The World’s First Human Cannonball: and Other Incredible Jobs!

Ever wondered what it would be like to be an Incan runner, carrying messages across the ancient Andes at lightning speed? Or perhaps a jester, keeping the royal courts in stitches with your hilarious antics? What about a stage farter? A poo collector? A body double? All these jobs are yours for the taking in history's line-up of the world's oddest jobs.

　　In this book, you'll encounter a colourful cast of characters who embraced the quirkiest of professions, including the legendary Harry Houdini who defied the laws of nature with his mind-bending magic tricks; Bessie Coleman, the first African-American stunt-pilot; Marie Tussaud who fled the French Revolution and came to London to create wax sculptures; Zazel, a Victorian daredevil who became the first human cannonball; and the amazing story of Samuel Sorensen Adams, inventor of many of the most famous joke shop gags such as sneezing powder, the handshake buzzer and the stink bomb.

　　This treasure trove of history's most peculiar jobs will leave you laughing, gasping, and wondering what job you'd have chosen in days gone by - and what jobs you might encounter in the future...

Mike Barfield is a writer, poet, performer, songwriter, ukulele player and award-winning cartoonist. He is the author and sometimes-illustrator of funny non-fiction and activity books for young people, with over 40 foreign publishers. His cartoons have been displayed in The Cartoon Museum, V&A Museum, Museum of London and beyond. His books have won many accolades including the BookTrust Blue Peter Book Award 2021 and the Royal Society Young People's Book Prize 2019. When Mike isn't busy writing and drawing, he performs shows and humour-filled workshops at schools, libraries and festivals across the country.

Franziska Höllbacher studied art and design at the FH-Salzburg and graduated in 2021. Even before graduating, she started working as an illustrator for children's books. Her favourite thing to draw is cats - inspired by her own cat, who often keeps her company at work. Close to Munich, she finds everything she needs for a happy life: mountains, nature and lots and lots of bookstores.