'World First' a brand new story from Alexander McCall Smith that is now available in paperback! A world first from Itchy Coo, this is a brand new book for younger readers, telling the story of the girlhood adventures of Precious Ramotswe, founder of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. Written by one of the world's favourite authors, Alexander McCall Smith, and translated into Scots by award winning author, James Robertson, this story will not be available in any other language until 2011. The Scots is simple and accessible, and a glossary will be provided for those not familiar with Scots words.
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The Scots words... give it a vigorous kick that really lifts it off the page and the beautiful illustrations by Iain McIntosh are a delight. --The Stirling Observer
About the Author
Alexander McCall Smith was born in Zimbabwe and educated there and in Scotland. He has written over 60 books for children and adults, including the hugely successful No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. He has an interest in languages and in the protection and development of those under threat, and it is for this reason that he has generously allowed the story of Precious Ramotswe's earliest cases to be translated into Scots, the language of Lowland Scotland, and for it to be published in this form before it appears in any other language. As the leading producer of books in Scots written for children and young people, Itchy Coo is proud to be the publisher of this unique book. James Robertson is a co-founder of Itchy Coo. He writes books for both adults and children, in English and in Scots. His novel The Testament of Gideon Mack was long-listed for the Man Booker Prize in 2006 and featured on the Richard and Judy Book Club in 2007. For Itchy Coo he has translated Roald Dahl's The Fantastic Mr Fox and A.A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh into Scots.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
25 of 25 people found the following review helpful
By D. MacLaren
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
From the reviews so far, this seems to be a Marmite of a book - you love it or hate it (depending on whether or not you realised it is written in Scots.)
This had me laughing and exclaiming from start to finish. I found it almost impossible not to read aloud to any unsuspecting family member, and, failing that, to read it aloud to myself.
Part of the genius of this translation is it renders the English into Scots not merely word for word, but idiom for idiom, and in doing so demonstrates how evocative the Scots dialect can be and how well it can work in a completely different culture. It also brought home to me the fact that Scots is no more 'foreign' to Botswana than English, and perhaps, given the vivid idioms, may capture an African setting better.
This is a book to read aloud, read repeatedly, give away, laugh to the point of tears; and most of all, it is a translation in which language lovers can luxuriate.
This had me laughing and exclaiming from start to finish. I found it almost impossible not to read aloud to any unsuspecting family member, and, failing that, to read it aloud to myself.
Part of the genius of this translation is it renders the English into Scots not merely word for word, but idiom for idiom, and in doing so demonstrates how evocative the Scots dialect can be and how well it can work in a completely different culture. It also brought home to me the fact that Scots is no more 'foreign' to Botswana than English, and perhaps, given the vivid idioms, may capture an African setting better.
This is a book to read aloud, read repeatedly, give away, laugh to the point of tears; and most of all, it is a translation in which language lovers can luxuriate.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By H. meiehofer
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Hardcover
Forget the greetin' crabbit wans, this is a braw wee book.
For those who have enjoyed the No 1 Ladies Detective series this is a welcome addition. It is a lovely story which contains all of the elements we have come to expect from AMS and I for one am delighted they are there.
A few notes of caution. It is a children's tale. It is very short; I read it in about 20 minutes so some may not think it great value for money.
And the big one; yes it is written in Scots. I found it fairly easy to follow, but I think unless you have lived in Scotland for some time it might be a bit more of a trial. The glossary at the back does help. I also found it easier to understand if read out loud (Not a commuter book then), just like the poetry of Burns. The Scots language works well for this tale and emphasises the traditional wisdom to be found in Precious.
And by the way, for those of you who think Scots is a dead language, I mistook the import of the title here because in modern Scots a puggie is a fruit machine or one armed bandit. Not so in this tale!
I understand that this book will eventually be published in English but if you are a big fan then you might want to take a chance on this.
For those who have enjoyed the No 1 Ladies Detective series this is a welcome addition. It is a lovely story which contains all of the elements we have come to expect from AMS and I for one am delighted they are there.
A few notes of caution. It is a children's tale. It is very short; I read it in about 20 minutes so some may not think it great value for money.
And the big one; yes it is written in Scots. I found it fairly easy to follow, but I think unless you have lived in Scotland for some time it might be a bit more of a trial. The glossary at the back does help. I also found it easier to understand if read out loud (Not a commuter book then), just like the poetry of Burns. The Scots language works well for this tale and emphasises the traditional wisdom to be found in Precious.
And by the way, for those of you who think Scots is a dead language, I mistook the import of the title here because in modern Scots a puggie is a fruit machine or one armed bandit. Not so in this tale!
I understand that this book will eventually be published in English but if you are a big fan then you might want to take a chance on this.
20 of 23 people found the following review helpful
By Miren
Format:Hardcover
Alexander McCall Smith has done something quite unique with this wonderful book. Not only has he given his readers an insight into the childhood of Precious Ramtotswe, he has gifted the Scots language a lease of new life. As a Scottish writer, he must be applauded for supporting Scots in this way. Any reader who has English will easily tune in to James Robertson's expert translation. And in a world which stridently seeks to reduce us to a handful of cultures and idioms, a writer of Mr McCall Smith's standing is recognising that all languages are worth reading. That alone should be reason enough to buy this book. And it's also a great read.
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3.7 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
A quick lesson in speaking to the Scots.
I enjoyed tackling this book before reading the English version to see how much I understood. Amazing how many words are incorporated into English. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Debby
3.0 out of 5 stars
not what I expected
This is my own fault that I wasn't expecting the book to be in such a Scottish write-up. I couldn't understand it, but you did explain that it was like this. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Mrs. Ruth Dorrington
1.0 out of 5 stars
I dinna ken
Had your notice of this book included the fact that it was "translated into Scots..." I would not have wasted my time ordering it. Read more
Published 23 months ago by G. Dellar
4.0 out of 5 stars
A good bit of fun
Alexander McCall Smith has produced an interesting variant on the usual No 1 Ladies Detective Agency fare. Read more
Published 24 months ago by Hubb le
2.0 out of 5 stars
children's book
This is a children's book, written in Scottish! I had to send it back. That is not clear on the website.
Published on 27 April 2011 by Christine
2.0 out of 5 stars
Precious and Puggies
Had to return this item as I did NOT want to read it in Scots. No mention of that when I selected it.
Published on 13 April 2011 by bonnie
1.0 out of 5 stars
Scots???
Only releases in Scots version so far - have I missed something...? Very disappointed. Had this on pre-order so didn't know that was what I was going to be getting till it arrived... Read more
Published on 7 Mar 2011 by LS Darby
1.0 out of 5 stars
I don't get it!
Mine is on its way back for refund.
I also ordered it not realising it was 'translated into Scots'. What's that all about? Read more
I also ordered it not realising it was 'translated into Scots'. What's that all about? Read more
Published on 7 Mar 2011 by kittiwake
5.0 out of 5 stars
Loved it!
This was very well done and extremely entertaining. Being an American, I had to work on some of the words and what they meant. Read more
Published on 15 Sep 2010 by M. Pike
4.0 out of 5 stars
Scots away!
If you speak scots (not gaelic) "scots" fluently, excellent this will be a fun story and easy read. If you do not, but want to try your skill, this is awesome and kids giggle at... Read more
Published on 13 July 2010 by A. Fraser
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