Mudlark: In Search of London's Past Along the River Thames

ISBN: 1631494961

Author: Maiklem, Lara

Condition: New

A riveting crash course not only in the history of London from prehistoric times to the present, but also in urban geography and how to read a living environment from organic clues. -Elizabeth Lowry, Wall Street JournalAs seen on TED.com "Mudlarking: Lost and Found on the River Thames"Apple Books Best Books of the MonthBBC Radio 4 Book of the WeekA Bookseller Book of the MonthA quixotic journey through Londons past, Mudlark plumbs the banks of the Thames to reveal the stories hidden behind the archaeological remnants of an ancient city.Long heralded as a city treasure herself, expert mudlarker Lara Maiklem is uniquely trained in the art of seeking. Tirelessly trekking across miles of the Thames muddy shores, where others only see the detritus of city life, Maiklem unearths evidence of Englands captivating, if sometimes murky, history-with some objects dating back to 43 AD, when London was but an outpost of the Roman Empire. From medieval mail worn by warriors on English battlefields to nineteenth-century glass marbles mass-produced for the nations first soda bottles, Maiklem deduces the historical significance of these artifacts with the quirky enthusiasm and sharp-sightedness of a twenty-first century Sherlock Holmes.Seamlessly interweaving reflections from her own life with meditations on the art of wandering, Maiklem ultimately delivers-for Anglophiles and history lovers alike-a memorable treatise on the objects we leave in our wake, and the stories they can reveal if only we take a moment to look. 15 black-and-white illustrations