

Read this series in order. It is comic and episodic, but the pleasure comes from watching lives accumulate.

1. 44 Scotland Street (2005): The series begins inside an Edinburgh address where Pat, Bruce, Domenica, Bertie, and Irene form a comic neighborhood web.
2. Espresso Tales (2005): The ensemble grows more settled, with Bertie’s childhood and adult romantic confusions becoming key running threads.
3. Love Over Scotland (2006): Travel, art, music, and misdirected affection expand the Scotland Street world beyond the original flat.
4. The World According to Bertie (2007): Bertie’s over-managed childhood becomes one of the series’ central comic and emotional concerns.
5. The Unbearable Lightness of Scones (2008): Weddings, misunderstandings, and domestic absurdities keep the Edinburgh cast moving through small social crises.
6. The Importance of Being Seven (2010): Bertie reaches a symbolic age while the adults around him continue behaving no less strangely.
7. Bertie Plays the Blues (2011): Bertie’s hopes for freedom and ordinary childhood deepen, while other residents wrestle with love and self-deception.
8. Sunshine on Scotland Street (2012): The neighborhood story continues with new journeys, old habits, and further attempts at emotional clarity.
9. Bertie’s Guide to Life and Mothers (2013): Bertie’s perspective on Irene and childhood control sharpens the series’ long-running family comedy.
10. The Revolving Door of Life (2015): Change enters Scotland Street through arrivals, departures, and fresh chances for the established cast.
11. The Bertie Project (2016): Bertie’s longing for freedom remains central as the series continues its slow comic pressure on Irene’s parenting.
12. A Time of Love and Tartan (2017): Romance, friendship, and national identity all receive McCall Smith’s gentle comic treatment.
13. The Peppermint Tea Chronicles (2019): Domestic rituals, old friends, and new complications keep the serialized structure alive.
14. A Promise of Ankles (2020): The residents continue through romantic adjustments, social embarrassments, and Bertie-related anxieties.
15. Love in the Time of Bertie (2021): Bertie’s life remains the emotional center while the adult cast circles love, pride, and habit.
16. The Enigma of Garlic (2022): Food, friendship, and eccentricity carry the community through another set of Edinburgh entanglements.
17. The Stellar Debut of Galactica MacFee (2023): A new child figure shifts attention while Bertie’s familiar struggle for normality continues.
18. Bertie’s Theory of Ice Cream (2025): Bertie and the Scotland Street circle return in another comic chapter of childhood, manners, and Edinburgh life.
19. The Prime of Bertie Pollock (2026): The next listed 44 Scotland Street novel, continuing Bertie’s long-running place in the series.

Professor Dr. von Igelfeld Books in Order

These are comic academic novels about Professor Dr. Moritz-Maria von Igelfeld, a specialist in Romance philology and a man with an extremely delicate sense of status.

Read in order if possible, though the plots are looser than the main mystery series.

1. Portuguese Irregular Verbs (2003): Von Igelfeld’s scholarly pride and social awkwardness introduce one of McCall Smith’s broadest comic creations.
2. The Finer Points of Sausage Dogs (2003): A misunderstanding involving veterinary medicine turns academic self-importance into farce.
3. At the Villa of Reduced Circumstances (2003): Von Igelfeld travels abroad and finds that professional dignity is very difficult to maintain.
4. Unusual Uses for Olive Oil (2011): The professor’s personal life and intellectual vanity collide in more academic comedy.
5. Your Inner Hedgehog (2021): Von Igelfeld returns to the Institute of Romance Philology with another round of status anxiety and comic misjudgment.
6. The Lost Language of Oysters (2025): The latest von Igelfeld novel places the professor back among scholarly tensions and absurd intellectual pursuits.

Corduroy Mansions Books in Order

This London series follows the residents of a Pimlico mansion block, including William French, his dog Freddie de la Hay, and a network of neighbors and acquaintances.

Read the trilogy in order.

1. Corduroy Mansions (2009): The series introduces a London residence full of comic personalities, domestic discomfort, and mild social disorder.
2. The Dog Who Came in from the Cold (2010): Freddie de la Hay becomes entangled in an improbable intelligence-world plot while the human residents continue their own confusions.
3. A Conspiracy of Friends (2011): The trilogy closes with friendship, misunderstanding, and quiet acts of loyalty among the Corduroy Mansions circle.

