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4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
"The Thames is England's longest archaeological landscape and thousands of the objects that fill our museums have come from its foreshore." Maiklem scavenges along the shores at low tide - even if that low tide occurs in the middle of the night - and finds evidence of daily life over the last few thousand years. Bits of china, rings, coins, lead fonts (there's a story there), messages in bottles, clay pipes, leadshot, a Victoria Cross, Tudor shoes, Roman remains and even human remains are revealed as the river recedes, for those brave enough and observant enough to see. Utterly absorbing. (And follow her on Instagram @London.mudlark for more)
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
informative
reflective
slow-paced
slow-paced
I found the organization of this so hard to get through without pictures. I wanted to be so mesmerized by the past but it was impossible to do that when I could not see the items she was describing. Maybe its easier if you are english, from london, or a true archaologist. For a book about the intimacy of history through found things I mostly didnt feel it.
I miss archaeology and studying history. If I end up going back to study conservation, I will blame this book for giving me the final push.
informative
medium-paced
I found this non fiction book about mudlarking (a term I had never heard of beforehand!) on the river Thames fascinating. It gave a brilliant insight into the history of the Thames and the people who have lived there over the centuries.
I enjoyed this book, but it did drag a little. I've always wanted to go mudlarking, and this book gave me everything I wanted - examples of things you can find, the history of objects found there, information about the Thames in general, plus a slightly harrowing section about how we currently deal with waste. Really fascinating, and if you've got the audiobook, I reccomend sneaking a peak into a physical copy because there are a couple of pictures in it.
All that being said, it was a bit of a dry read. It sort of goes 1. Named section of the Thames 2. History of that area 3. Things that have been found on the shore. Repeat slowly down the Thames to the sea. I'd probably be less tired by it if I was reading it slowly, and only consuming a chapter here and a chapter there. Still interesting, but I lost a star because I wanted to read it all in one go, and it wasn't really designed for that.
All that being said, it was a bit of a dry read. It sort of goes 1. Named section of the Thames 2. History of that area 3. Things that have been found on the shore. Repeat slowly down the Thames to the sea. I'd probably be less tired by it if I was reading it slowly, and only consuming a chapter here and a chapter there. Still interesting, but I lost a star because I wanted to read it all in one go, and it wasn't really designed for that.
Mudlarking is Laura Maiken's memoir of time spent happily poring over the foreshore of the Thames, hunting for relics of times gone by. The items that emerge from the mud are mostly everyday items, lost or broken and thrown away, but they all have a story to tell about London's history.
Arranged as a journey from the tidal start of the river down to the sea, each chapter is about a different section of the river. In each we learn a little history of the area and get to know Laura and her story a little better. She tells us of her finds, how she cleans, preserves and researches them; what she chooses to retrieve and what she leaves for the river to hide again.
It's a fascinating subject and Laura's passion for her hobby is evident in her writing.
Arranged as a journey from the tidal start of the river down to the sea, each chapter is about a different section of the river. In each we learn a little history of the area and get to know Laura and her story a little better. She tells us of her finds, how she cleans, preserves and researches them; what she chooses to retrieve and what she leaves for the river to hide again.
It's a fascinating subject and Laura's passion for her hobby is evident in her writing.