Rudi Palla's meticulously compiled archive of extinct crafts offers a cultural history of work through vanished professions. It is a detailed and entertaining read. What did a knacker, a whalebone cutter, a calker, a fireworks maker, or a planet seller do? Most of our ancestors spent their lives engaged in activities we know little about today. The rapid changes in the world of work have left hundreds of extinct professions behind. The extent of highly specialized skills that have been lost is hard to measure. Like an archaeologist, Rudi Palla uncovers in this collection all those activities that we can barely imagine today. This carefully edited and lovingly illustrated book serves as a guide through the sediments of human effort, a treasure and wonder chamber, rich in precision.