Detective Varg Books in Order

This series, also called the Department of Sensitive Crimes series, is a comic take on Scandinavian crime fiction. It follows Ulf Varg, a Swedish detective who investigates unusual, low-violence cases.

The main novels should be read in order. The short pieces are optional.

1. Varg in Love (2012): A short early Ulf Varg story that gives a glimpse of the detective before the main series begins.
2. The Strange Case of the Moderate Extremists (2019): A short Detective Varg story that functions as optional prelude material.
3. The Department of Sensitive Crimes (2019): Ulf Varg and his colleagues investigate strange, delicate cases inside Malmö’s most unusual police department.
4. The Talented Mr. Varg (2020): Ulf faces more offbeat crimes while his private feelings and professional restraint remain central.
5. The Man with the Silver Saab (2021): Ulf’s investigations and personal life continue through cases that require tact more than violence.
6. The Discreet Charm of the Big Bad Wolf (2023): The Department of Sensitive Crimes returns for another set of peculiar cases and gentle Scandinavian satire.

Perfect Passion Company Books in Order

This newer series follows a matchmaking agency in Edinburgh. It is lighter romantic-comic fiction rather than mystery.

1. Cook for Me (2023): A short introductory story connected to the Perfect Passion Company world.
2. A Laborer in the Vineyard of Love / A Labourer in the Vineyard of Love (2023): A second short prelude that helps establish the matchmaking premise.
3. The Perfect Passion Company (2024): The main series begins with a new employee helping clients search for love while learning how uncertain romance can be.
4. Looking for You (2025): The matchmaking office continues its work, with new romantic cases and further questions about how people find one another.

Paul Stuart Books in Order

These comic novels follow a Scottish food writer whose romantic and professional life takes him abroad.

1. My Italian Bulldozer (2016): Paul Stuart travels to Italy after heartbreak and becomes involved with a rented bulldozer, food, and unexpected renewal.
2. The Second-Worst Restaurant in France (2019): Paul heads to France, where food writing, rural life, and romantic uncertainty shape the sequel.

Children’s Series in Order

Akimbo Books

1. Akimbo and the Elephants (1990): Akimbo’s life near an African game reserve introduces young readers to wildlife and conservation danger.
2. Akimbo and the Lions (1992): Akimbo becomes involved with lions, creating another child-friendly adventure around African animals.
3. Akimbo and the Crocodile Man (1993): Akimbo encounters crocodiles and the people who study them, blending danger with natural-world learning.
4. Akimbo and the Snakes (2006): Akimbo faces a snake-centered adventure that continues the wildlife theme.
5. Akimbo and the Baboons (2008): Akimbo’s final listed adventure focuses on baboons and the fragile boundary between animals and people.

Harriet Bean Books

1. The Five Lost Aunts of Harriet Bean (1992): Harriet discovers that she has five unusual aunts, turning family mystery into a comic adventure.
2. Harriet Bean and the League of Cheats (1992): Harriet and her aunts become involved in a cheating mystery that continues the playful detective tone.
3. The Cowgirl Aunt of Harriet Bean (1993): Harriet’s family expands again through a Western-flavored aunt adventure.

Max & Maddy Books

1. The Chocolate Money Mystery (1997): Young detectives Max and Maddy investigate a mystery involving chocolate and money.
2. The Bursting Balloons Mystery (1997): Max and Maddy return for another child-friendly case built around a strange balloon problem.

Precious Ramotswe Children’s Books

These are children’s mysteries featuring Precious Ramotswe before the adult series.

1. The Great Cake Mystery (2012): Young Precious solves a classroom mystery involving a missing cake.
2. Precious and the Monkeys / Precious and the Puggies (2010): Precious shows early detective instincts in a case involving monkeys.
3. Precious and the Mystery of Meerkat Hill (2012): Precious investigates a meerkat-related mystery with friendship at its center.
4. Precious and the Mystery of the Missing Lion (2013): A missing lion gives young Precious another gentle detective challenge.
5. Precious and the Zebra Necklace (2015): Precious investigates a necklace mystery with the same moral clarity that later defines the adult series.
6. Young Precious (2018): A collection or young-reader edition that gathers early Precious material for children.

