This is a brand new, previously unpublished story from Alexander McCall Smith. 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 Number 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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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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Customer Reviews
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.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Congratulations to AMS because this is an absolute treasure of a book. I found I could read it on two levels. Firstly for the simple enjoyment of the story and secondly for the sheer pleasure of the language. It just begs to be read aloud.
The book is also beautifully illustrated and I am hoping I get a chance to have it signed by the author some day. That would just be the icing on the cake!
Finally, another reviewer says there is no warning that the book is written in Scots. In fact, it says quite clearly on the front cover that it is "Translated into Scots by James Robertson" and on the back cover, it not only has two paragraphs written in Scots, but it also says "The story of how Precious Ramotswe started her life as a detective makes this a special book, but there's something else: Precious and the Puggies is only available in the Scots language".
The book is also beautifully illustrated and I am hoping I get a chance to have it signed by the author some day. That would just be the icing on the cake!
Finally, another reviewer says there is no warning that the book is written in Scots. In fact, it says quite clearly on the front cover that it is "Translated into Scots by James Robertson" and on the back cover, it not only has two paragraphs written in Scots, but it also says "The story of how Precious Ramotswe started her life as a detective makes this a special book, but there's something else: Precious and the Puggies is only available in the Scots language".
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By F Hughes
Format:Hardcover
This is a fun book and, although it is written for children, I really enjoyed it. It's quite short, and the story is fairly simple, but it's well told (of course), and the illustrations are wonderful, really bringing the story to life.
It's also written in Scots. As a Scot who has lived in England for 25 years, I was delighted to find I knew many of the words and turns of phrase, and those I didn't know I could generally guess from the context. However I also appreciated the helpful glossary at the end of the book, which I used chiefly to confirm or clarify my guesses. To me it was a delight to read a tale like this in Scots, and I found myself re-reading pages just to savour the language. I certainly don't mind if it isn't in any particular dialect of Scots. I just enjoyed all the lovely evocative words it uses.
My English husband and my son (raised in England) also had a go at it, and although they could make sense of it, it was much harder work for them. So if you don't know a bit of Scots, or don't want to have to make a bit of an effort, you might prefer to wait until the English version comes out.
It's also written in Scots. As a Scot who has lived in England for 25 years, I was delighted to find I knew many of the words and turns of phrase, and those I didn't know I could generally guess from the context. However I also appreciated the helpful glossary at the end of the book, which I used chiefly to confirm or clarify my guesses. To me it was a delight to read a tale like this in Scots, and I found myself re-reading pages just to savour the language. I certainly don't mind if it isn't in any particular dialect of Scots. I just enjoyed all the lovely evocative words it uses.
My English husband and my son (raised in England) also had a go at it, and although they could make sense of it, it was much harder work for them. So if you don't know a bit of Scots, or don't want to have to make a bit of an effort, you might prefer to wait until the English version comes out.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Catherine
Format:Hardcover
I understand there is an increasing desire in many nations to support languages and dialects which are overlooked or sidelined by more dominant languages - so i would like to support the Authors decision that this book should not be published in 'english' for the first year of publication. I am not a scot but love visiting scotland and am surprised at the petulant tone of some of the remarks. There are so many dialects in scotland that the translator has clearly had to select a little of each - but this is a gourmet feast not a dogs dinner! Enjoy this book for what it is and applaud the Authors celebration of his scottish roots - its got to be better than estury english.
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3.7 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Something in Broad Scotts
Bought it for a friends gaughter who likes the lADY dETCTIVE NOVELS.hAVE NOT GOT BACK TO HER ON HOW MUCH SHE LIKES IT.
Published 11 days ago by Christopher John Gould
1.0 out of 5 stars
Reader beware!
Unfortunately missed the fact that it is translated into Scots which for me translated as unreadable. Reader beware! My fault perhaps but still, a consideration!
Published 17 days ago by polly-lou
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 19 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 20 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 on 30 May 2011 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
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