I learned a lot reading this book. The author looks at the history of Mudlarking in London. Historical mudlarkers looked for treasures they could sell. Mudlarkers enjoy the hunt and discovering buried history. The book is filled with illustrations and interesting information about the treasures being recovered. Enjoy

In this short memoir, the author, Ted Sandling, details a bit about mudlarking and his personal relationship with it. I love learning about other's unique hobbies and interests (the more unusual the better!) and this one fit the bill perfectly! The microhistories and context of some of the different items in Ted's personal collection was fascinating, and I loved learning more about how each item was tied into some branch of English history. Definitely made me want to partake in mudlarking on some future trip to the United Kingdom.

I appreciate the publisher allowing me to read this book. I really enjoyed reading it the plot was interesting and the characters made me want to know more about them. I highly recommend.

I enjoyed learning about mudlarking but would have loved more photos, diagrams, drawings, or pictures.

Oh my goodness. I totally geeked out over this book. It's 100% right up my alley. I think the cover is enticing, the title is perfect, and the contents were very unique and interesting. I am totally hoping to buy a copy of this. I would love to see this someday on a documentary.

I'm afraid I couldn't get on with this book. The publisher sent the file without any illustrations, the result was an interminable block of pretty dry text having no context.
In contrast I was engrossed by Lara Maiklem's book of the same name.

*3.5 stars*

Unexpected city beachcombing…

I was intrigued by the blurb of this book. Beachcombing is not a new concept for me, I live on a coast after all. The idea of scouring the sand for treasure in a metropolis like London though – that caught my attention. And it was intriguing. Finding shards of pottery and items from centuries ago, from Roman times, from the Georgian era. From a way to earn money over the years, it now is a hobby, a light into ways of life long gone. Intriguing topic, interesting book.

This was super interesting! I absolutely love the city of London, England so I was happy to read it!!

Originally poor mudlarks salvaged scrap metal from the Thames’ shores and sold it to dealers. As time went on, mudlarks looked not only for profit, but for fun and history. The Thames is not a neatly stratified archeological site. “It gives up a hundred random objects, and it is up to the finder to discover their stories. That is the joy of mudlarking; that after every trip to the river you know more than you did before. Chance connections with something that was once treasured, that was lost and has now been found again.” Sandling’s writing is poetic and well organized. I know more than I did before.

The publisher’s blurb indicated that the book was ‘beautifully illustrated.’ Alas, to my great dismay, there were no photographs in the Advanced Readers Copy, only descriptions of the objects. Had Quarto Publishing added pictures, I’m sure it would have merited another star.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The most remarkable thing about this book was the fact it had no images to accompany the text.

I was expecting this to be similar to Lara Maiklem's book about Mudlarking, and so was a little disappointed. I didn't much enjoy the way it was laid out, or the discussion of the finds - mostly pottery. It was also very repetitive in places. The afterword by Iain Sinclair was easily the best part of the book.

If you don't know, a "mudlark" is someone who searches for treasure in the Thames of London at low tide. I knew this, but I had no idea there was lots of treasure to be found even today - as long as you define "treasure" based on human interest, and not necessarily on monetary value. Sandling writes (beautifully) about the treasures he's found and it made for fascinating historical reading. He's found items from the time of the Roman Empire all the way up to WWII. The most common find - clay pipe stems. These are apparently everywhere. Even that little fact was so interesting to me - a lover of history and especially British history.
I read a free advance ebook in exchange for an honest review. My copy did not include photos, but I'm very happy to see that the final book does include photos, which will add to the experience.

I was unable to open the file on my device, but I will be seeking out this book on my own as it looks really interesting.

No review can be given since all of the images are missing from the download. In essence, we are only given half the book to review and therefore cannot make any assessment when a majority of the content is missing.

I love to go beachcombing to find little pieces of history, from artifacts, fossils old buttons or bottles. It's all interesting to me. While beachcombing is accessible to the public, Mudlarking in the Thames is not. You need a permit to go Mudlarking and there are only a small section of society who are able to get a permit. This book is a good way to explore Mudlarking when you are unable to do it yourself.
This book describes how Mudlarking is done, how to find items and the provenance of the items. There was a very detailed description of the items however there were no photos or pictures. Some items were easy to imagine but other more unusual items were harder to picture. This was an early preview copy of this book though, so the finished book might have photos and pictures.
The book is well written and descriptive. I thought that it was informative and interesting. If you have an interest in Mudlarking thenthis book is definitely a good read.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for my ARC.

I had recently learned about mudlarking from the book “The Lost Apothecary”. Defined by Wikipedia, “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.” Sounds cool- I’m in!

I was drawn to this book because of the act of mudlarking, less to the history of London. That’s my fault, since it’s “London” is right there in the title, and at first I was not particularly interested in the famous city itself as much as the act of reaching into mud to pull out an artifact, which happens to occur most successfully by the River Thames. However, each small object contains multitudes, and history is exciting no matter where it takes place. Soon I felt like an honorary resident of London and felt connected to the objects and their British histories.

The author does not shy from the atrocities that are connected to the remnants found while mudlarking. For instance, a sugar cone mold sparks a discussion of slavery on sugar plantations. A button may well be from the dress of a prostitute who jumped to her death in the Thames.

It was a fun and easy read, with each object being discussed for about 2 pages. I get interrupted by my family constantly, so it was a great format to read, bit by bit.

I was given an ARC from Netgalley of this book in exchange for my honest review. I did not receive a copy with photos, and I am tempted to buy a hardcover version so that I can see the actual items being described. That being said, it was fun to imagine them in my mind.

What a unique, quaint, fascinating book this is. I feel like I learned so much about London's people, places and things. Also, the innocence of exploration and quests like those of mudlarks rejuvenated my spirit and made me look at the world through new eyes. Thank you Ted Sandling for this little treasure!

This was a compelling and thoroughly enjoyable read from start to finish with plenty of insight into a fascinating topic written in an accessible and eminently readable fashion. Not only it insightful and educational but it's also entertaining to read; the best of both worlds. What more could you ask for?

Really enjoyable and interesting look at mudlarking and how history and the way every day people lived back then were unearthed from the many things found in the Thames. Wish there were pictures included in the arc though, even if there were descriptions, since I feel like that would round up the reading experience well.

mudlarker: a person who scavenges in river mud for objects of value

I couldn’t wait to read this and I’m so glad I did!!! Now I want to go on my own mudlarkjng excursion and I’m sure London would be the perfect spot!

This hobby of mudlarking is fascinating.
What lies within and below the Thames holds a mystery that mudlarks are hoping to reveal. It’s not only the find but the anticipation of the possibilities and the ‘life’ that each found object contains.
Ted Sandling opens this chest of treasures with wonderful photos, drawings and little stories of the past. I was able to experience the excitement of the find and the joy that is felt when an object is unearthed and a piece of history is unlocked.
This book is a treasure, highly recommended with thanks to NetGalley, Ted Sandling and Francis Lincoln Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest book review.