Mudlarking EXTRACT

Sampler:

I have only had the opportunity to read a taster - Chapter 7 - I believe London Bridge.

It is a glimpse into an activity I have never really given much thought to before. I have never been into metal-detecting but since childhood who has not enjoyed beachcombing, rockpooling and pond dipping? Mudlarking is an adult version of this sense of treasure hunting ironically named after a mud lark - ‘A mudlark is someone who scavenges in river mud for items of value, a term used especially to describe those who scavenged this way in London during the late 18th and 19th centuries.’
This is a wonderful idea since modern day scavenging isn’t for coal, food or items just washed into the river but a history lesson and more akin to river archaeology.

This book has something of an advantage in that it is written by someone passionate about the practice of mudlarking and curious enough to dig deeper than the mud of the river Thames. By that I mean Lara Maiklem brings both the search and the objects alive through her descriptive language and interest in history. Add to that an active imagination she takes the reader back to Roman times, Frost Fairs on the frozen river or the flames of The Great Fire of London.

Lara speaks also of moment of the find. The care and preservation of artefacts. The best light and intensity of the search and how without that moments scan, hesitation, acquired skills objects might forever remain undiscovered or be shattered by one’s next step.

I still have little interest in metal-detecting but the sense of being so close to the soul of the river, teasing out its bounty by effort and a good eye and reconnecting the present with the past has a value beyond the items themselves.

A good cook book sends you to the supermarket and the kitchen. A rambling tale gets you lacing your boots and out in the countryside. Lara’s delightful book will do the same. Rekindle our childhood memories, reconnect us with a sense of place and time. See value in everyday things and detest the polluting waste of plastic. Over and above everything, this chapter has given me a desire to read this book and appreciate the history of London by the items lost, captured is silt and revealed at low tide. Lara’s enthusiasm has enable my creaking knees and stiff back to get down on all fours and take a worm eyed view of London’s rich mud, sand and shingle. I was with the author as she delved, deduced and discovered her priceless treasures.
Reading is often about escape, entertainment and enlightenment Mudlarking brought me all three.

I am SO annoyed that this is only excerpt! So annoyed that I pre-ordered it immediately. This will clearly be an absolutely fascinating book and I was fascinated reading about all the treasures the author found. Hurry up August!

I started this sampler intending to read a few pages in between household chores but I couldn’t put it down and ended up finishing it in one go!

It combined treasure-finding with history, science and religion. I hadn’t realised there was such an art to mudlarking, or that there are so many historical items which could be found. I love learning about history from the perspective of ordinary people and Lara was very good at describing the origin of the pieces she found.

I especially loved the paragraph about Roman hair pins and I didn’t know ecclesiastical tokens, scabbard chapes or jettons ever existed! Such a well written chapter and I learned so much in just this sampler. I will definitely be buying this book when it is published in August.

Thanks for the extract - I need more!

This is the kind of thing that helps people fall in love with local history, small objects that provide a magic portal to the past. Mundane everyday objects that we all use and turn up centuries later in the mud. The author gives poetry to the process of mudlarking and speculating about finds. It's like Bagpuss in wellies!

I'm really looking forward to the full book.

On the strength of this extract, anyone with an interest in reclaiming history from the very ground we inhabit, will be fascinated by Maiklem's discoveries. Will be seeking out the full length book!

This sampler has ignited eager anticipation of the full length book being published. It is written in clear language and in such a way as to engage your interest from the very beginning. There is so much interesting information on each page that you cannot help but drop everything else in order to keep turning pages. Even in this short extract I learned so much about the shoreline of the Thames and it’s history. My order for this book will be in well ahead of it’s publication date.

Such a beautiful story but so little.. I want the full book as soon as possible. Its a beautiful amalgamation of history and imagination. And Lara Maiklem does a beautiful work of it. Can't wait to read more.

What a fascinating book on a fascinating topic. I can't wait to read the full thing (and to go mudlarking!)

This ARC has a main issues: it's only an extract and it makes you crave to read the entire book.
I found what I read fascinating and well researched.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

I loved this book. I’ve seen a few tv shows about finds on the banks of the Thames and it’s fascinating. So many artefacts and each with a story to tell. Mudlarking is a lively and engaging account which gives real insight into the complexity and compulsion of this subject.

I learned a great deal. For starters, I knew a permit was required, but had no idea it was so difficult to obtain. And the vagaries around locations and the tides was also interesting. But best of all are the stories about the finds. Lara Maiklem manages to bring the countryside to life along with a bit of background about how the interest arose. There’s so much detail and it’s packed with snippets like the origin of the word codswallop. This is a really interesting read. It’s about people, the past, social history and how it reverberates today.

My thanks to the publisher for a review copy via Netgalley.

In the chapter I read, Maiklem quickly sets the framework for the joys and frustrations of mudlarking. She is a respectful wanderer and seeker and generous in sharing her knowledge of the incredible variety of items the river Thames offers up to her.

So apparently I was just given and chapter sample to review, so there really isn't much to say about it. I liked it, and will probably read the entire book at some point.