This was yet another sold out event and based on this event, every appearance of Alexander McCall Smith should be a sell-out! This was the D.M. Hall event and was billed as a celebration of fifteen years of "The Number 1 Ladies' Detective Agency". Nick Barley acted as Chairman and said that obviously there was no need to introduce Alexander McCall Smith to this audience - and he was right. However, he did mention that more than twenty million of his books had been sold and they have been translated into forty six languages. Quite a feat!
We opened with two lady singers who got us all in the right mood. Then Nick Barley went back to 1998 and recalled that the first book had been published by the University Press (to whom McCall Smith said he was eternally grateful) and the run was for 1,500 copies.
McCall Smith recalled designing the cover himself on the computer which was one step forward from his John Bull printing set! However, he said he had written before, but these had been children's' books, so this was his first actual novel. He thought that most of the first print run had been bought by relations, so the University Press were very daring in going for a second print of 500 - a very rash decision he said!
He had never imagined that there would be a second book, however, this proved easier as all the characters were there, so he enjoyed writing the second book even more. All the time McCall Smith was revelling in his stories and he suddenly branched out by asking if it was right for older men to attend beauty competitions? He recalled this being raised and then justified on the grounds that the "men have worked hard all their lives"!
He recounted his first visit to America in a literary capacity where he was amazed to find that the publisher had taken a complete restaurant for lunch in his honour, as they did not 'do' breakfast.
He thought that the PR people were having a problem in knowing what to do with him as he was a little unusual! Anyway all went well with the lunch and he celebrated the occasion by buying a rather expensive pair of shoes without laces - he claimed he had never had a pair of shoes before without laces. Anyway a version of the book was published in America and it took off in a big way.
He admitted to being taken aback by all this success which seemed to grow year by year.
Asked about some of his characters he admitted that he had not changed their ages as the years had gone by Mma Ramotswe has been 42 for fifteen years! The same is true for Bertie who has been six and a half for eight years.
We had some discussion about the Swiss Army pen knife that Bertie always wants and the introduction to Andy who has six Swiss Army knives. These were a source of great envy to Bertie.
McColl Smith was really getting into his stride now and suggested that as we could now scan and X-ray people everyone could be checked 'to see if they had a book in them' - he rather enjoyed this thought and suggested that it was very important to find out everyone who had writing potential .
Then, to great merriment, he suggested that there should be a prize for the best book not actually published! This could become a great operation and you could have book festivals for books that had not been published!
Nick Barley took this all in good part and we ended with a reading from one of McCall Smith's latest novel describing Bertie camping on Rannoch Moor and being able to comfort his friend who was frightened.
A magnificent hour with a great showman, a wonderful writer and someone who always delights his audience - what a pleasure it was!