Lighthouses
By David Ross

Beautifully photographed – Lighthouses allows you to explore these wonderful, almost romantic and mysterious buildings through many ages and designs, like never before, with fantastic, atmospheric backdrops that are works of art. Let the light guide you through to the blurb and review of this pocket-size book.

Blurb

Lighthouses may stand watchfully over serene waters one day and be bombarded by immense waves the next. They may look out on the most spectacular views, mark the entrance to a busy harbour or be placed in some of the world’s most desolate locations. To seafarers they are guiding lights in dangerous waters, but, once decommissioned, they can acquire an air of mystery. They are the most strictly functional of all civilian buildings and yet they can be surprisingly beautiful and varied in design. Are they square, cylindrical or octagonal? Are they single structures or towers on top of other buildings? Are they made of wood, stone, brick, or concrete? Are they coloured with stripes or bands? From Lake Michigan to the Arctic Circle, from the British Isles to Brazil, Lighthouses celebrates more than 200 structures and the stunning vistas that surround them. Taking examples from all around the world, the book features an immense array of operating and disused lighthouses from the 18th century to the present day, from those marking ocean coastlines to structures besides lakes and on rivers, from lighthouses cloaked in ice to Art Deco classics to tilting structures abandoned in sand dunes. Presented in a handy pocket-sized format, Lighthouses is arranged geographically, with more than 200 colour photographs and captions explaining the construction, operation and history of each entry.

Review

Beauty and Atmosphere, is what is inside the pages of this pocket-sized book. The book is interesting as it documents, primarily in photos, all different lighthouses from around the world. Where most people conjure up one or two typical looks and locations for a lighthouse, this book flings that wide-open and expands the horizon on that to show many more. This is perfect for lounging around and looking at this piece of art in many photos. The enthusiasm and knowledge of lighthouses and capturing photos that David Ross has are terrific. The light and shade capture certain atmosphere and movement, which are pure works of art. It’s so easy to gaze into this book and envisage stepping right into them, or maybe one day, when times allow, to go exploring. For now, this is the perfect book to plunge into and explore the mysterious world of lighthouses, that once served so many seafaring ships and boats of all sizes as they guided them to safety in torrent waters.