As lighthouses became expensive to maintain and required large spending on maintenance, engineers looked to cheaper and sustainable alternatives. With time, lighthouses have now become tourist destinations and a thing of the past. Very few are still in use today, and the vast majority are closed off to the public. It was ultimately brought down by a series of fires and earthquakes but has been designated a Wonder of the Ancient World. Covering some of the most beautiful lighthouses ever built, author Lisa Purcell does an excellent job of collecting these structural enigmas. Covering different continents and visiting the shores of several countries, the illustrations and photographs in this book are visual masterpieces. The book opens by focusing on the early civilizations and their dependence on crude and often rudimentary means of guiding vessels. It then passes on to the first lighthouses built and the marked transformation they created in maritime history.

These are some of the famous lighthouses that this book talks about: those at Shark Island (Sydney Harbour), Kribi (Gulf of Guinea), Rubjerg Knude, the Tower of Hercules (Spain), St. Anthony's Lighthouse (Cornwall), Whitefish Point Lighthouse (on Lake Superior), Jeffrey's Hook, and Whitefish Point Lighthouse (near the Hudson River). For people who want to know more about the history, intense battles, and global consequences of America's coastal sentinels, we think this is the best book for you to read about them. The Lighthouse Stevensons By Bella Bathurst There are so many great lighthouse books, some technical, some about specific aspects of lighthouse keeping. There are also some great reads from former lighthouse keepers, keepers’ wives and others who have lived in a lighthouse. However, people from all over the world still find lighthouses fascinating and mysterious. Here are our top 12 books about lighthouses that you should get your hands on. While the lighthouses of Alexandria and Long Island receive significant attention from historians, architects, and tourists around the world, an often-unheard-of structure sits on the coast of Northern California. Situated in a region that has claimed the lives of thousands of sailors and mariners, the St. George Reef Lighthouse is considered by lighthouse experts to be the most dangerous lighthouse to be ever built. In this enthralling and gripping tale by author and researcher Dennis Powers.

The Lighthouse Encyclopaedia: The Definitive Reference (Lighthouse Series) By Ray Jones

Each one comes with a series of beautiful images and illustrations that show how these lighthouses were built and how they worked. Brilliant Beacons: A History of the American Lighthouse By Eric Jay Dolin

Interesting facts and features are covered in more depth in separate sections. It also points out unique lighthouses, like those at Barnegat Long Beach Island and the Kopu watchtower in Estonia. Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie – This is the exciting true story of Abbie Burgess, who in 1856 single-handedly kept the lighthouse lamps lit during a tremendous storm off the coast of Maine. People who lived in 1716, the year America got its first lighthouse, were called "guardians." They played a big part in making sure the lighthouse worked well. The work they do and the tools they use are described in great detail, as well as important parts of their daily lives.

They are sure to make you want to learn more about these amazing works of art and how important they were in ancient times.