Search results for ""author alexander mccall smith""

Pretty, impecunious Mary Preston, newly arrived as a guest of her Aunt Agnes at the magnificent wooded estate of Rushwater, falls head over heels for handsome playboy David Leslie. Meanwhile, Agnes and her mother, the eccentric matriarch Lady Emily, have hopes of a different, more suitable match for Mary. At the lavish Rushwater dance party, her future happiness hangs in the balance . . .

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With an authentic Indian backdrop, this is a feel-good story of young kids chasing big dreams that shimmers with all of Alexander McCall Smith’s trademark optimism and joy – an outlook on life that makes him one of the world’s best-loved storytellers. Hari is a dreamer with an unusual talent. He spends the few coins he earns washing cars on cinema trips to watch (and learn from) his beloved Bollywood films. Then one day Hari's gloriously fancy footwork is spotted by Mr Ram, a man on a mission to resolve conflicts near and far. Hari so entrances everyone with his magical dancing that soon he is travelling all over the world and his electric feet bring harmony to all who see him dance. Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant or dyslexic readers aged 8+

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Once upon a time in Botswana there was a little girl called Precious, who grew up to become a famous detective. But even as a young girl she had an extraordinary ability to solve mysteries. This volume contains all her first adventures, from the mystery of some missing snacks to the clues that lead to a family reunion. This is a special collection which includes all four of the Young Precious adventures so far Precious and the Monkeys Precious and the Missing Lion Precious and the Mystery of Meerkat Hill Precious and the Zebra Necklace

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It's full-time monkey business on the high seas in this new family adventure from Alexander McCall Smith, the bestselling author of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. Noah can’t believe it when he finds out his uncle owns a zoo! But the zoo is closing down, and there are animals who need homes. Before he knows it, Noah and his family are setting sail on a round-the-world trip returning the zoo animals to the places they were born. But when they try to return one very cheeky monkey, they’re in for a whole boat-load of trouble!

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An irresistible bind-up edition of two infectiously entertaining adventure mysteries, Spaghetti Tangle and Teacher Trouble, from the bestselling author of the No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, Alexander McCall Smith, and with amazing illustrations by Kate Hindley throughout. Spaghetti Tangle John and Nicky would give anything in the world for a bowl of chips or a piece of chocolate cake, but they live with their strange aunty and she won’t let them eat anything that’s not raw! One day they sneek out and slurp down a plate piled high with spaghetti. Now they want more ... Lucky for them, there’s a competition to visit the spaghetti factory and eat as much as you like. What will aunty say? Teacher Trouble It’s Jenny’s first day at a new school and she looks very grown-up – her mum has made sure of it. But when she arrives at the school, she looks so smart that the rest of her class think she is their new teacher! Soon Jenny finds herself in all sorts of tricky situations. How long will it be before Jenny is found out? And what will happen then?

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During the 1920s and '30s, Franz Taibosh - whose stage name was Clicko - performed in front of millions as one of the stars of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Prior to his fame in the United States, Taibosh toured the world as the 'Wild Dancing Bushman', showing off his frenzied dance moves in freak shows, sideshows, and music halls from Australia to Cuba. When he died in 1940, the "New York Times" called him 'the only African bushman ever exhibited in this country'. In "Clicko", Neil Parsons unearths the untold story of Taibosh's journey from boyhood on a small farm in South Africa to top billing as one of the travelling World's Fair Freaks. Through Taibosh's tale, Parsons brings to life the bizarre golden age of entertainment as well as the role that the dubious new science of race played in it. Beginning with Taibosh's early life, Clicko untangles the real story of his ancestry from the web of myths spun around him on his rise to international stardom. Parsons then chronicles the unhappy middle period of Taibosh's career, when he suffered under the heel of a vicious manager. Left to freeze and nearly starve in an unheated apartment, Taibosh was rescued by Frank Cook, Barnum & Bailey's lawyer. The Cooks adopted Taibosh as a member of their family of circus managers and performers, and his happy - if far from average - years with them make up the final chapter of this remarkable story. Equal parts entertaining and disturbing, "Clicko" vividly evokes a forgotten era when vaudeville drew massive crowds and circus freaks were featured in Billboard and Variety. Parsons introduces us to colorful characters such as George Auger the giant and the original Zip the Pinhead, but above all, he gives us an unforgettable portrait of Franz Taibosh, rescued at last from the racists and the romantics and revealed here as an ordinary man with an extraordinary life.

