Preview
  • Mudlark

  • In Search of London's Past Along the River Thames
  • By: Lara Maiklem
  • Narrated by: Xanthe Elbrick
  • Length: 9 hrs and 34 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (92 ratings)

Access a growing selection of included Audible Originals, audiobooks, and podcasts.
You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
Audible Plus auto-renews for $7.95/mo after 30 days. Upgrade or cancel anytime.

Mudlark

By: Lara Maiklem
Narrated by: Xanthe Elbrick
Try for $0.00

$7.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $17.19

Buy for $17.19

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

A quixotic journey through London's 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 England's 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 19th-century glass marbles mass-produced for the nation's first soda bottles, Maiklem deduces the historical significance of these artifacts with the quirky enthusiasm and sharp-sightedness of a 21st-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.

©2019 Lara Maiklem (P)2019 Recorded Books
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

What listeners say about Mudlark

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    74
  • 4 Stars
    10
  • 3 Stars
    5
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    2
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    65
  • 4 Stars
    6
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    56
  • 4 Stars
    14
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    1

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A great listen

Wonderful memoir, with stories of history and culture. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Wish her first was on audible.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Very interesting tidbits of history and treasure

A friend recommended this book, and I enjoyed listening to it. The hard copy of the book includes some photographs of the treasures found. So intrigued by what the Thames encapsulates in its banks. Narrator has a great voice.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

thoroughly enjoyed

This is a light and easy listen compared to my usual fare, but not fluffy. There is a peaceful meditative quality to the prose and reader, with much history casually addressed without seeming like a lecture. I binge listened and think that I will give it a second listen.

I wish that there was a pdf with photos.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Spellbinding!

This is such an excellent book that I bought the audible version AND the hard copy. Not only is the subject matter fascinating, but Maiklem's style is lively, personable, and accessible, and her research is excellent. This book is a real treat and is now on my list of "all-time favorites."

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A Romantic Tale of Things Lost and Found

Excellently written and excellently performed. Mudlark is a beautifully crafted ode to the Thames and the mudlarkers who piece together the river’s story one treasure at a time.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fun, informative and never stuffy!

This Audible book is one of my favorites because it had everything...human interest, history, the identification of artifacts, but most of all, a people's history. This selection included people from all walks of life, not just the royals. I could easily imagine myself walking the Thames with mudlarkers! It was fascinating to listen to the authentication process of various items. The narrator was amazing!! She gets 5 stars 🌟 🤩 ⭐ 🌠 💫

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Beautifully Written and Read

A down to earth but also very romantic and poetic story of the River, and one woman’s, and also countless multitudes relationship to it. So good.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Engaging & Informative

Mudlark was an interesting romp through the history of the people and materials which have occupied the Thames foreshore. Maiklem has also organized a visual guide, by chapter, on her Instagram page which made it possible to look up the items that she describes so well in her book. All together an exciting way to think about the history of everyday objects and what we leave behind.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

nice book with London history

nice book with London history. pleasure to listen and ton hear all the be stories

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Thanks for bringing me to the Thames with you!

Living in the US, I have a little hope that I will be able to snag a mudlarking permit and spend days walking the Thames riverbanks.
I’m so grateful for the time spent with Lara in this novel. It was the perfect escapism.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!