Here's another one for you if you love photographs of lighthouses:

"American Lighthouses - A Pictorial History"
by Jill Caravan.

Courage Books - An Imprint of:
Running Press Book Publishers
125 South Twenty-second Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103-4399

ISBN 1-56138-788-6

Hardcover, dust jacket, 12 1/2" x 9", 84 pages, discounted to $12.98 from Amazon.com books (and other Internet book stores).

Contents:

Introduction
Beacons of Civilization
Home of the Light
Lighthouses: Past and Present (includes a chronology of historic lighthouses)
Index

This is another one which I'm glad to have on my lighthouse shelf of books but one which produces mixed feelings in me.

The text seems somewhat simplistic but really isn't (although it is, with only 84 pages available to cover the subject with, necessarily brief). The captions seem to be written for the junior level but appear to be accurate (if romantically) written, and the whole seems disjointed and lacking in cohesiveness.

Having said that, the photographs are excellent and are what saved this book, at least for me. There are 90 color photographs, including four two-page spreads, which are a visual treat and most are stunning in their quality. Some are taken at twilight, some at dawn, some are backlighted, many are quite literal, and there is a nice mix of interiors of lantern rooms, lenses, and spiral staircases seldom seen in other lighthouse books.

Although the title proclaims "American" lighthouses, there are some very nice photos of Canadian lights as well.

Pros: excellent photos, many artistically done with special effect, nice eclectic mixture of unusual angles and subjects.

Cons: the book seems to lack conventional lighthouse organization by geographical region, rather, under one heading photos appear of lighthouses from all over the country without regard to type of architecture or location. This may seem disjointed at first, but I believe this book is intended as a coffee table first-exposure-to-the-lighthouse-subject type of volume.

In this capacity it excels, and although I wouldn't make this your first lighthouse book if you're an organized, information-gathering lighthouse enthusiast, I'd buy it for the photographs alone.

The rest seems a bonus.

*** - three stars out of 5: recommended
----------------------
Bob Steinbrunn
Nautical Research Guild

[This message has been edited by Bob Steinbrunn (edited 10-12-99).]