Chapter title
A l e x a n d e r
M c C a l l S m i t h
E S P R E S S O
T A L E S
Illustrations by I a i n M c I n t o s h a n c h o r b o o k s
A Division of Random House, Inc.
New York
F I R S T A N C H O R B O O K S E D I T I O N , J U LY 2 0 0 6
Copyright © 2005 by Alexander McCall Smith Illustrations copyright © 2005 by Iain McIntosh All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Anchor Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York. Originally published in Great Britain by Polygon, an imprint of Birlinn Ltd., Edinburgh, in 2 0 0 5 .
Anchor Books and colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
This book is excerpted from a series that originally appeared in the Scotsman newspaper.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data McCall Smith, Alexander, 1 9 4 8 –
Espresso Tales : tales from 4 4 Scotland Street / Alexander McCall Smith ; illustrated by Iain McIntosh.
p. cm.
1 . Roommates—Fiction. 2 . Apartment houses—Fiction. 3 . Edinburgh (Scotland)—Social life and customs— Fiction. 4 . Humorous stories, English.
I. Title.
PR6 0 6 3 .C3 2 6 E8 7 2 0 0 6
8 2 3 ' . 9 1 7 —dc2 2
2 0 0 5 0 5 7 1 7 5
eISBN: 978-0-307-38639-7
www.anchorbooks.com
v1.0
Chapter title
v
Preface
This is volume two of a serial novel which I started to write in The Scotsman newspaper and which, at the time of publication of this book, I am still writing. The enjoyment which I have obtained from spinning this long-running tale of a house and its occupants in Edinburgh is, I hope, apparent on every page.
It has never been a chore. Not for a moment.
At the end of the first volume, 44 Scotland Street, I left matters unresolved for many of the characters. Now in Espresso Tales we see the continuation of many of the themes begun in volume one. Bertie, that immensely talented six-year-old, is still in therapy, and his plight seems to get worse and worse. Bruce, the unbearable narcissistic surveyor, is still as irritating as before, perhaps even more so. If there is any justice, he will get his come-uppance in this volume (but don’t count on that). And Domenica, that sage occupant of the top floor of 44 Scotland Street, continues to comment on the world with her mordant wit.
During the writing of this book, which appeared in daily parts in The Scotsman, I received comments from many readers. Some wrote in with suggestions; others occasionally upbraided me for the views which some of the characters expressed. I inadvertently ruffled the feathers of an entire Scottish town at one point, and at another I received a very reproachful letter from a convinced vegan. These, I suppose, are the consequences of writing a novel under the scrutiny of the public eye.
This is, of course, not a work of scrupulous social realism.
However, unlike in many other novels, all the places in this book exist, and a number of the characters are real people, who currently live in Edinburgh and who agreed to appear, as themselves, in this story. Other people have, for some reason, imagined that they xii
Preface
appear in this story, thinly (or otherwise) disguised. Alas, this is not true. There is no real Bertie; and even if there are many like Domenica, or Angus, or any of the other characters, I had no particular person in mind when writing about them.
When the last episode of this book was published in the newspaper, we had a party in the offices of The Scotsman. Many readers attended, and some gave me their frank assessment of what had happened in the series. Others came up to me and said, “You can’t stop now. There will have to be a third volume.” At the beginning of the evening I had decided that I would not write a third; by the end I had changed my mind. I am easily persuaded to continue to have fun. And why not?
This second volume is committed to press in gratitude to the readers of The Scotsman and in affection for this remarkable city and the people who make it one of the most vibrant and interesting places in the world. Again I express my thanks to those who accompanied me on this particular literary
