Astonishing and Extinct Professions: 89 Jobs You Will Never Do

This title led to a curious flip of the cover and when my children saw the inside cover with illustrated names of jobs and a Fartist was mentioned, we were all hooked. This was a great introduction to many jobs that are now obsolete which also ties in perfectly to studies of history. This book was engaging and had many jobs of which I had never heard, and many were gross enough to keep turning the pages to see what else would elicit a gasp. Since reading the book my family has referred to it several times in conversation. I am pretty sure it has already been read twice by my middle school child and has increased my youngest child’s willingness to explore other topics in history. One small note of inconvenience was there were many subheadings in tiny red print that were difficult to read against a dark page and the poor light of reading in the evening, which under different lighting conditions may not be a problem for others.
Overall, this book was very engaging and was the perfect reinforcement or jumping point for learning more about history. It has been translated into English very well although some of the jobs were specific to the country it was first published, but this doesn’t exclude American audiences from understanding.