McCall Smith saga is streets ahead with book lovers

Published on Thursday 7 February 2008 21:16

ALEXANDER McCall Smith has become a national literary treasure, according to figures which show his Love Over Scotland was the most-borrowed book from Scottish libraries in 2006-7.

The novel – the third of the successful 44 Scotland Street titles, which are serialised daily in The Scotsman – was borrowed more often than any other book between July 2006 and June 2007.

It is a notable honour for the Edinburgh author and demonstrates what experts yesterday described as "fierce loyalty" by Scottish readers to home-grown writers. Scottish writers account for four of the ten most-borrowed novels north of the Border, and Harry Potter And The Half Blood Prince, by Edinburgh's JK Rowling, was the most popular children's book.

McCall Smith, 59, said he was "delighted" by the figures, compiled by Public Lending Right, the body which remunerates authors for library use. "It is a wonderful distinction to be the most borrowed author," he said. "Better, I'm sure, than being the most stolen author."

He knocked into second place his near-neighbour, crime writer Ian Rankin, while Motherwell-born novelist Quintin Jardine's Dead and Buried was seventh.

"I'm sure Ian won't begrudge me the top spot," said McCall Smith, who has a second title in the top ten.

Marc Lambert, chief executive of the Scottish Book Trust, said: "McCall Smith has a growing readership because he creates memorable characters that are eccentric, quirky and enormously entertaining."

Overall, McCall Smith's books were withdrawn more than 600,000 times from libraries across Britain in the past year. The most-borrowed author across the UK was thriller writer James Patterson, whose books were taken out more than 1.5 million times.

Patricia Cornwell's At Risk was Britain's most-borrowed title.

The non-fiction list reveals that the UK public is preoccupied with the state of the planet, losing weight and self-help.

It is topped by The Meaning Of The 21st Century by Dr James Martin, which deals with global warming and the fate of human civilisation.

You Are What You Eat by Dr Gillian McKeith is second, and How To Change Your Life In Seven Steps by John Bird, third.

WHO'S WHO IN SCOTLAND STREET

BRUCE ANDERSON , a surveyor and rugby fan, used to be a thorough-going narcissist until last week, when he saw the error of his ways. He used to live in 44 Scotland Street, but now no longer does.

On the other side of the top landing, however, we can still find DOMENICA, a freelance anthropologist whose last expedition was to report on the pirates of the Malacca Straits (who turned out to be not the seamen-murdering kind, but DVD-copying types).

BERTIE is by far the youngest resident of 44 Scotland Street, a universally popular child prodigy incapable of lying, but capable of so much else.

He is the son of IRENE, dangerously pushy New Town exponent of hothousing children rather than allowing them to enjoy their childhood. Her husband STUART is generally henpecked.

MATTHEW, son of an affluent businessman and prominent Watsonian, owns an art gallery despite knowing little about art and is a regular of the series, now happily married after several disappointments in love.

He loves going to the caf opposite, which is owned by BIG LOU, an autodidact from Arbroath. On the steps leading down to the caf, Glasgow gangster LARD O'CONNOR had a fatal heart attack only last week.