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A discussion of sensibility, sensation, perception and painting, Scotland and the Origins of Modern Art is an original work which argues that the eighteenth-century Scottish philosophy of moral sense played a central role in shaping ideas explored by figures such as Cézanne and Monet over one hundred years later.Proposing that sensibility not reason was the basis of morality, the philosophy of moral sense gave birth to the idea of the supremacy of the imagination. Allied to the belief that the imagination flourished more freely in the primitive history of humanity, this idea became a potent inspiration for artists. The author also highlights Thomas Reid's method in his philosophy of common sense of using art and artists to illustrate how perception and expression are intuitive. To be truly expressive, artists should unlearn what they have learned and record their raw sensations, rather than the perceptions that derive from them.Exploring the work of key philosophical and artistic protagonists, this thought-provoking book unearths the fascinating exchanges between art, philosophy and literature during Enlightenment in Scotland that provided the blueprint for modernism.

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Roll up, roll up for a sensational circus story from the bestselling author of The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, Alexander McCall Smith, with fun, energetic illustrations by Kate Hindley throughout. Join Freddie Mole as he tumbles through the air, flies around the big tent and tames four growling lions! Freddie is an ordinary boy who joins the circus one day. He can't believe his luck as he is asked to understudy some of the acts. But is he brave enough to go into the lions' cage? A joyful, exciting tale of bravery and showbusiness glamour by a much loved author.

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Roll up! Roll up! For the second exciting instalment in The Big-Top Mysteries series, packed with all the fun of the circus and an intriguing new mystery to be solved … 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?

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Roll up! Roll up! The Shortbread Family Circus is in town! Introducing the first tale in The Big Top Mysteries, an exciting new series from Alexander McCall Smith and illustrator Sam Usher. Billy, Fern and Joe Shortbread are the stars of their family circus, but they also have another talent … they're experts at solving mysteries! When their circus moves into a new town they soon make friends with a young boy named Tom. But Tom can't enjoy the circus because his granny has disappeared and he's worried he'll never see her again. With the help of their astonishing circus skills can the Shortbread circus stars crack the clues and find Tom's granny? A brilliant McCall Smith adventure story, brimming with wit, wisdom and larger than life characters.

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**One of the BBC's 100 Novels That Shaped Our World** Discover Jane Austen's most beloved classic. When Elizabeth Bennet meets Mr Darcy, she is repelled by his overbearing pride and prejudice towards her family. But the Bennet girls are in need of financial security in the shape of husbands, so when Darcy's friend, the affable Mr Bingley, forms an attachment to Jane, Darcy becomes increasingly hard to avoid. Polite society will be turned upside down in this witty drama of friendship, rivalry and love - Jane Austen's classic romance novel. WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY ALEXANDER MCCALL SMITH VINTAGE CLASSICS AUSTEN SERIES - all six of Jane Austen's major novels, beautifully designed and introduced by our finest contemporary writers.

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Indulge in a feel-good collection of stories from the author of Cold Comfort Farm.WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY ALEXANDER MCCALL SMITHThe title story tells of a typical Christmas at the farm before the coming of Flora Poste. It is a parody of the worst sort of family Christmas: Adam Lambsbreath dresses up as Father Christmas in two of Judith's red shawls. There are unsuitable presents, unpleasant insertions into the pudding and Aunt Ada Doom orders Amos to carve the turkey, adding: 'Ay, would it were a vulture, 'twere more fitting!''Stella Gibbons is the Jane Austen of the 20th century' Lynne Truss, author of the Constable Twitten series.

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How can a girl possibly have married a lion? How can a man have a tree growing out of his head? And how can a woman have children made of wax?The stories in this collection make these questions seem simple, everyday ones - then deftly supplies simple, everyday answers.Surprising and humorous, these beautifully rendered tales demonstrate McCall Smith's renowned storytelling skills.

