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Working IX to V: Orgy Planners, Funeral Clowns, and Other Prized Professions of the Ancient World Paperback – June 5, 2007

by Vicki León (Author)
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 36 ratings
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Vicki Le?n, the popular author of the Uppity Women series (more than 335,000 in print), has turned her impressive writing and research skills to the entertaining and unusual array of the peculiar jobs, prized careers and passionate pursuits of ancient Greece and Rome.

From Architect to Vicarius (a deputy or stand-in)-and everything in between-Working IX to V introduces readers to the most unique (dream incubator), most courageous (elephant commander), and even the most ordinary (postal worker) jobs of the ancient world. Vicki Le?n brought a light and thoughtful touch to women's history in her earlier books, and she brings the same joy and singular voice to the daily work of the ancient world. You'll be surprised to learn how bloody an editor's job used to be, how even a slave could purchase a vicarius to carry out his duties and that early Greeks had their own ghost-busters with the apt title of psychopompus.

In addition to stand-alone profiles on callings, trades, and professions, Le?n offers numerous sidebar entries about actual people who performed these jobs, giving a human face to the ancient workplace. Combining wit and rich scholarship, Working IX to V is filled with anecdotes, insights, and little-known facts that will inform and amuse readers of all ages. For anyone captivated by the ancient past, Working IX to V brings a unique insight into the daily grind of the classical world. You may never look at your day-to-day work in the same way!

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Previous page
  1. Print length
    336 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Walker Books
  4. Publication date
    June 5, 2007
  5. Dimensions
    7 x 1 x 7 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0802715567
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0802715562
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Remember that Metropolitan gala in The Devil Wears Prada, where Miranda Priestly has someone whisper in her ear the name of everyone she meets? Well, ancient Roman politicians had such an aide, too: he was called a nomenclator. León entertainingly introduces us to this and other colorful professions held by men and women in Greco-Roman society. With short, humorous anecdotes, she describes the daily grind of scribes, vestal virgins, fishmongers, astronomers, sophists, hoplite slaves, sellers of purple, curse-tablet makers, funeral clowns, sycophants and orgy planners. Scribes, for example, were speed writers who not only recorded public information but also acted as journalists jotting down juicy tales of love, death and political intrigue in the Daily Record. The beast supplier, or praepositus camelorum, tracked, captured and supplied all the animals used in gladiatorial contests and circuses in Rome. León weaves sketches of actual people employed in these professions. Banker's son Apollodorus, a rich-kid-turned-lawyer, litigated a 19-year lawsuit after his father willed his fortune to an ex-slave. Drawing on the same outrageous sense of humor that's made her Uppity Women series so popular, León demonstrates how uncannily similar the workaday experiences of the ancient world are to ours. Illus. (June)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Vicki Leon is a writer, traveler, and historian who has built a wide readership with her Uppity Women series. She lives in Morro Bay, California.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Walker Books; 1st U. S. edition (June 5, 2007)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 336 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0802715567
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0802715562
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 14.4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7 x 1 x 7 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 36 ratings

About the author

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Vicki Leon

Vicki Leon

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My roots: convinced I was left on strangers' doorstep in the Pacific Northwest, I fled in my teens and began to fill the first of seven passports. Wanderlust is apparently hereditary; my progeny now busy filling their own passports.

My higher education: mostly self-inflicted

I collect: pyramids, ancient cemeteries, seashells, foreign languages, long stays in foreign lands.

Allergic to: gray skies, household routines, watches, gas-guzzlers.

Addicted to: laughter, Spanish aceitunas con anchoas, George Dalaras and other Greek music, foreign films, beach walks, getting a glimpse of animals and birds in the wild.

Am a magnet for: odd facts, weird stories, unusual connections (all of them fodder for my writing)

Am sustained by: a worldwide web of family, friends, publishing colleagues, and readers

My books: 35 titles (about half of them for readers 10 and up). Many, miraculously still in print.

My GOALS as a writer of nonfiction:

1. Dig deeper to find the whole human history, to illuminate the unsung men and women of long ago

2. Leaven my books with humor and humanity

3. Try to astonish the reader on every page. Astonish, from the Latin attonare, "to be struck by lightning." Thus to write in a way that leaves the reader thunderstruck.

