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ABOUT THIS BOOK

PUBLISHER:

Royal Commission on the Ancient & Historical Monuments of Scotland
FORMAT: Hardback
ISBN: 9781902419862
RRP: £25.00
PAGES: 224
PUBLICATION DATE: October 31, 2014

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Home > Art, Architecture & Photography > Architecture > A Work of Beauty: Alexander McCall Smith’s Edinburgh

A Work of Beauty: Alexander McCall Smith’s Edinburgh

By (author) Alexander McCall Smith

“I love this city, and always shall. I write about it. I dream about it. I walk its streets and see something new each day – traces of faded lettering on the stone, still legible, but just; some facade that I have walked past before and not noticed; an unregarded doorway with the names, in brass, of those who lived there sixty years ago, the bell-pulls sometimes still in place, as if one might summon long-departed residents from their slumbers.” Edinburgh is a city of stories – a place that has witnessed everything from great historical upheavals, to the individual lives of a remarkable cast of characters. Every spire, cobblestone, bridge, close and avenue has a tale to tell. In this sumptuous new book, Alexander McCall Smith curates his own, distinctive story of Edinburgh – combining his affectionate, incisive wit with a wealth of stunning imagery drawn from Scotland’s national collection of architecture and archaeology. Through a series of photographs, maps, drawings and paintings – many never before published – he takes the reader on a unique tour. Just like the city’s architecture, the book can move in an instant from sweeping views to secret, hidden vignettes.This is a story of famous landmarks and lost buildings; the people who made them; the people who lived in them. ‘A Work of Beauty’ is an intimate portrait of a city by one of Scotland’s greatest storytellers.

Reviews of A Work of Beauty: Alexander McCall Smith’s Edinburgh

Sandy McCall Smith amazes fellow scribblers with his freshness and sheer verve. Having lived in Edinburgh for 20 years, I loved 'A Work of Beauty', his beautifully written evocation of the most beautiful city in the world – Alistair Moffat, The Scotsman Books of the Year 2014

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Alexander McCall Smith

Alexander McCall Smith enjoyed a distinguished career as a Professor of Medical Law at the University of Edinburgh, before turning to writing full-time. He is the author of over eighty books on a wide array of subjects, and his books have been translated into sixty-four languages.