December 6 – Merfolk
Mermaids and mermen are mythological sea creatures, usually with bodies that are half human and half fish. Often sighted by sailors, the mythology of mermaids is common to many cultures. The most famous story is…
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D’Arcy Wentworth Thompson and his mathematical friendships
Following on from last year’s project with Alice and Indre, interns from the School of Mathematics, this year we had two more interns working with us, again under the supervision of Dr Isobel Falconer, Reader in the…
December 2 – The Unicorn
As the first University in Scotland, we thought it would be fitting to start the St Andrews Library’s Special Collections advent calendar with the most quintessentially Scottish of fantastic beasts – the unicorn. With…
‘The teaching of politics at the University of St Andrews, 1600-1650’
In the final report by our 2019 visiting scholars, Karie Schultz reflects on her time at St Andrews. Earlier this summer, I had the opportunity to spend two weeks at the University of St Andrews Library’s Special…
Letters from a Jewish patient in the ‘German house’ in Agra in 1930s Switzerland
Ines Neffgen from Bonn spent last year in St Andrews as part of her PhD programme, working with Professor Frank Müller. She asked to volunteer in Special Collections whilst in St Andrews as she would like a career as…
“There dwells some wish in every heart”: the friendship between James David Forbes and Sir George Biddell Airy
One of our 2019 Visiting Scholars, Daniel Belteki of the University of Kent, shares with us some of his research into James David Forbes and his astronomical connections. James David Forbes, Principal of the United…
‘Alhallow Evin’ in Scotland
The appearance of carved pumpkins (or turnips in Scotland), spooky decorations and plentiful sweet treats marks the arrival of Halloween. In the Christian calendar, Halloween, or its many variants Hallowe’en,…
New Stories about Old Cupar – A Fond Farewell
Well, this is my last post as Project Archivist on Hidden Burgh: Restoring Cupar’s place at the heart of Fife. It’s amazing how quickly the year has gone, but so much has been accomplished in that time. The Cupar Burgh…
Collage in the Collections
Visiting Scholar Dr Freya Gowrley reflects on her recent stay in St Andrews. During my three-week visiting scholarship at the Library’s Special Collections this summer, I conducted work as part of my research project…
The Royal Humane Society
World First Aid Day, introduced by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), falls on the second Saturday of September and aims to raise awareness of how first aid can save lives.…