Topping & Company Booksellers of Bath — Attraction in Bath

Note: updated five months later, new review below the old one!

A very lovely new shop, I’ve been here a couple times and I think it’s the best bookshop in the world! It’s got so many sections for lots of different categories and has a lovely atmosphere and a lift as well which is not common in bookshops- the staff were friendly and I have loved every single book I’ve bought from here! Very good prices , even lower than online prices which is not common and you don’t get the looks you get in other bookshops where you feel pressured to buy something ! Wishing the best in the work for the shop, I see the progress every time I’ve been and I will keep coming in the future!( edit with a photo from when I came today) Edited 5 months later: I still come here very often and I have loved every visit! I noticed they had an autism awareness month “little plinth thingy” and I got a most wonderful book called “All Cats Are On The Autism Spectrum” which as incredibly accurate depictions of autism and I can’t wait to show my brother who is autistic as well! I have only noticed one mistake from the shop and it is a good one! Today I went and I got four books from Topping & Company Bath and at home I realised one had been signed but had no label that said so like many of their other books- that was a nice surprise! The works all seem to be complete- they have a huge Sci-Fi and Fantasy section as well as Young Adults up a path behind the counter, a huge central Fiction area, an upper mezzanine with Art, Gardening, and more, and downstairs is Poetry, Science, Travel and , of course The Childrens Section among others. It is a must go in Bath, even in the whole UK I would say! Again, the staff have never been pushy, overly friendly, or have followed me around, and I haven’t been in any awkward situations that I can’t answer in ( I am mute) and I have not needed to whip out...

Bad management and customer service here – the majority of staff are helpful and attentive, but I have had several poor experiences which sadly means I won't be returning. Given that I'm an avid book-buyer and lover of supporting independent shops, that's a real shame!

The initial impression of Topping & Company will certainly make book lovers swoon – a great selection of titles, lovely oak bookshelves and lots of intelligent selections on the tables. I really can't fault the shop on the impression it gives to customers.

But what use is a good impression if you can't deliver good service, and if your staff are rude to customers?

The worst experience I have had here was being told, after I had been browsing for just 10 minutes, that "this isn't a library". The manager went on to tell me that making notes from the books – I had jotted down a few titles of recipes – was not what the bookshop was for.

He made me feel very unwelcome, and wouldn't listen to me when I explained that I had just bought a Moleskine diary from them (in fact, he served me!) and intended, after my browsing, to buy some poetry. In fact, he continued to argue with me – rather pointlessly, I thought.

Other criticisms I have found of the bookshop in my 6 years as a regular customer in Bath include overhearing arguments between the staff while they are standing at the till, and encountering many people who are genuinely baffled by their intention to wrap and seal every book in the shop with impenetrable plastic.

Yes, it keeps the books nice and clean, but I've seen so many people putting books back because they thought they weren't "allowed" to open them!

In short: a great-looking shop, but don't expect to feel welcome. If you want to get friendly service – and support another Bath independent – then head...

Most of their tomes are in chatty essay style - and this is the charm of the place. The fiction section is by far the largest, and the most central.

Surprisingly, not much in the way of reference books, except art, architecture, and er project management. The technical subjects (maths, science, business) are all in one fairly-well hidden section, towards the back of the basement level. In other bookshops, such a section is nearer the front. The other type of reference book, architecture & art, are right at the top, along an internal balcony.

There's a basement level, which is even cosier. The layout is designed to draw you in - a bit like a large formal garden.

Happily, they close very late: 9pm. So don't worry about overstaying, or not being able to pop in after work/college. They also offer complementary tea & coffee - it's more like a library than a shop. There are numerous small tills scattered through the place, so assistance is readily available.

The relaxing is limited though: There are tables & stools, but no sofas, and the reading tables are small - I think they're trying to avoid going as far as a coffee shop or Pub. Inspite of this, most visitors were browsing in twos and threes: It's a very sociable place, and quiet discussion is fine - nobody will shush you. Fellow browsers are also very open to starting conversations.

At first, there didn't appear to be any section labels, but there are: They're just in low-contrast gold-on-oak, and they aren't over every shelf.

The architecture of the building itself is nice too, with crazy skylights and sympathetic underlighting in the railings outside. There's hidden backlighting in the upper cornices indoors, too. It was built as a kind of masonic hall, but has lain empty for years;...