About this item
It is often said that the best things in life come in small packages--anyone in search of proof need look no further than the stories in this collection: brief, utterly engaging tales that offer lasting surprise and delight.From the original Greek financial crisis, when the profligate Gods of Olympus were punished by Odin and the other Norse Gods for their unchecked spending, to a handy unintended benefit of cosmetic surgery; from Pope Ron, the first Australian Pope, who wants nothing more than to live quietly, to a rather droll cat named Stanley, to Good President Wenceslas, benevolent leader of a snowy land: these stories are by turns funny, poignant, and deliciously wicked, each one a gift begging to be unwrapped and enjoyed again and again.
About the Author
Alexander McCall Smith was born in what is now Zimbabwe and taught law at the University of Botswana. He is now Professor of Medical Law at the University of Edinburgh. He has written more than fifty books, including a number of specialist titles, but is best known for The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, which has achieved bestseller status on four continents. In 2004 he was awarded British Book Awards Author of the Year and Booksellers Association Author of the Year. He lives in Scotland, where in his spare time he is a bassoonist in the RTO (Really Terrible Orchestra) .
