Precious African Tales

Here's a mouthful: one of the hardcover debuts this week is Alexander McCall Smith's The Kalahari Typing School for Men: More from the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. Described as part mystery, part morality tale, this is the fourth in the series and the first published in hardcover in the U.S. An earlier book in the series featuring Mma. Precious Ramotswe, The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, is beginning its fourth month on PW's trade paperback list. Pantheon points to glowing reviews and strong word of mouth among booksellers as main reasons for the strong sales. Smith's publicity tour will begin in New York on May 19 and will continue until June 1 at BEA in Los Angeles; it will pick up again in July, when the author will do readings in Seattle, San Francisco and Denver. Born in Zimbabwe and educated there and in Scotland (where he now lives), Smith bases the agency and his plots in Botswana. First printing was 85,000; two additional press trips bring the in-print total to 108,000 copies. Total copies in print for The No. 1 bestseller: 450,000.