The Worst Jobs in History
by Tony Robinson, David WILLCOCK
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A no-holds-barred look at the most unenviable jobs of the last 2,000 years in British history.As befits the man behind Baldrick, Tony Robinson has uncovered life in the underbelly of history in The Worst Jobs in History. Whether it's swilling out the crotch of a knight's soiled armour after the battle of Agincourt, risking his neck in the rigging of HMS Victory, or as 'Groom of the Stool' going to places where none of Henry VIII's six wives would venture, Tony endures the worst jobs show more imaginable to get to the bottom (sometimes literally) of the story. From the Roman invasion to the reign of Queen Victoria, Tony has met the challenge of seeking out the worst jobs of each era. The Gunpowder Plot drew Tony to the role of the Saltpetre Man who collected human waste because its nitrate content could be turned into gunpowder. In the same vein, he has revealed some of the worst jobs behind the building of the great medieval cathedrals. With Tony we discover the dire conditions of Nelson's Victory, where the most common form of retirement was being sewn into a hammock with a couple of cannon balls and dropped over the side. Then there's the impact of the Industrial Revolution, a source of wealth and power for the few, but a cornucopia of lousy jobs for the many. Packed with disgusting yet fascinating professions, The Worst Jobs in History really gets into the grime of how life was for ordinary people, and provides a vivid alternative (and fairly disgusting) history of Britain. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
This is for anyone who thinks life was great back in the "olden times." The author runs a British television show where he acts out the "worst jobs" depicted in these pages. He tells it like it is. Ranging in British history from Roman times up to the Victorian age, these jobs are truly terrible: boring, dangerous, stinky, low-paying, health-hazardous, or some combination thereof. I would recommend this to any history or trivia buff, especially Anglophiles.
as a companion to the series it scores a 4 without the series it would get a 3.
Doesn't go into any more real depth than the channel 4 series of the same name but an interesting read.
Doesn't go into any more real depth than the channel 4 series of the same name but an interesting read.
Great collection of aweful jobs from the British past
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92+ Works 1,068 Members
4 Works 179 Members
Common Knowledge
- Original publication date
- 2004
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Statistics
- Members
- 149
- Popularity
- 220,600
- Reviews
- 3
- Rating
- (3.63)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper
- ISBNs
- 4
- ASINs
- 1