School Ship Tobermory Books

1. School Ship Tobermory (2015): Ben and Fee MacTavish begin life aboard a school ship, starting a children’s adventure series.
2. The Sands of Shark Island (2016): The students face danger and discovery on a new sea-based adventure.
3. The Race to Kangaroo Cliff (2018): The school ship story continues with travel, competition, and risk.
4. The Secret of the Dark Waterfall (2019): The Tobermory children face another mystery linked to an unusual and dangerous place.

Big-Top Mysteries

1. The Case of the Vanishing Granny (2019): A circus mystery gives young readers a comic missing-person case.
2. The Great Clown Conundrum (2019): The circus setting returns with another playful mystery around performers and secrets.

Standalone Novels in Order

These books are separate from the major series. Read them whenever the premise interests you.

1. Uncle Gangster (1989): An early standalone with comic crime elements, separate from the later famous series.
2. La’s Orchestra Saves the World (2008): A wartime novel about a woman who forms an orchestra and finds purpose through music and community.
3. No Rest for the Dead (2011): A collaborative mystery novel written with other authors, best treated as a special project rather than a McCall Smith series book.
4. Trains and Lovers (2012): Four railway passengers share stories of love, making this a compact standalone about memory and chance.
5. The Forever Girl (2014): A novel about long-lasting love, childhood attachment, and emotional persistence.
6. Fatty O’Leary’s Dinner Party (2014): A comic novella about an American tourist in Ireland and a dinner party that goes badly wrong.
7. Emma: A Modern Retelling (2014): McCall Smith’s contribution to the Austen Project, reimagining Jane Austen’s Emma in a modern setting.
8. The Good Pilot Peter Woodhouse (2017): A wartime story involving a dog, pilots, and the human need for loyalty and kindness.
9. The Pavilion in the Clouds (2021): A Ceylon-set novel about childhood memory, family secrets, and colonial life.
10. The Private Life of Spies (2023): A collection-style work involving espionage, secrecy, and McCall Smith’s lighter approach to intrigue.
11. The Love Story of Herb la Fouche (2024): A standalone romantic-comic novel about love, character, and unexpected connection.
12. The Winds from Further West (2024): A standalone novel about life choices, distance, and emotional direction.
13. The Private Side of Friendship (2025): A standalone Edinburgh novel about university friends, memory, reunion, and the lasting claims of friendship.

Collections, Poetry, and Short Fiction

1. Heavenly Date (1995): A short-story collection showing McCall Smith’s comic and moral interests outside his major series.
2. The Girl Who Married a Lion (2004): A collection of African folktales and stories, separate from the Botswana detective novels.
3. The Perfect Hamburger and Other Delicious Stories (2007): A children’s story collection centered on comic and food-related situations.
4. The Baboons Who Went This Way and That (2009): A collection of African animal stories and folktales.
5. Chance Developments (2015): A collection of stories inspired by old photographs, each turning an image into a life.
6. Marvellous Mix-ups (2016): A children’s collection built around comic confusion and unexpected situations.
7. Pianos and Flowers (2019): Another photograph-inspired collection, focused on imagined lives and small emotional histories.
8. Tiny Tales (2020): Very short stories, designed as compact pieces of wit, observation, and human feeling.
9. In a Time of Distance (2020): A poetry collection reflecting on distance, kindness, and ordinary life.
10. The Exquisite Art of Getting Even (2022): A collection of stories about revenge, embarrassment, and social justice on a small scale.
11. The Private Life of Spies and The Exquisite Art of Getting Even (2023): A combined or collected edition pairing spy-themed stories with the revenge-story collection.
12. I Think of You (2023): A poetry collection centered on affection, memory, and reflective feeling.
13. The Kind Company of Others (2026): A listed poetry collection and one of the author’s newest non-series works.

Nonfiction and Special Projects

1. Who Invented Peanut Butter? (1993): A nonfiction title for younger readers built around curious questions.
2. What W. H. Auden Can Do for You (2013): A short work of literary nonfiction about Auden’s poetry and its value to readers.
3. A Work of Beauty: Alexander McCall Smith’s Edinburgh (2014): A personal and literary reflection on Edinburgh.
4. Who Built Scotland (2017): A collaborative nonfiction work about Scottish history and identity.

