Book Description

The rapid development of ocean navigation and deep-sea fishing in the nineteenth century led to a dramatic rise in shipwrecks. Tens of thousands of sailors disappeared over the course of the century. The great nations that border the North Atlantic found a technological answer to this human disaster: they developed a spectacular network of lighthouses along their coastlines. These constructions pay homage to those lost at sea and celebrate the genius of modern civilization. Whether on immense cliffs or on reefs submerged at every high tide, man has strived to erect constructions of such resistance that we can only marvel at them today. Built on snow-covered slopes of lava, overlooking spectacular rocks that seem to have sprung only recently from the earth, isolated on small outcrops out to sea, stretched to their limits under the shock of the waves; often festive, dressed in bright colors or pastel shades, magnified by the rays of light between stormy showers, they are always a delight for the eyes. Lighthouses have served humanity for thousands of years. Today's lighthouses, whether old or new, man-powered or electronically operated, are monuments to man's will to challenge the elements. Steeped in history and tales of heroism, theseintriguing edifices have an extraordinary capacity to capture the public imagination. For North Atlantic Lighthouses, acclaimed maritime photographer Jean Guichard has undertaken a series of helicopter flights to take new images of nearly one hundred of the finest lighthouses all over the North Atlantic, from the United States and Canada to Iceland, the British Isles, and France. Guichard perfectly captures the symbolic strength of his subject matter, producing captivating images in all seasons, from the calm summer months when the lighthouses can have a lick of paint, to the wild winter storms that batter them and test their resilience to the utmost. Author Ken Trethewey relates the history of lighthouses along the Atlantic coast, highlighting both their common past but also the characteristics specific to each country or region. The book is completed by a detailed guide giving technical descriptions of all the lighthouses photographed, maps locating the lighthouses, and a brief history of each light.