Odd Jobs: Portraits of Unusual Occupations 
asked by dannyboy on November 8, 2006 1:02 PM
Odd Jobs Portraits of Unusual Occupations by Nancy Rica Schiff Who blows the bugle at the Kentucky Derby? Who dusts the dinosaur bones at the Smithsonian? Who sniffs dog breath for a living? Who measures the breasts of real models? ODD JOBS introduces you to the real people who perform these truly peculiar jobs. In 65 intimate portraits, photo essayist Nancy Rica Schiff captures the personalities and occupations of these oddball professionals, providing a short profile of each. A 20-year photography veteran, Schiff has spent the better half of that time discovering the behind-the-scenes people who do what others can't (or won't) do. No one can say that America isn't the home of the free, the brave, and the quirky, who will do almost anything to make an honest buck.
Reviews
0%
0%
This book is exactly as the title says...odd. Don't be deterred by the bizarre picture on the front, that's actual what caused me to pick up this book in the first place! It's great for sparking amusing conversations. It's a great book to keep in your bag to read when you have a few spare minutes waiting for the bus, or whatever. It's also a great book to flip through when you see it at the library or in a book store.
This is a humourous book...it'd make an interesting graduation gift, for sure!
This is a humourous book...it'd make an interesting graduation gift, for sure!
reviewed by faithfulone on November 13, 2006 4:05 AM
0%
0%
I bought this for my husband who appreciates black and white photography. His first comment was how good the photography is. Also good for some chuckles.
reviewed by vicky123 on November 27, 2006 1:53 PM
0%
0%
While waiting for my wife to browse quilting books at Powell's book store, I wandered down an aisle and breezed through an entertaining book that caught my eye... Odd Jobs: Portraits Of Unusual Occupations by Nancy Rica Schiff.
Schiff came across a person with an unusual job one day... the official timekeeper at a horse race track. She then started wondering about other "unusual" jobs that people have, and set out to find those jobs and photograph the people who do them. The result is this book. It's not large, only 152 pages. The format is a set of opposite pages for each job. The description of the job and person is on the left, along with a picture of the job and person on the right. And we're talking some really unusual jobs... How about a condom tester held by a lady who is definitely old enough to be your grandmother? A person who milks venom from snakes. A mortuary beautician who prepares bodies for their "final viewing". Dog walker, bull inseminator, tampon tester... all things that need to be done, but you probably don't really think about (or *want* to think about) the people or skills it takes to do them.
So if you're feeling that your job is horrible and you'd like to do something different, take 15 minutes or so and glance through this book. You'll either come back with some new employment possibilities or figure out that your job isn't so bad after all!
Schiff came across a person with an unusual job one day... the official timekeeper at a horse race track. She then started wondering about other "unusual" jobs that people have, and set out to find those jobs and photograph the people who do them. The result is this book. It's not large, only 152 pages. The format is a set of opposite pages for each job. The description of the job and person is on the left, along with a picture of the job and person on the right. And we're talking some really unusual jobs... How about a condom tester held by a lady who is definitely old enough to be your grandmother? A person who milks venom from snakes. A mortuary beautician who prepares bodies for their "final viewing". Dog walker, bull inseminator, tampon tester... all things that need to be done, but you probably don't really think about (or *want* to think about) the people or skills it takes to do them.
So if you're feeling that your job is horrible and you'd like to do something different, take 15 minutes or so and glance through this book. You'll either come back with some new employment possibilities or figure out that your job isn't so bad after all!
reviewed by hooked on November 28, 2006 7:03 PM
0%
0%
I received this book as a gift recently and my friends and I have shared so many laughs from the interesting conversation it always seems to spark. I keep it on my coffee table, but I sure would recommend that any doctor's office/waiting room/classroom should not be without it. I love to read about people and this is definitely a great find as Ms.Rica Schiff's portraits and odd job bios paint a colorful picture of the occupational choices we have in our lives. I already plan to stuff stockings with this book at Christmas this year. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
reviewed by crafty1 on November 28, 2006 9:40 PM