"What Moby-Dick is to whales, Brilliant Beacons is to lighthouses—a transformative account of a familiar yet mystical subject." —Laurence Bergreen, author o

Discusses the history of lighthouses and lightships throughout the United States, including the keepers, buoy tenders, buoys, fog signals, electronic aids to na

Describes the life of the man who invented a new lighthouse lens, capable of shining brighter, farther, and more efficiently than existing light sources, and hi

The sheer beauty of the elegant, lonely lighthouses along our shores — and their unspoiled, scenic natural settings — has captivated our collective imaginat

Traces the history of the relationship between America and China back to its earliest days, when the United States traded with China for furs, opium, and rare s