The 2½ Pillars of Wisdom

The 2½ Pillars Of Wisdom is the collected name for three novels by Alexander McCall Smith. All three novels centre on the exploits of Moritz-Maria von Igelfeld. The title refers to the main character and his colleagues; the front matter explains that von Igelfeld “had heard the three of them described as the Three Pillars of Wisdom, but looking at Professor Dr Detlev Amadeus Unterholzer he came to the conclusion that perhaps The 2½ Pillars of Wisdom might be more appropriate”.