Alexander McCall Smith is one of the world's most prolific and most popular authors. For many years he was a professor of Medical Law, then, after the publication of his highly successful 'No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency' series, which has sold over fifteen million copies, he devoted his time to the writing of fiction and has seen his various series of books translated into over forty languages and become bestsellers throughout the world. These include the '44 Scotland Street' novels, first published as a serial novel in 'The Scotsman', the Isabel Dalhousie novels, and the Von Igelfeld series.