A Day in a Working Life: 300 Trades and Professions Through History [3 Volumes]

Ideal for high school and college students studying history through the everyday lives of men and women, this book offers intriguing information about the jobs that people have held, from ancient times to the 21st century. This unique book provides detailed studies of more than 300 occupations as they were practiced in 21 historical time periods, ranging from prehistory to the present day. Each profession is examined in a compelling essay that is specifically written to inform readers about career choices in different times and cultures, and is accompanied by a bibliography of additional sources of information, sidebars that relate historical issues to present-day concerns, as well as related historical documents. Readers of this work will learn what each profession entailed or entails on a daily basis, how one gained entry to the vocation, training methods, and typical compensation levels for the job. The book provides sufficient specific detail to convey a comprehensive understanding of the experiences, benefits, and downsides of a given profession. Selected accompanying documents further bring history to life by offering honest testimonies from people who actually worked in these occupations or interacted with those in that field.

Table of Contents:
Preface VOLUME 1 Prehistory, Beginnings–1000 bce Introduction Animal Herders Cave Painters Chieftains Farmers Fishers Food Preparers Gatherers Healers Hunters Metalworkers Potters Shamans Textile Workers Toolmakers Warriors Ancient Egypt and the Near East, 3200–500 bce Introduction Architects Boat Builders Carpenters Embalmers Farmers Food Preparers Miners Officials Painters Pharaohs Priests and Priestesses Prophets Scribes Slaves Soldiers Stonemasons Storytellers Ancient Asia, 3000 bce–500 ce Introduction Acrobats Architects Calligraphers Emperors Farmers Hydraulic Engineers Jewelers Merchants Musicians Philosophers Poets Scholars Sculptors Shamans Warriors Weavers Ancient Greece, 2000–30 bce Introduction Actors Architects Athletes Farmers Historians Household Managers Mathematicians Merchants Metalworkers Orators Philosophers Physicians Playwrights Poets Priests and Priestesses Sailors Sculptors Slaves Soldiers Tyrants Ancient Rome, 1000 bce–500 ce Introduction Barbers and Hairdressers Cooks Couriers Emperors Farmers Gladiators Glassblowers Historians Household Managers Orators Popes Priests Prostitutes Satirists Senators Slaves Soldiers Tutors and Teachers Vestal Virgins Winemakers The Byzantine Empire and Russia, 300–1500 Introduction Actors and Dancers Architects Bishops Emperors and Empresses Eunuchs Farmers Goldsmiths Jewelers Merchants Physicians Sailors Soldiers The Islamic World, 600–1500 Introduction Alchemists Caliphs Cooks Farmers Hunters Imams Mathematicians Merchants Poets Soldiers Weavers VOLUME 2 Africa, 3000 bce–1500 ce Introduction Blacksmiths Farmers Fishers Food Preparers Hunters Kings and Queens Musicians and Singers Pastoralists Potters Shamans Warriors The Americas, 3000 bce–1500 ce Introduction Architects Astronomers Farmers Fishers Food Preparers Goldsmiths Hunters Kings and Emperors Merchants Musicians and Dancers Potters Priests and Priestesses Shamans Warriors Weavers Central and East Asia, 500–1500 Introduction Actors Acupuncturists Astrologers Cooks Emperors Farmers Gunsmiths Monks and Nuns Painters Printers Sailors Samurai Soldiers Storytellers Medieval Europe, 500–1500 Introduction Architects Blacksmiths Cooks Crusaders Farmers Innkeepers Kings and Queens Knights Lawyers Lords and Ladies Merchants Millers Monks and Nuns Poets Priests Shoemakers Stonemasons Students Troubadours The Emergence of Modern Europe, 1500–1700 Introduction Actors Bankers Clockmakers Cooks Courtiers Farmers Jesters Kings and Queens Ministers (Protestant) Painters Playwrights Poets Printers Scientists Soldiers The World beyond Europe, 1500–1776 Introduction Architects Conquistadors Explorers Farmers Geishas Governors Mapmakers Missionaries Pirates Silversmiths Slave Traders Sumo Wrestlers Traders Travel Writers The Age of Reason, 1700–1800 Introduction Chemists Composers Cossacks Dancers Economists Encyclopedists Farmers Grammarians Highwaymen and Highwaywomen Kings and Queens Mathematicians Novelists Tailors and Seamstresses Theologians A Time of Revolutions, 1776–1825 Introduction Balloonists Candle Makers Executioners Farmers Generals Journalists Militiamen Painters Presidents Priests Schoolteachers Vice Presidents VOLUME 3 Spheres of Influence, 1776–1914 Introduction Anthropologists Big Game Hunters Bureaucrats Explorers Farmers Guides Missionaries Naturalists Rajahs Sailors Soldiers Taxidermists The Rise of Nationalism, 1815–1914 Introduction Cowboys Diplomats Evangelists Geologists Lecturers Librarians Paleontologists Photographers Poets Postal Workers Prime Ministers Professors Sociologists Songwriters The Power of the Industrial Revolution, 1800–1914 Introduction Biologists Charity Workers Chimney Sweeps Detectives Factory Workers Farmers Fire Fighters Magicians Maids and Butlers Mayors Miners Morticians Nurses Office Workers Police Officers Railroad Engineers Tycoons Union Leaders Vaudevillians Whalers The World at War, 1914–1945 Introduction Airplane Pilots Chaplains Comedians Cryptographers Deep-Sea Divers Dictators Efficiency Experts Physicians Physicists Psychologists Singers Soldiers The Cold War, 1945–1991 Introduction Ambassadors Astronauts Broadcast Journalists Computer Scientists Legislators Peace Corps Volunteers Popes Presidents Soldiers Spies Translators and Interpreters Vice Presidents A Global World, 1914–Present Introduction Athletes Chefs Farmers Fashion Designers Film Actors Film Directors Flight Attendants Grocers Lawyers Plumbers and Electricians Real Estate Agents Rock Musicians Screenwriters Social Workers Teachers Television Evangelists Travel Agents Veterinarians Video Game Designers Web Site Designers Afterword: The Future of Work Recommended Print Resources Recommended Online Resources Index

About the Author :
Gary Westfahl, is adjunct professor at the University of La Verne in La Verne, California.

Review :
Westfahl has collected a tremendous amount of information about trades and professions throughout human history, and this set is recommended for most public and academic libraries.