A Field Guide to Larking

by Lara Maiklem, W.F. Howes Ltd. (publisher)

A Field Guide to Larking is a practical, interactive and inspiring guide to larking from the best-selling author of Mudlarking .

To lark is to get out and about, to explore the world around us and to discover the little treasures hiding in plain sight. We think, of course, of mudlarking, but there is also beachlarking, fieldlarking or even simply exploring your own home with fresh eyes. In this field guide, Lara teaches us how to lark for ourselves. There are charts, tips and lists throughout to help identify finds. From tide tables for mudlarkers to a flint guide for fieldlarkers, this book is richly informative. Like a journal, it invites you to interact - to make notes and record finds along the way.

If Lara Maiklem's first book was a glimpse into a hidden world, with this field guide she shows us how we can discover it for ourselves.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Nature

Audible Audio

Published August 19, 2021

About the author

Lara Maiklem is a British editor who has been mudlarking for more than a decade. Featured in the Guardian and by the BBC for her work as the "London Mudlark," she lives on the Kent coast,close to the Thames Estuary, and visits the river as regularly as the tides permit.

Reviews

[Denyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having walked along the foreshore of the Thames, and finding fragments of ceramic merely by eye and feeling very excited, anything that involves larking would appeal to me. Mudlarking by Lara Maiklem was on my definitely to read list, and didn't disappoint. I found her findings and the information fascinating, as well as her writing style, and enjoyed it very much.

The Field Guide to Larking is just as good, although this time it contains more information on how to lark, not only along the river, but how to search along beaches and in fields, looking for treasure.
The book is filled with detailed, delicate illustrations in black and white and colour, which add to its appeal. The guide is also interactive - there are pages inviting the reader to make notes and add illustrations of one's own. There is plenty of advice on how to identify objects and where to find them, especially for anyone getting started.

As well as containing plenty of information and advice, the book itself is beautiful - marbled paper endpapers, a cheerful turquoise cover with an yellow elasticated band to keep it together (of course, a digital copy was never going to be good enough and I bought a hard copy immediately).

This is a must have for anyone who finds the prospect of looking for and finding pieces of history exciting. In fact, anyone who appreciates beautiful books would be happy with this little gem. Highly recommended!

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

[Dabarai · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read and adored Lara Maiklem's "Mudlarking", I was very excited to read her "A Field Guide to Larking" as well. This book covers all different types of larking, that is discovering different objects that can be hidden in plain sight. I knew about mudlarking of course, but the book also covers beachlarking and fieldlarking as well as searching for the history of your own home. The beautiful illustrations and photos of different artefacts weren’t visible in this ebook proof, which made it sometimes difficult to follow, but they look amazing in the actual published edition. Although the author concentrates mostly on searching for hidden treasures on beaches and in rivers (mostly Thames), she also gives interesting pointers which can help others to search in different, sometimes more approachable, and accessible places. There are lists and useful advice, as well as space for readers’ own musings and mementos, as Lara Maiklem encourages us to collect evidence of our discoveries. This is an ideal book for someone thinking about starting a new hobby, a great present for those who like learning about new things and our shared history. "A Field Guide to Larking" is a glimpse into the mind of a curious person and fascinating discoveries that are awaiting them.

[Christian Dalton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given this as a gift, and it was one of my favourite reads of all time. It is a book full of charm, designed for the reader to go and experience the joy of larking first-hand; not something you have to experience vicariously through the author showing off their achievements (as I have read in some other stories recently cough cough).

I would thoroughly recommend this book to anyone with even a passing interest in history, or those who simply enjoy a walk along a beach, and the excitement of finding a jewel-like piece of seaglass. This book encapsulates a love of the land, sea, rivers, and importantly, the people of today who tread in the footsteps of those who once roamed these lands.

[Maggi LeDuc · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can't wait to muddy this book up with all types of larking!

[grace saint · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's giving wholesome goblincore highly recommend

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic for anyone interested in mudlarking, old things, and history!

[Steve Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this and found it generally informative and not just on larking but on how to just do stuff.

[Deirdre E Siegel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book on how to have a lot of fun for today’s world.
Living in New Zealand, and growing up in the 60’s - 80’s, we went armed with the warnings of stay together, no wandering off, be back alive and intact by meal time.
This book is a welcome adventure, although repeated warnings of common sense was a daunting reminder of how we have abused ourselves and nature with our discard at will anything no longer useful to ourselves and probably dangerous to the children of today’s world.

