Bibliotheca: Entry 1 - The Bibliophile in St Andrews

Welcome back to the History Nook.

Today we're exploring Toppings of St Andrews, where I find a few treasures amongst the shelves. So, grab your favourite mug, find a soft space to curl up, and let's wander a little deeper into the past.

Leaving England was one of the most difficult episodes of my life—made even harder by the things I had to leave behind. Rebuilding my little nest has taken time, patience, and a healthy dose of hope. But now, a year on, I finally feel like I’m making progress—and good progress at that.

A conversation with my favourite human led to a rather enticing deal being struck: “You build my new cosplay, and I’ll buy you some books.”Doing something I enjoy and getting books? How could I possibly refuse?

Armed with a list of my missing books (because of course I have a catalogue of every book I own), I metaphorically waddled over to the Topping & Company website to scout out what they had in stock—and soon, a trip to St Andrews was planned.

We made a little detour first to Tayport, my favourite human’s hometown, and took in some of its quiet treasures: the Harbour Café, the common where we hand-fed a few bold cygnets, and the World War II tank traps just south of the town centre. Then, we made our way to St Andrews.

Though I’d visited Topping before, this was my first time going with the express intention of buying books—and gentle reader, buy books we did. We began by trying to find the titles on my list ourselves (a valiant effort), but when that failed rather spectacularly, the ever-kind Topping staff came to our rescue. Here's what I brought home:

• Pliny the Younger - Complete Letter Recommended reading for my Classics degree.

• Juvenal - The Satires A long awaited addition to my library

• Martial - Epigrams (With parallel Latin Text) A favourite of mine—sharp, witty, and often delightfully rude.

• Kahlil Gibran - The Prophet Another well-loved favourite.

• Tolkien - Sir Gawain the the Green Knight I already owned a different translation, but when I saw this one… well, how could I resist?

• Bernard O'Donoghue - Sir Gawain on the Green Knight The edition I’d originally set out to replace.

• Gaius Valerius Catullus - The Book of Catullus A new one for me, but it's been on my wishlist for over two years.

• Ian Wright - Brilliant Maps I spotted this as we were checking out. I love a map, I love a fact… and this is both.

(Honourable mention: Rosalind Kerven – Celtic Fairy Tales and Legends, picked up on a previous trip to Inveraray.)

Topping is one of those dreamy bookshops full of winding shelves, hushed nooks, and ladders straight from a romantic daydream. It’s the kind of place where I can enthuse about my book database and no one rolls their eyes. The kind of place I can see myself making a monthly pilgrimage to.

Before heading home, we stopped at Janetta’s Gelateria—because of course we did. I had a scoop of white chocolate and a scoop of Fife strawberry. 10/10, would recommend. And while we sat with our frozen delights, I regaled my favourite human with some of Martial’s epigrams.

All in all, it was a lovely day: good food, good company, and good books.

Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed your time in The History Nook today.

Until next time, stay curious, and keep warm.