My research: more fun than a whodunit. In fact, I go through a lot of shoe leather even when I'm time-traveling.That's why I call myself (partly tongue in cheek) Vicki Leon, historical detective

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
36 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Neal
5.0 out of 5 stars Working IX to V
Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2011
Verified Purchase
A good book with little know facts for those interested in the Roman Empire with some carryover to ancient Greece. Some of the material has been discounted by other authors as not being true especially on some of the Roman emperors. It was well written and each subject was not more than a page or two so it was easy to stop anywhere in the book to continue reading at a later time. A very entertaining book.
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Alexandria Long
4.0 out of 5 stars Fun and interesting book
Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2023
Verified Purchase
The book is fun to read, easy to understand, and full of interesting facts about ancient occupations. I recommend it.

The only drawback for me was it has a number of typos (wrong punctuation, words misspelled, words missing from sentences, etc.). Also, random words were italicized for no discernable reason, and other words (like the Latin names for some occupations weren't italicized when other occupations were). But, I bought the Kindle version, so I'm not sure if those mistakes were in the actual physical copy of the book, or if they were solely due to Kindle formatting mistakes. Either way, I do recommend the book.
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Oscar Rios
5.0 out of 5 stars I am entertained!
Reviewed in the United States on November 16, 2008
Verified Purchase
I'm really enjoying this book. It's light and informative, with plenty of great stories and spotlights on personalities. It's a fun filled window into the past that never comes off musty or like a history lesson. But oh, you'll learn plenty of history; it just won't feel like you are being forced to learn it. It's more like a pleasant conversation about history with a good friend and a glass of wine. I'd not only recommend this I'd give it to a friend as a give.

Osk
2 people found this helpful
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anonymous
5.0 out of 5 stars Fun and educational book
Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2013
Verified Purchase
This is a well-written, informative, and funny book about ancient Rome. The style is sassy, and there are a few passages that may not be appropriate for young teens.
The kindle version has some editing issues (fonts, spacing,etc.).
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Michael W. Mccarthy
2.0 out of 5 stars Not for serious readers
Reviewed in the United States on September 29, 2009
Verified Purchase
Very light in tone; much of information selected for humor. Minor errors of fact. Major problem is that very little substantive information on any occupation. Span of occupations is some 400 BC to 400 AD which destroys most useful value. No real discussion of employment, wages, etc.
9 people found this helpful
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Beast41R
5.0 out of 5 stars Funny and factual
Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2015
Verified Purchase
Hilarious and historically accurate. The author conducts a brilliant survey of professions and jobs in the ancient world, along with mini-biographies of critical personalities of the period. Very readable and enjoyable.
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Michael Valdivielso
4.0 out of 5 stars Not all jobs are equal...
Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2008
Verified Purchase
Working IX to V is full of interesting professions but not all of them are prized. Some were done by slaves or people who REALLY needed the money. Such jobs as miner, teacher, or mature entrepreneur were dirty, sometimes dangerous and barely paid the bills. The prized jobs, such as foretaster, rower, or salvage diver, while dangerous could make you very rich. The book destroys a lot of myths about ancient civilizations, such as the Roman navy using slaves, they didn't, and the idea that they didn't know lead in the wine was bad for them, they did. The author's sense of humor sometimes gets in the way. It is hard to tell when she is joking or when she is telling us a fact. A weird, twisted historical fact, but a fact can sometimes seem to be one of her jokes. I would suggest this book for anybody just getting into ancient history but that's it. There are tons of books out there with the same information and without the confusing sense of humor.
3 people found this helpful
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J. Padgett
3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointed
Reviewed in the United States on July 17, 2009
I bought the book to learn about these various ancient occupations. But the book is so laced with cuteness and hipness that I can't rely on it being accurate. It also mingles Greek and Roman history with little discrimination. Disappointed. Working IX to V: Orgy Planners, Funeral Clowns, and Other Prized Professions of the Ancient World
5 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Naty
5.0 out of 5 stars Divertido e Informativo
Reviewed in Mexico on April 5, 2017
Verified Purchase
El estilo informal de Vicky León te hace pasar un buen rato aprendiendo de historia y de los trabajos que hacía la gente en la antigüedad.
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