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Start your engines and get in gear for an action-packed story from the bestselling author of The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, Alexander McCall Smith, with fun and energetic illustrations by Kate Hindley. When Max finds an old car that has his last name – Champion – on the bonnet, he learns that his grandfather used to make some of the best cars around ... and race them! That is, until his ideas book and his favourite car, Arabella, were stolen by greedy rival Mr Grabber. Can Max find a way to get back what Grandfather Gus lost? And will Arabella ever be seen again?

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During the 1920s and '30s, Franz Taibosh - whose stage name was Clicko - performed in front of millions as one of the stars of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Prior to his fame in the United States, Taibosh toured the world as the 'Wild Dancing Bushman', showing off his frenzied dance moves in freak shows, sideshows, and music halls from Australia to Cuba. When he died in 1940, the "New York Times" called him 'the only African bushman ever exhibited in this country'. In "Clicko", Neil Parsons unearths the untold story of Taibosh's journey from boyhood on a small farm in South Africa to top billing as one of the travelling World's Fair Freaks. Through Taibosh's tale, Parsons brings to life the bizarre golden age of entertainment as well as the role that the dubious new science of race played in it. Beginning with Taibosh's early life, Clicko untangles the real story of his ancestry from the web of myths spun around him on his rise to international stardom. Parsons then chronicles the unhappy middle period of Taibosh's career, when he suffered under the heel of a vicious manager. Left to freeze and nearly starve in an unheated apartment, Taibosh was rescued by Frank Cook, Barnum & Bailey's lawyer. The Cooks adopted Taibosh as a member of their family of circus managers and performers, and his happy - if far from average - years with them make up the final chapter of this remarkable story. Equal parts entertaining and disturbing, "Clicko" vividly evokes a forgotten era when vaudeville drew massive crowds and circus freaks were featured in Billboard and Variety. Parsons introduces us to colorful characters such as George Auger the giant and the original Zip the Pinhead, but above all, he gives us an unforgettable portrait of Franz Taibosh, rescued at last from the racists and the romantics and revealed here as an ordinary man with an extraordinary life.

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Stories do not have to be long. In the space of a couple of sentences – or even a page or two – we can see the human heart exposed in a way that is more powerful than in a novel. In Tiny Tales Alexander McCall Smith explores romance, ambition, kindness and happiness in thirty short stories that range in length from the short to the tiny. The settings are as diverse as the characters – Scotland, England, Australia, the United States – combining to create a rich and always surprising selection. An Australian pope?. A persuasive cosmetic surgeon? The world’s laziest cat. A group of students living together and getting romantically entangled? All human and animal life is here – in miniature.

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INTRODUCED BY ALEXANDER McCALL SMITH'I'm a huge fan of Barbara Pym' RICHARD OSMANMildred Lathbury is one of those excellent women who are often taken for granted. She is a godsend, 'capable of dealing with most of the stock situations or even the great moments of life - birth, marriage, death, the successful jumble sale, the garden fête spoilt by bad weather'. Her glamorous new neighbours, the Napiers, seem to be facing a marital crisis. One cannot take sides in these matters, though it is tricky, especially as Mildred has a soft spot for dashing young Rockingham Napier. This is Barbara Pym's world at its funniest and most touching.'One of the most endearingly amusing English novels of the twentieth century' ALEXANDER MCCALL SMITH'Barbara Pym is the rarest of treasures; she reminds us of the heartbreaking silliness of everyday life' ANNE TYLER'Not only was Pym a comic genius but she was ever so wise' THE TIMES

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Cover design by Orla Kiely Mildred Lathbury is one of those 'excellent women' who is often taken for granted. She is a godsend, 'capable of dealing with most of the stock situations of life - birth, marriage, death, the successful jumble sales, the garden fete spoilt by bad weather'. As such, though, she often gets herself embroiled in other people's lives - and especially those of her glamorous new neighbours, the Napiers, whose marriage seems to be on the rocks. One cannot take sides in these matters, though it is tricky, especially when Mildred, teetering on the edge of spinsterhood, has a soft spot for dashing young Rockingham Napier. This is Barbara Pym's world at its funniest and most touching.

