“We often hear stories of the first people to do something … but rarely is there a whisper for the last person to carry on a tradition.”

In this amazing book, Eliot Stein sheds light on 10 traditions across the globe that are in the hands of their final guardians. From the rarest pasta in the world to the only tree with its own mailing address, Stein masterfully writes about these hidden wonders and their associated history, geographical context, and present day challenges. With a captivating story telling ability you’ll really feel like you are traveling along with Stein on the book’s journey. I definitely recommend this book to all, but especially those that are interested in history, learning about new cultures, and/or just like interesting facts.

I received this book in exchange for a honest review from NetGalley.

I loved this book. It is so sweet and hopeful. It is also quite sad that many of these long lasting jobs from around the world are fading away. in writing them down and giving us this look into the individuals lives is such a gift.

In this unique and fascinating collection of biographies, Eliot Stein brings the stories of people preserving unique cultural rites and positions to life. From a man saving a 700-year-old soy sauce recipe to the world’s rarest pasta, the last Scandinavian night watchman, and Cuban cigar factory readers, he brings the stories of disappearing yet incredibly critical jobs and those who do them to readers around the world in this engaging, fascinating, and immersive history that spans the entire globe. Preserving these unique cultural moments in his own way, Stein’s recounting of these jobs and their current holders is engaging, immersive, and unique, with a charming conversational style that really draws readers into these vastly different stories. Each chapter stands alone and captures this particular cultural rite in time and space, yet each somehow combines with the other different occupations to create this fascinating picture of a global cultural history where jobs, places, and traditions all matter to their communities. Brilliantly written and full of detail, Stein humanizes these people and their lives in such vibrant and rich language that readers feel like they are in that moment, which is absolutely magical. Unique and like no other biography or history book, this is a must read for people looking for ordinary magic in the world or in history.

This was a fascinating read that made me fall in love with cultural traditions I had no idea existed. I loved that Stein's writing differed in the way he told each of these stories. This was beautifully written and made me appreciate the humanness of this world. *Advance copy provided by the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

I wasn’t able to read and review this book before it’s publishing date. However, now that I have read it I gave it 4.5 stars.

In this one of a kind book, Eliot Stein takes readers on a trip to 10 countries around the world to meet people engaged in jobs or pursuits that are maintaining centuries old traditions within their cultures. These people are aging and often the last, or near to last practioner of their skill. Each chapter provides a history of the country or region, the development of the skill or practice and how the years have affected it.

Among my favorites are the “lectors” or readers of Cuba who read news and novels to the workers in cigar rolling factories of Cuba. Their history has fluctuated along with that of the country itself; I appreciated learning more about Cuba, past and present. Another is a chapter on talking to the bees and the history of informing them of what is happening in their keepers’ world, centered in Britain and New England. I’d heard of this but found it fascinating to learn more. And then there is the tale of the Bridegroom’s Oak in Eutin, Germany, a tree with its own postal address that matches people looking for love. In addition to these there are others written about people in Japan, Taiwan, India, Sardinia, Peru, Sweden, and Mali. In each case there is a tradition in peril because its last practioner(s) are aged and without a certain successor. And some are threatened by the modern world itself.

I believe that each reader will be captivated by their own mix of these tales, probably reflecting personal interests. I found several that were fascinating throughout while in a couple of cases the history didn’t interest me as much as the stories of the people. I recommend this collection for anyone interested in history, quirky stories of real people in this complex world and those interested in travel and meeting new people and exploring new places.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an eARC of this book. This review is my own

Thanks to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for this free ARC in return for my honest review.

What a fascinating book. Author Eliot Stein takes us all over the globe as he introduces us to some of the soon to be lost traditions and culture in world today. His trip around the world takes us to Italy, Germany, Taiwan, Peru, Japan, the UK, Scandinavia, Ghana, India and Cuba. He writes about the people who are keeping centuries old traditions alive and who are one of the very last people doing this work. Along the way we meet a cigar factory reader, a pasta maker, an oral history teller, a night watchman, a bee talker and many more. He infuses each chapter with historical and cultural details and blends into the story of those last people who are keeping these traditions alive, and what we will happen if nobody else steps in to master these traditions. Easy to read since each person/country/tradition has its own chapter, it is a book that makes us ponder the value of culture and tradition, as we move further into our sterile and globalized world! 4.5**** for me!!

I underestimated this book.
I choose it on net galley because of the cover and description when I saw it was a read now option.
I open the book on New Year’s Day wanting to expand my knowledge, thinking it would be a simple “this wonderful thing is here, and these wonderful people help”.

What I got was history and geography of the place, relevance to culture, with a view towards the future, cultural anthropology and sociology. Excellent read.

This is a really informative and almost magical book. The stories read more like fiction than non and you're learning history and culture at the same time. I googled a lot of the information so I could see the items or arts, too. The way the author portrays these artisans makes them seem almost otherworldly, which is where the magic feeling comes in. It is simply amazing that these tiny but important bits of the world exist and are in danger of going away. A very insightful look into cultures other than my own..

This was a great book for those who love to learn more about history and the knowledge of things that have been collected throughout time. It was interesting to learn more about how traditions have been kept by people throughout the world and are continuing to keep them alive.

