The Lighthouse Stevensons
2 journalers for this copy...
I came across this fair-condition softcover at a local Goodwill thrift shop, and was intrigued: it's about the builders of a series of Scottish lighthouses by the ancestors of Robert Louis Stevenson. [Yep, little Bobby probably got asked all the time whether he was related to the "lighthouse Stevensons" {grin}.]
This was quite fascinating, from the details of the challenges involved in designing and building lighthouses on the inevitably treacherous locations where they were most needed. (The number of times massive waves or storms swept away all the work, tools, and sometimes personnel boggled the mind.) The personalities of the brothers and sons who kept up the family business were also quite intriguing, with relationships ranging from solid to very touchy.
There are illustrations and maps showing how far-flung the Stevensons' projects were, and how stunning some of the individual lighthouses were. And, amazingly enough, some of them still stand today, including the graceful Skerryvore lighthouse (1844). And there are accounts of the locals who objected to the erection of lighthouses, as they had long been used to gaining significant wealth from the flotsam of the nearby shipwrecks. (One account described how rents on one side of one island were higher than on the other side, because of the much higher incidence of shipwrecks and the associated benefits on that side.) The loss of life, goods, and ships due to the lack of lighthouses did eventually tip the scales, but in many cases there were rather vicious battles and some amount of sabotage...
There are discussions of the best personalities for lighthouse keepers, some of whom had to reside in these lonely, storm-swept towers for months on end without seeing another human soul. (The automation of the lights eventually removed the need for live-in lighthouse keepers, but I admit that it sounds rather nice as a way to truly get away from it all for a while.)
All in all, a very interesting book about a spectacular age of precise and difficult engineering.
This was quite fascinating, from the details of the challenges involved in designing and building lighthouses on the inevitably treacherous locations where they were most needed. (The number of times massive waves or storms swept away all the work, tools, and sometimes personnel boggled the mind.) The personalities of the brothers and sons who kept up the family business were also quite intriguing, with relationships ranging from solid to very touchy.
There are illustrations and maps showing how far-flung the Stevensons' projects were, and how stunning some of the individual lighthouses were. And, amazingly enough, some of them still stand today, including the graceful Skerryvore lighthouse (1844). And there are accounts of the locals who objected to the erection of lighthouses, as they had long been used to gaining significant wealth from the flotsam of the nearby shipwrecks. (One account described how rents on one side of one island were higher than on the other side, because of the much higher incidence of shipwrecks and the associated benefits on that side.) The loss of life, goods, and ships due to the lack of lighthouses did eventually tip the scales, but in many cases there were rather vicious battles and some amount of sabotage...
There are discussions of the best personalities for lighthouse keepers, some of whom had to reside in these lonely, storm-swept towers for months on end without seeing another human soul. (The automation of the lights eventually removed the need for live-in lighthouse keepers, but I admit that it sounds rather nice as a way to truly get away from it all for a while.)
All in all, a very interesting book about a spectacular age of precise and difficult engineering.
Journal Entry 2 by 
GoryDetails
at Main Street (See Release Notes For Details) in Nashua, New Hampshire USA on Sunday, January 31, 2016
GoryDetails at Main Street (See Release Notes For Details) in Nashua, New Hampshire USA on Sunday, January 31, 2016
Released 8 yrs ago (1/31/2016 UTC) at Main Street (See Release Notes For Details) in Nashua, New Hampshire USA
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
I plan to leave this book on a bench or window-ledge near 196 Main St. at around 5:30 or so; hope the finder enjoys it! *** Released as part of the 2016 House and Home release challenge. ***
I picked it up interested in the concept of catch and release and the subject itself. However interesting the book is, after putting the kids into bed, I can't seem to drift away into the pages and fear that if I hold onto it won't get released. Hopefully it will find warmth and welcome soon.