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Discover Jane Austen’s most beloved classic. When Elizabeth Bennet meets Mr Darcy, she is repelled by his overbearing pride and prejudice towards her family. But the Bennet girls are in need of financial security in the shape of husbands, so when Darcy’s friend, the affable Mr Bingley, forms an attachment to Jane, Darcy becomes increasingly hard to avoid. Polite society will be turned upside down in this witty drama of friendship, rivalry and love – Jane Austen's classic romance novel. **One of the BBC’s 100 Novels That Shaped Our World**

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"[The book explores] how lives interconnect, how we are all creatures of our time, how rich and complex life is in this sometimes shy and reticent city. Not for a moment does our interest flag."—Alexander McCall Smith Set in 66 Queen Street, a townhouse in Edinburgh’s New Town, this book tells the story of people and events associated with the house for 210 years from 1790 and whose lives were empowered by the Scottish Enlightenment. From the builder of the White House, the hero of Aboukir Bay, a murderer who inspired Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, to a decadent society hostess, the diverse characters range from heroes to villains and from people of conscience to subjects of tabloid scandal and moral prurience. Edinburgh emerges from its past to become the intellectual, banking and professional capital of an enlightened Scotland. The story reflects how our modern world is shaped but above all it is about its people; some masters of their circumstances and others prisoners

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Mysteries of love, romance and truth-telling lie at the heat of Isabel Dalhousie's concerns in Alexander McCall Smith's new Sunday Philosophy Club novel. Isabel's niece Cat is still worshipped by the young musician, Jamie, but Cat has a new and unsuitable love-interest. Meanwhile Isabel's Texan cousins have arrived in Edinburgh and are provoking a quite separate set of dilemmas. In between these events and complications, Edinburgh life continues, calmly sailed through by Isabel, her housekeeper, Grace, and, of course, that cautious resident of Isabel's garden, brother Fox. His alone is the uncomplicated existence.

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A man with a tree growing out of his head? A woman with children made of wax? A bird that can be milked? With more stories from his original celebration of African folktales, The Girl Who Married A Lion, let Alexander McCall Smith once again take you to a land where the bizarre is everyday and magic is real.

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Follow the exploits of the children who go to a most unusual school - the sail-powered training ship Tobermory. When a film crew arrives in Tobermory Bay, Ben and Fee are invited to be extras. But their suspicions are soon aroused - is the film crew genuine, or are they up to something sinister? Ben and Fee soon discover the truth when they uncover a dastardly plan masterminded by a South American businessman...

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Successful lady novelist Laura Morland and her boisterous young son Tony set off to spend Christmas at her country home in the sleepy surrounds of High Rising. But Laura's wealthy friend and neighbour George Knox has taken on a scheming secretary whose designs on marriage to her employer threaten the delicate social fabric of the village. Can clever, practical Laura rescue George from Miss Grey's clutches and, what's more, help his daughter Miss Sibyl Knox to secure her longed-for engagement?Utterly charming and very funny, High Rising is irresistible comic entertainment.

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This is the enthralling story of the courageous and stoical wife of the world-renowned explorer and missionary, David Livingstone. In the history books, Mary Livingstone is a shadow in the blaze of her husband’s sun, a whisper in the thunderclap of his reputation. Yet she played an important role in Livingstone's success and her own feats as an early traveller in uncharted Africa are unique. She was the first white woman to cross the Kalahari, which she did twice - pregnant - giving birth in the bush on the second journey. She was much more rooted in southern Africa than her husband: he has a tomb in Westminster Abbey, London; she has an obscure and crumbling grave on the banks of the Zambezi in a destitute region of Mozambique. In the thrall of Africa, the author has travelled extensively over several years in the footsteps of Mary Livingstone, from her birthplace in a remote district of South Africa to her grave on the Zambezi. She explores the places the Livingstones knew as a couple and, above all, explores the detail of the life and family of this little-known figure in British - but not African - history.

