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

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, historywith 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 deliversfor Anglophiles and history lovers alikea memorable treatise on the objects we leave in our wake, and the stories they can reveal if only we take a moment to look.