A sensible down to earth adult needs to be issued with this book, as the Author has gone to so much trouble reminding us of the man made dangers out there, along with our responsibility to protecting while teaching the impressionable.

Thank you so much for your delicious instructions to good old fashioned fun we called beach-combing Lara Maiklem, it is very much appreciated. :-)

[Glenn · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is more of a tourists' introduction than an actually useful field guide; the sort of thing you might find in a museum gift-shop. It's got plenty of lovely wordy bits about mudlarking, some very brief (too brief to be really useful) bit of history, and some nice illustrations. But the detail is too scant for this to be a meaningful guide to almost anyone, especially in identifying even basic finds. What's more, there's plenty of quotes, history, and ideas for preparation which has no place in a *field* guide.

[Sarah Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read Mud larking by Lara Maiklem and I really enjoyed it, so when A Field Guide to Larking came out I was very keen to read it. This little book is a great book to dib in and out of. It does cover some of what Maiklem discusses in her first book, but this covers beachcombing, mud larking, home larking and field walking. It is a useful little book, with some interesting topics, great illustrations and history.

[V · Rating 3 out of 5]

Are you perfectly charming introduction to the subject : wandering around looking at abandoned crap on the ground. I imagine the book more valuable in its printed form as listening to her descriptions of different areas of pottery will not have been as informative.

I am a beachcomber. I'm surprisingly I found that section the most engaging.

Nothing mind blowing so I cannot rate it higher but it's not really a criticism of this kind of book.

[Amanda Taft · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read Lara Maiklem’s Mudlarking book, I treated myself to this one. I once found a Neolithic flint stone just after seeing a huge owl fly up from scrubland on a walk in Cornwall so the idea of finding ‘treasure’ such as this fascinates me! It is the type of book you can pick up and dip into.

[Laura Maier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Larking is basically the art of wandering around, looking for interesting Stuff on the floor, so I was expecting a much slimmer volume and was very impressed with how thick this book is.

Part practical guide (with important tips to stay safe and on the right side of the law), part workbook and part miscellany, this book has a gorgeous design that's very tactile and invites getting "ruined" even for a book perfectionist like myself - I can't wait to take it on my next river walk!

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me and my childhood self loved this book. A wonderful companion to Mudlarking.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a dip in and out book.... I'm still dipping now and again.

[Phil Nicholls · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Field Guide is a wonderful introduction to larking, from beachcombing to mudlarking on riverbanks, fieldwalking or exploring your own home. There are checklists for suitable equipment and extensive guides into the more common finds.

I was especially excited by the section on beachcombing, which is the aspect of larking I am most likely to attempt. I recall finding sea glass as a young boy, so I am eager to search for that again. Maiklem includes a wonderful colour guide to the different types of sea glass and their commonality.

Even though I may only ever use a quarter of this book, I really enjoyed reading through the various sections. The book is overflowing with odd historical snippets, such as the alternating pattern of monarch’s portraits facing different directions, the contents of spell jars or the story of pottery glazes.

[EBaker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really surprised by how much I enjoyed this. Felt like someone talking to a strangely deep part of myself that I never thought I would find in books. Essential reading for any fellow magpie brained collectors.

[AmyH · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid little primer to set someone up who's looking to get into larking, or for someone who wants a refresher. The book covers the major finds you'd expect such as clay pipes, pottery, coins and bones, but also goes further afield to the coast to look at fossils and shells. The items cover a good range of dates, from Roman samian ware to lego washed up on the beach, supplemented by beautiful illustrations which are sadly often missing from a lot of mudlarking books.

Whilst it's appreciate that Maiklem travels away from the Thames foreshore to give the book a bit more breadth, I'd imagine the section on larking in your house isn't going to be accessible to the majority of people unless they're just looking to find an old receipt and an expired tin of beans at the back of the cupboard, but maybe I'm just a bitter member of generation rent. Still, the information is engaging and a lot of the items listed at different sites could still crop up in the location you have access to.

The book also has some important information about conservation which is very welcome, though unfortunately it doesn't go into as much detail as I'd like. I can understand that she may be hesitant to give people advise on the off chance it doesn't work and people blame her for the damage to their finds, but with enough disclaimers you'd think she could go into a bit more detail with her advice.

Also included are several exercises for the reader to fil in, such as sticking down sand from the beach or writing your find wishlist. Depending on how you feel about writing in books it perhaps skews the book to a younger demographic, but it at least gives the reader some prompts to be fully mindful of their surroundings and enjoy the journey rather than just the destination.