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'What we build always reveals things that are deeply and innately human. Because all buildings are stories, one way or another.' Kathleen Jamie, Alexander McCall Smith, Alistair Moffat, James Robertson and James Crawford travel across the country to tell the story of the nation, from abandoned islands and lonely glens to the heart of our modern cities. Whether visiting Shetland’s Mousa Broch at midsummer, following in the footsteps of pilgrims to Iona Abbey, joining the tourist bustle at Edinburgh Castle, scaling the Forth Bridge or staying in an off-the-grid eco-bothy, the authors unravel the stories of the places, people and passions that have had an enduring impact on the landscape and character of Scotland.

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Experience a new history of Scotland told through its places. Writers Kathleen Jamie, Alexander McCall Smith, Alistair Moffat, James Robertson and James Crawford pick twenty-five buildings to tell the story of the nation. Travelling across the country, from abandoned islands and lonely glens to the heart of our modern cities, these five authors seek out the diverse narrative of the Scottish people. Follow Kathleen Jamie as she searches for the traces of our first family hearths in the Cairngorms and makes a midsummer journey to Shetland to meet the unlikely new inhabitants of an Iron Age broch. Tour the wondrous and macabre Surgeons’ Hall with Alexander McCall Smith, or walk with him over sacred ground to Iona’s ancient Abbey. Join Alistair Moffat as he discovers a lost whisky village in the wilds of Strathconon, and climbs up through the vertiginous layers of history in Edinburgh Castle. Accompany James Robertson as he goes from the standing stones of Callanish to the humble cottage of Hugh MacDiarmid – via the engineering colossus of the Forth Rail Bridge. And journey with James Crawford from a packed crowd in Hampden Park, to an off-the-grid eco-bothy on the Isle of Eigg. Who Built Scotland is a landmark exploration of Scotland’s social, political and cultural histories. Moving from Neolithic families, exiled hermits and ambitious royal dynasties to highland shieling girls, peasant poets, Enlightenment philosophers and iconoclastic artists, it places our people, our ideas and our passions at the heart of our architecture and archaeology. This is the remarkable story how we have shaped our buildings and how our buildings, in turn, have shaped us.

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First published in 1885, A Child’s Garden of Verses has delighted generations of children and adults. The complete collection of these favourite and familiar poems is here, from Bed in Summer, The Swing and The Land of Counterpane to The Lamplighter, My Shadow and Escape at Bedtime. They capture the imaginative, transformative aspects of childhood with a unique freshness and innocence. As Alexander McCall Smith says in his inspirational foreword, “Childhood is very brief. While the garden is still there, it should perhaps be visited.” This beautiful edition, with delicate and atmospheric watercolours by Kate Greenaway Medallist, Michael Foreman, will enchant a whole new generation of readers.

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First published in 1885, A Child’s Garden of Verses has delighted generations of children and adults. The complete collection of these favourite and familiar poems is here, from Bed in Summer, The Swing and The Land of Counterpane to The Lamplighter, My Shadow and Escape at Bedtime. They capture the imaginative, transformative aspects of childhood with a unique freshness and innocence. As Alexander McCall Smith says in his inspirational foreword, “Childhood is very brief. While the garden is still there, it should perhaps be visited.” This beautiful edition, with delicate and atmospheric watercolours by Kate Greenaway Medallist, Michael Foreman, will enchant a whole new generation of readers.

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A brand-new edition of the vintage travel classic by Robert Louis Stevenson. First published in 1878 and now re-issued by Manderley Press, with an introduction by Alexander McCall Smith and a cover illustration by Iain McIntosh.

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The Great Tapestry of Scotland is one of the most ambitious community arts projects ever undertaken. The brainchild of bestselling author Alexander McCall Smith, historian Alistair Moffat and artist Andrew Crummy, it was created by a team of over a thousand volunteer stitchers between 2012 and 2013, who cumulatively spent more than 50,000 hours on the project. At 143 metres, it is twice the length of the Bayeux Tapestry, and its 160 panels features key moment from over 8,500 of Scottish history. This book features a selection of drawings featuring complete panels as well as details by Andrew Crummy, all specially adapted to allow colouring enthusiasts to share in this remarkable work of art.

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