Bloomsbury digs into second mudlarking book from Lara Maiklem
Bloomsbury has acquired A Mudlarking Year: Finding Treasure in Every Season, by the bestselling author Lara Maiklem.
Alexis Kirschbaum, head of Bloomsbury Trade, acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from Sarah Ballard at C&W. The book is scheduled for publication on 4th July 2024.
Bloomsbury said the deal follows the “extraordinary reaction” to its publication of Maiklem’s debut, Mudlarking in 2019.
The publisher added: “A Mudlarking Year is the charming sequel to Mudlarking, where Lara reflects on life lived post-pandemic and scours the banks of the Thames to find objects – lost or discarded – that tell forgotten stories. In this book, she will find solace in adapting her search with the changing seasons and uncovering treasures bestowed by the Thames and further afield. From medieval pilgrim badges, Tudor shoe soles, Georgian wig curlers and lost love tokens, each passing day she unearths the ordinary and extraordinary objects that tell the rich story of London’s past and its inhabitants.”
Kirschbaum said: “Witnessing the influence that Lara’s debut book had on propelling Mudlarking into popular consciousness has been truly remarkable. Along the way, it has become evident that a growing number of mudlarkers also share a curiosity in discovering the fascinating objects the river unearths. A Mudlarking Year has all of the wonderful tips featured in the first book but it is also an essential read for those who wish to explore the meditative rewards of connecting with nature and a chance to see the ‘London Mudlarker’ in a new light.”
Maiklem added: “I’m thrilled to be working with Bloomsbury again on this collection of gentle observations through a year on the Thames and further afield. Where my first book was an introduction to my world and a paddle in the shallows, A Mudlarking Year is a personal ode to nature and history that will lead my readers into deeper waters.”
Maiklem moved from her family’s farm to London in the 1990s and has been mudlarking along the River Thames for more than 20 years. She now lives with her family on the Kent coast. She has written for the Guardian, Telegraph and Financial Times, among others, and has appeared on radio and television. In 2022, she was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and she is the first woman in history to hold the ancient position of Juror for the Court Leet of the King’s Borough in Southwark.
