A Mudlark's Treasures by Ted Sandling

A Mudlark's Treasures
by Ted Sandling

ISBN-13: 9780593197882
Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: Aurum Press
Released: June 22nd 2021

Source: review copy from the publisher through Amazon Vine.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Mudlarking, the act of searching the Thames foreshore for items of value, has a long tradition in England's capital. In the late 18th and 19th centuries, mudlarks were small boys grubbing a living from scrap. Today’s mudlarks unearth relics of the past from the banks of the Thames which tell stories of Londoners throughout history. From Roman tiles to elegant Georgian pottery, presented here are modern-day mudlark Ted Sandling's most evocative finds, gorgeously photographed. Together they create a mosaic of everyday London life through the centuries, touching on the journeys, pleasures, vices, industries, adornments and comforts of a world city. This unique and stunning book celebrates the beauty of small things, and makes sense of the intangible connection that found objects give us to the individuals who lost them.


My Review:
A Mudlark's Treasures is about the types of things that can be found on the banks of the Thames, specifically the finds that the author has made. These objects span a long period of time, from before the founding of London to nearly present day. He focused on historical objects. After an introduction describing what mudlarking was in the past and is in the present, he talked about his finds. He put them in groupings of similar types. He briefly described the object found and then gave about a page and a half of information about it and when it was made. The only pictures were those on the cover, and they were small and not very high definition. Numbers labeled what they were and when they were made, and these were later described in the book. However, these were only about half of the total finds that he talked about. Part of the reason I got the book was because I was interested in actually seeing what these objects look like (even in a broken state), so I was disappointed. However, I did enjoy learning the history behind these objects.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.