An eye-opening guide to 100 career options in 19th-century America.

If you could live in 19th-century America, what job would you want? Sheriff? Prospector? Westbound settlers created many such opportunities, but the country's economy also involved "careers" no one would ever choose, like slavery.

Explore this unique job guide and witness the sweeping changes of the 1800s through the eyes of the workers who helped shape it. You'll discover frontier jobs like cartographer (don't mistake a buffalo herd for a forest, as one unlucky mapmaker did) and wartime jobs (doughboys, for example). Some occupations lost out to new technology (glassblowers couldn't compete with 1,800 bottles-per-hour machines). Others were created because of it (elevator drivers). Social reformers, meanwhile, sought to change the world itself.

Featuring a timeline of the 1800s and upbeat illustrations, this fascinating guide is sure to employ readers' senses of history and humor.

Ever thought of becoming a bug farmer?
Or how about a stone slinger?

Imagine growing up in Mesoamerica before the Spanish Conquest (1350-1521). What does your future hold? The ancient Aztecs, Maya and other Mesoamericans believed that the gods created a world where everyone had a role to play. Some people were born to rule, others to serve. If you were lucky, you might have been a high priest or a queen. On the other hand, you could have ended up as a latrine boatman or a slave destined to become a sacrificial victim.

Find out what it was like to be a tax collector (don't try to keep any money for yourself; the penalty is death!) or a porter (only if you enjoy carrying heavy packs up mountains). Or perhaps you'd prefer building pyramids, raising dogs or being a royal cook (frog casserole with green chile, anyone?).

Other jobs you might have held include:

• Counterfeiter
• Bell maker
• Mosaic mask maker
• Beekeeper.

Featuring a fact-filled introduction, a timeline and humorous illustrations, this book offers a unique view of one of the most remarkable civilizations of all time.

Ever thought of becoming a bug farmer?
Or how about a stone slinger?

Imagine growing up in Mesoamerica before the Spanish Conquest (1350-1521). What does your future hold? The ancient Aztecs, Maya and other Mesoamericans believed that the gods created a world where everyone had a role to play. Some people were born to rule, others to serve. If you were lucky, you might have been a high priest or a queen. On the other hand, you could have ended up as a latrine boatman or a slave destined to become a sacrificial victim.

Find out what it was like to be a tax collector (don't try to keep any money for yourself; the penalty is death!) or a porter (only if you enjoy carrying heavy packs up mountains). Or perhaps you'd prefer building pyramids, raising dogs or being a royal cook (frog casserole with green chile, anyone?).

Other jobs you might have held include:

• Counterfeiter
• Bell maker
• Mosaic mask maker
• Beekeeper.

Featuring a fact-filled introduction, a timeline and humorous illustrations, this book offers a unique view of one of the most remarkable civilizations of all time.