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Brilliant Beacons: A History of the American Lighthouse
"What Moby-Dick is to whales, Brilliant Beacons is to lighthouses—a transformative account of a familiar yet mystical subject." —Laurence Bergreen, author of Columbus: The Four Voyages
In this "magnificent compendium" (New Republic), best-selling author Eric Jay Dolin presents the definitive history of American lighthouses, and in so doing "illuminate[s] the history of America itself" (Entertainment Weekly). Treating readers to a memorable cast of characters and "fascinating anecdotes" (New York Review of Books), Dolin shows how the story of the nation, from a regional backwater colony to global industrial power, can be illustrated through its lighthouses—from New England to the Gulf of Mexico, the Great Lakes, the Pacific Coast, and all the way to Alaska and Hawaii.
A Captain and Classic Boat Best Nautical Book of 2016
1121986306
Brilliant Beacons: A History of the American Lighthouse
"What Moby-Dick is to whales, Brilliant Beacons is to lighthouses—a transformative account of a familiar yet mystical subject." —Laurence Bergreen, author of Columbus: The Four Voyages
In this "magnificent compendium" (New Republic), best-selling author Eric Jay Dolin presents the definitive history of American lighthouses, and in so doing "illuminate[s] the history of America itself" (Entertainment Weekly). Treating readers to a memorable cast of characters and "fascinating anecdotes" (New York Review of Books), Dolin shows how the story of the nation, from a regional backwater colony to global industrial power, can be illustrated through its lighthouses—from New England to the Gulf of Mexico, the Great Lakes, the Pacific Coast, and all the way to Alaska and Hawaii.
A Captain and Classic Boat Best Nautical Book of 2016
18.95
In Stock
51
Brilliant Beacons: A History of the American Lighthouse
"What Moby-Dick is to whales, Brilliant Beacons is to lighthouses—a transformative account of a familiar yet mystical subject." —Laurence Bergreen, author of Columbus: The Four Voyages
In this "magnificent compendium" (New Republic), best-selling author Eric Jay Dolin presents the definitive history of American lighthouses, and in so doing "illuminate[s] the history of America itself" (Entertainment Weekly). Treating readers to a memorable cast of characters and "fascinating anecdotes" (New York Review of Books), Dolin shows how the story of the nation, from a regional backwater colony to global industrial power, can be illustrated through its lighthouses—from New England to the Gulf of Mexico, the Great Lakes, the Pacific Coast, and all the way to Alaska and Hawaii.
A Captain and Classic Boat Best Nautical Book of 2016
Eric Jay Dolin is the best-selling and award-winning author of numerous works in maritime history, including Leviathan, Rebels at Sea, and Black Flags, Blue Waters. He lives in Marblehead, Massachusetts.
Table of Contents
Introduction xi
Chapter 1 Colonial Lights 1
Chapter 2 Casualties of War 32
Chapter 3 Lights of a New Nation 49
Chapter 4 Economy Above All 80
Chapter 5 Europeans Take the Lead 92
Chapter 6 The "Rule of Ignorant and Incompetent Men" 103
Chapter 7 Brighter Lights 132
Chapter 8 "Everything Being Recklessly Broken" 157
Chapter 9 From Board to Service 186
Chapter 10 Keepers and Their Lives 231
Chapter 11 Lighthouse Heroes 293
Chapter 12 Marvels of Engineering and Construction 318