About Ian Rankin
Sir Ian James Rankin (born 28 April 1960) is a Scottish crime writer and philanthropist, best known for his Inspector Rebus novels. Born in Fife, Rankin was the first of his family to attend university, and he worked in a number of different jobs before becoming a writer. Rankin's crime novels form a major contribution to the tartan noir genre, and have won numerous domestic and international awards. His Rebus books have sold over 35 million copies; the first entry, Knots and Crosses (1987) was named the eighth-best Scottish novel of all time in a 2016 poll. == Early life == Rankin was born in Cardenden, Fife. His father, James, owned a grocery shop, and his mother, Isobel, worked in a school canteen. He was educated at Beath High School, Cowdenbeath. Neither of his parents were great readers, but Rankin enjoyed comics such as the Beano, the Dandy, Superman and Batman, later progressing to books borrowed from the library. Rankin was the first of his family to go to university. His parents were horrified when he chose to study literature, as they had expected him to study for a trade.
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