These are optional for fiction readers. They are not part of any story continuity.

Best Alexander McCall Smith Reading Order

There are too many books for one practical “read everything” route. Use this order if you want a sensible introduction to his major work without jumping randomly.

1. The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency (1998): Begin with the best-known series and McCall Smith’s clearest expression of gentle moral mystery.
2. Tears of the Giraffe (2000): Continue directly to confirm whether the Botswana series is your main path.
3. The Sunday Philosophy Club (2004): Shift to Edinburgh and Isabel Dalhousie for a more reflective kind of mystery.
4. 44 Scotland Street (2005): Add the comic ensemble series once you are ready for serial domestic fiction.
5. Portuguese Irregular Verbs (2003): Read here for a compact taste of McCall Smith’s academic comedy.
6. Corduroy Mansions (2009): Try the London ensemble if you enjoy the 44 Scotland Street structure.
7. The Department of Sensitive Crimes (2019): Move to Detective Varg for Scandinavian crime satire.
8. My Italian Bulldozer (2016): Add the Paul Stuart books for travel, food, and romantic comedy.
9. The Perfect Passion Company (2024): Try the matchmaking series for a newer Edinburgh thread.
10. La’s Orchestra Saves the World (2008): Read a standalone when you want historical fiction outside the repeating series casts.

After that, continue the series you liked most in order.

Chronological Order

A single chronological order is not useful for Alexander McCall Smith.

His main series take place in different worlds: Botswana, Edinburgh, London, Sweden, academic Germany, and other settings. The books do not form one shared timeline.

Chronological order matters only inside each series. For example, The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency should be read from book 1 onward, while Isabel Dalhousie should begin with The Sunday Philosophy Club, and 44 Scotland Street should begin with 44 Scotland Street.

Latest Release Status

The newest confirmed or listed McCall Smith titles include The Private Side of Friendship (2025), The Lost Language of Oysters (2025/2026 edition listings), Bertie’s Theory of Ice Cream (2025), and In the Time of Five Pumpkins (2025).

Upcoming 2026 listings include The Subtle Pleasures of Indiscretion, The Prime of Bertie Pollock, and The Big Cats Dance Party.

Because UK and US publication dates can differ, readers should treat the year attached to some late titles as edition-dependent.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Alexander McCall Smith’s first famous book?

His breakthrough adult novel is The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, first published in 1998.

What Alexander McCall Smith book should I read first?

Start with The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency. It is the best entry point for most readers.

Do the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency books need to be read in order?

Yes. The individual cases are usually gentle and self-contained, but the characters’ relationships develop across the series.

Are Isabel Dalhousie and 44 Scotland Street connected?

They both use Edinburgh, but they are separate series. Do not treat them as one shared reading order.

Is Detective Varg part of the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series?

No. Detective Varg belongs to the Department of Sensitive Crimes series and is set in Sweden.

Are the Precious Ramotswe children’s books part of the adult series?

They are prequel-style children’s mysteries featuring young Precious. They are separate from the adult sequence and can be read by younger readers first.

What is the newest No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency book?

The latest confirmed published title is In the Time of Five Pumpkins. The next listed title is The Big Cats Dance Party.

What is the newest Isabel Dalhousie book?

The latest confirmed published Isabel Dalhousie novel is The Conditions of Unconditional Love. The next listed title is The Subtle Pleasures of Indiscretion.

What is the newest 44 Scotland Street book?

The latest confirmed published title is Bertie’s Theory of Ice Cream. The next listed title is The Prime of Bertie Pollock.

Does Alexander McCall Smith write standalones?

Yes. His standalones include La’s Orchestra Saves the World, Trains and Lovers, The Forever Girl, Emma: A Modern Retelling, The Good Pilot Peter Woodhouse, The Pavilion in the Clouds, and The Private Side of Friendship.

Conclusion

Do not try to read Alexander McCall Smith as one long publication list unless you are a completist. Begin with the series that matches your taste.

For most readers, the best starting point is The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency. For Edinburgh readers, choose The Sunday Philosophy Club or 44 Scotland Street. For comic academic fiction, choose Portuguese Irregular Verbs. Once you choose a doorway, stay in that series order until you are ready to move to another part of McCall Smith’s very large bibliography.