What an incredible journey! I loved that you could feel the care and intention in each story and I feel like I learned so much. This was a wonderfully written and paced book that inspires.

This is a well written and well researched non-fiction book about a few people in the world trying to hold onto their heritage and way of life before it disappears forever. My absolute favorite stories were about the beekeepers, the tree of love in Germany, and the soy sauce production in Japan.

I highly recommend this book to everyone especially people who like books that teach you something about the world we live in and to broaden your reading life.

**Thsnks to the author and publisher for the e-arc I received in exchange for my honest review.**

I enjoyed reading about the author’s fascinating studies of rare methods, practices, and customs all around the world. The author spends several days or longer with each location or group, fully immersed in the culture. He eats, sleeps, and when invited, attempts to practice some cultural customs of these local practitioners of special craftsmanship. Authenticity and respect for the people involved in preserving these lifeways seemed to be the main goals of the author, aside from clear and simple descriptions of the methods, equipment, and results he observed.
Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the advance review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Custodians of Wonder is a fascinating look at the living ancient cultural traditions and the last practitioners/guardians of that knowledge curated and collected by Eliot Stein. Released 10th Dec 2024 by Macmillan on their St. Martin's Press imprint, it's 336 pages and is available in hardcover and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links.

This is a collection of disparate traditions and crafts from different cultures with the common thread that the practices are under threat or actively being lost to the ravages of modern life. There are 10 chapters, each covering a different cultural art and the artisan(s) who are keeping it alive. They range from hand painted film posters in Taiwan to the last engineers maintaining the astounding ancient Incan roads, to living repositories of oral tradition in Africa.

The author has an engaging and respectful voice and brings these disparate cultural traditions to life. The book is well annotated throughout and the chapter notes and bibliography alone are probably worth the cost of the book.

Five stars. Very interesting stories. Written like mini travel documentaries, this would also make a superlative series for BBC or NatGeo or the like. The book would be an excellent choice for public or school library acquisition, home use, or for gift-giving purposes for a nonfiction / culture fan.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes

I requested this for consideration for Book Riot's All the Books podcast for its release date. After sampling several books out this week, I decided to go with a different book for my review.

Featured this title in the major annual holiday gift books editorial package I put together for The Globe and Mail, Canada’s national newspaper

Through interviews, anecdotes, and historical context, this book shares a series of dying traditions in various parts of the world: making a specific type of Sardinian pasta, serving as a country's last night watchman, etc. Some of these examples are more interesting than others, but they're all told with great sensitivity and respect. The author does a fine job of weaving any necessary historical background into each chapter, although sometimes this involves biting off just a bit more than any book of this nature could reasonably be expected to chew (e.g., tackling an overview of Cuban revolutionary history). I particularly enjoyed the chapter about an English beekeeper "telling the bees." Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

As Eliot Stein points out at the beginning of Custodians of Wonder, one of the effects of globalization is the loss of the individual crafts and small cultural differences that define groups. He has set out in this book to look at age old rites from a soy sauce recipe to the construction of a bridge in Peru that define what makes the world a fascinating place. He lends an appreciation to why it is important to retain ancient crafts and cultural secrets from disappearing into what are the downsides of the immediacy of information that has caused so much of the world to look the same. This is a fascinating book that will appeal to travelers and arm chair travelers alike.

The author here works for BBC Travel, and had covered all these stories for his job as a journalist. I had not read any of them before, though, and was riveted. The stories take us all over the globe – with visits to Africa, Japan, Italy, Germany, Peru and more.

The intro talks a bit about how globalization brings interest in other places – but also erodes some of our localized traditions. Then, we dive right into meeting a griot (storyteller), originally from West Africa but now living in Massachusetts.

Each chapter brings us the story of a tradition, as well as the last (sometimes last one, sometimes last few) people keeping the tradition alive. With some of these, the tradition is a job – like the griot, a night watchman, a mailman, or a lector who reads aloud to factory workers all day while they work.

With many, the tradition is a product or item… although, making that particular item could be the person’s job as well, whether that is their official day job or not. We learn about the world’s rarest pasta (yum!) and the real, traditional way to make soy sauce. We meet several families who make mirrors unlike the ones that hang on most of our walls. We meet people making a bridge out of braided grass, and a man painting giant posters of movie stars.

One of the traditions is simply that – a tradition. Home beekeepers in England – and some in certain areas of the U.S. – have to keep their bees informed of any important news, or they will have bad luck.

Each of these worlds are so different, and I truly felt like I’d been around the world and back reading this book. I enjoyed the personal stories, but also the histories of these traditions and the geographical places that created them.

If you love travel, history, or creative pursuits of any stripe (storytelling, cooking, painting), I think this book would be a delightful addition to your shelf.

Courtesy of St. Martin's Press and Netgalley, I received the ARC of Custodians of Wonder by Eliot Stein. This non fiction book was an amazing travelogue! By introducing ten people throughout the world who are preserving their culture, the last of generations with their knowledge and expertise, Stein collected and recorded these legacies. Such an admirable achievement! I was transfixed with this beautifully written narrative!