Roman Found, authors of the “brilliantly witty and magnificently down to earth” (Dr Rebecca Struthers) “guide-that’s-not-a-guide” Things We Found in the Ground, will be holding an event at the Derby Book Festival on Saturday 23 May.

They will be discussing the start to their metal detecting journey, the joy that came from exploring their local landscape and the process of writing their book.

Ellie and Lucie will be speaking at 13:30 on the day.

Don’t miss out; grab your tickets here.

In this guide-that’s-not-a-guide, metal detectorist cousins Ellie and Lucie explore their local landscape, getting to grips with the hobby, history and themselves along the way.

Beginning with their first meeting in over 20 years at their grandfather’s home in Lincolnshire, the two cousins – Eleanor and Lucilla – quickly learn that each has a fascination with unearthing historic artifacts, which will set them off on their metal detecting journey…

Over many weeks and months spent digging countless holes, the pair make startling discoveries: about the objects they find and what they tell us about our ancestors, about themselves and who they are as people, and about the power of community, as they forge connections with local villagers, detectorists and history lovers along the way.

This charming tale of (self-)discovery will capture the hearts and minds of those seeking escapism through the buried history that we walk over every day.

Things We Found in the Ground will be published in Spring 2026 and is available for pre-order now. Grab your copy here or, better, via your local bookstore and bookshop.org.

Follow Roman Found on Tiktok @romanfound and Instagram @romanfound.