A Work of Beauty: Alexander McCall Smith's Edinburgh - Hardcover

Alexander McCall Smith

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1902419863 ISBN 13: 9781902419862

Publisher: Royal Commission on the Ancient & Historical Monuments of Scotland, 2014

Synopsis

"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.

About this title

Review:

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

About the Author:

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.

About this edition

• Publisher: Royal Commission on the Ancient & Historical Monuments of Scotland
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1902419863
• ISBN 13: 9781902419862
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 224