Publisher Description

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

Author Biography

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. A graduate of Brown, Yale, and MIT, he lives in Marblehead, Massachusetts.

Review

"A fascinating incidental history of the U.S…War and peace, economic boom and bust, technocratic muddles and political power-plays all come under his scrutiny, with illuminating, Fresnel-worthy results." -- Michael Upchurch - Seattle Times
"A splendid history…[Brilliant Beacons] would be a good companion on any lighthouse excursion." -- Tim Bross - St. Louis Post-Dispatch
"This magnificent compendium is a paean to the buildings that guided safe passage for the economic prosperity of a young nation with huge, dangerous coastlines…Dolin is a brilliant researcher and seasoned writer, allowing this mostly chronological sweep moments to pause and eddy into all the stories bound to emerge from heroic engineering, isolation, and fortitude." -- Ben Shattuck - New Republic
"While there have been a score of books on Maine lighthouses in the past few decades, this is by far the best national coverage since Francis Ross Holland's American Lighthouses: An Illustrated History, from 1972…[Dolin] is a sure-handed researcher and a most enjoyable author." -- William David Barry - Portland Press Herald
"A comprehensive…survey of a romantic subject…[with] many fascinating anecdotes…Dolin has read deeply in the lighthouse literature, perusing not only the histories but presidential lighthouse correspondence, lighthouse legislation, lighthouse engineering studies, lighthouse arcana…The most vivid (illuminating) passages describe the solitary and often desolate lives of the keepers." -- Nathaniel Rich - New York Review of Books
"A must-read for anyone interested in lighthouses or America's maritime history…This history of American lighthouses is both engaging and enjoyable, whether for academics, who will not be disappointed in the thoroughness of the author's research, or for lighthouse history buffs who will enjoy its compelling narrative." -- C. Douglas Kroll - Sea History Magazine
"Brilliant Beacons is the best history of American lighthouses ever written." -- Jeremy D'Entremont, historian at the American Lighthouse Foundation, and author of The Lighthouse Handbook: New England
"A masterwork of research and storytelling…[A] fascinating ride through the rich history of lighthouses as strategic prizes in war, sources of technological innovation and inspiration for architectural ingenuity that combines grace and strength. This is a book for anyone who has gazed with awe upon the sea." -- Brian Murphy, author of 81 Days Below Zero
"Eric Jay Dolin has done an amazing job of compiling the history of American lighthouses. No other book on the topic is as detailed and well written. Brilliant Beacons should be required reading for anyone interested in American history." -- Tim Harrison, founder and editor of Lighthouse Digest
"Eric Jay Dolin looks beyond the postcard romance of lighthouses to reveal a vibrant and vital history. From shipwrecks and wartime raids to poetry, bird migration, and the physics of refraction, Brilliant Beacons is a fascinating, page-turning, and yes, illuminating read." -- Thor Hanson, author of The Triumph of Seeds and Feathers

Review Quote

A marvelously interesting and entertaining narrative…A skillful dramatist of such events, Dolin is as good a portraitist of characters who built and kept lighthouses…Dolin moves forward to chronicle the construction of numerous impressive towers in wildly windswept, picturesque settings. These classic lighthouses, featured in the book's many illustrations, and the keepers' tales attached to them exert an ineffably romantic attraction richly conveyed in Dolin's admirable presentation. -- Booklist (starred review) The author of other masterly works on key aspects of American history and growth (Fur, Fortune, and Empire: The Epic History of the Fur Trade in America, 2010, etc.), Dolin here presents a thoughtful, straightforward chronicle of the American lighthouse, from the earliest, completed in 1716 at Little Brewster, in Boston Harbor, as a harbinger of burgeoning Colonial maritime growth, to the death of the last civilian keeper-at the Coney Island Lighthouse-in 2003…A delightful journey with excellent sketches, renderings, and resources for museums and organizations. -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review) Eric Jay Dolin has crafted a master work of research and storytelling. Brilliant Beacons is a fascinating ride through the rich history of lighthouses as strategic prizes in war, sources of technological innovation, and inspiration for architectural ingenuity that combines grace and strength. This is a book for anyone who has gazed with awe upon the sea. -- Brian Murphy, author of 81 Days Below Zero Eric Jay Dolin looks beyond the postcard romance of lighthouses to reveal a vibrant and vital history. From shipwrecks and wartime raids to poetry, bird migration, and the physics of refraction, Brilliant Beacons is a fascinating, page-turning, and, yes, illuminating read. -- Thor Hanson, author of The Triumph of Seeds and Feathers Brilliant Beacons is the best history of American lighthouses ever written. -- Jeremy D'Entremont, historian at the American Lighthouse Foundation, and author of numerous lighthouse books What better place to watch the United States taking shape than from its lighthouses? And what better author to take us to them than Eric Jay Dolin? With his usual narrative flair and wonderfully entertaining writing style, Dolin sheds all sorts of new light on American history. -- Toby Lester, author of The Fourth Part of the World and Da Vinci's Ghost This meticulously researched and fascinating book isn't just for maritime history buffs but for all of us who appreciate little-known tales of days gone by. -- Michael Tougias, author of A Storm Too Soon and coauthor of The Finest Hours No other book on the topic is as detailed and well written. Brilliant Beacons should be required reading for anyone interested in American history. -- Tim Harrison, founder and editor of Lighthouse Digest

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