Bonfires and Beacons: Great Lakes Lighthouses

This is a beautiful choice for lovers of the seashore, worth picking up for the photos alone. Featuring 43 of the 350 lighthouses on the Great Lakes, it includes interesting stories of wrecks and rescues, lights and lighthouse keepers--some of whom had to climb to the top of a 98-foot tower every six hours to fuel the light with kerosene. The first lighthouse, built in 280 B.C., was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Called Pharos, it was built in Egypt to guide ships into the Nile River. Stemming from the name of this first lighthouse, the word pharology refers to the science of lighthouse construction. Historical facts and sea yarns such as these make this a great beach read.