For a few hours each day, the River Thames in London recedes with the low tide, exposing literally millions of years of history in the mud of its banks. Hobbyists called mudlarks have brought precious artifacts to museums from the river of time, and in the pages of Thames Mudlarking you can see all this history laid before you with expert annotations.

I’m no student of history, so I was edified as well as gratified to read brief historical explanations of the small Anglo-Saxon village of Lundenwic that grew from the mostly-abandoned Roman city of Londinium to become a major international trading center. I had never heard of King Æthelberht of Kent (858–866 CE), but now I’ve seen his face on a penny that ended up in the Thames!

If you don’t plan to be near London or don’t want to acquire a three-year permit for £90, a copy of Thames Mudlarking is the next best thing. Better, in some ways: if you cut yourself handling the pages, you don’t have to worry about getting a disease.

I am grateful to the authors, the publisher, and NetGalley for a free advance review copy.