A unique illustrated exploration of our favorite oceanic beacons and their haunted histories. There is something beautiful and wild in the impossible architecture of lighthouses. These precariously perched structures have been the homes and workplaces of keepers whose romantic guardianship has saved countless lives from cruel seas. While that way of life may have faded away, as the lights go out and the buildings crumble, we still have their stories. This collection of more than thirty tales spans the heights and depths of human experience: the blind lighthouse keeper tending a light in the Arctic Circle, the intrepid young woman saving ships from wreck beginning at just age twelve, the desperate plight of a crew cut off for forty days with meager supplies, the lighthouse haunted by the clacking sound of a long-passed keeper's ghostly typewriter. Interweaving literary inspiration and elements from Jules Verne, Virginia Woolf, and Edgar Allan Poe and accompanied by beautiful illustrations, nautical charts, maps, architectural plans, and curious facts, these illuminating stories will transport the reader in a book as full of wonder as the far-flung lighthouses themselves. QUIRKY STORIES AND A LITERARY APPROACH: Fascinating stories and anecdotes about each lighthouse include such features as notable inhabitants (Virginia Woolf), tantalizing on-site discoveries (Edgar Allen Poe's unfinished writings), and weird twists, such as a never-before-seen species made extinct by a lighthouse keeper's cat (Tibbles). UNIQUELY ILLUSTRATED: The gorgeous pointillistic full-page illustrations, equally beautiful location maps, and detailed building diagrams make this a distinctive celebration of these fascinating structures and their places in the world. AN ARMCHAIR TOUR OF LIGHTHOUSES AROUND THE WORLD: The thirty+ stunning lighthouses featured include: Adziogol Lighthouse: Rybalche, Kherson Oblast (Ukraine) Amédée Lighthouse: Amédée, Nouméa, New Caledonia (France) Bell Rock Lighthouse: Inchcape Rock, Arbroath, Scotland (UK) Buda Lighthouse: Buda Island, San Jaime de Enveija, Tarragona (Spain) Eddystone Lighthouse: Eddystone Rocks, Rame Head, Plymouth (UK) Evangelistas Lighthouse: Evangelistas Islets, Natales, Última Esperanza (Chile) Great Isaac Cay Lighthouse: Great Isaac Cay, Bimini Islands (Bahamas) Grip Lighthouse: Grip, Kristiansund, Nordm re, M re og Romsdal (Norway) Guardafui Lighthouse: Cape Guardafui, Bari, Puntland (Somalia) Klein Curaçao Lighthouse: Klein Curaçao, Curaçao (Netherlands) Lime Rock Lighthouse: Lime Rock, Newport, Rhode Island (USA) Maatsuyker Lighthouse: Maatsuyker Island, Tasmania (Australia) Robben Island Lighthouse: Robben Island, Cape Town (South Africa) Rocher aux Oiseaux Lighthouse: Rocher aux Oiseaux (Bird Rock), Madeleine Islands, Quebec (Canada) Rubjerg Knude Lighthouse: Rubjerg, Hj rring, Jutland (Denmark) San Juan de Salvamento Lighthouse: Isla de los Estados, Patagonia (Argentina) Smalls Lighthouse: Smalls Rocks, Marloes, Pembrokeshire, Wales (UK) Stephens Island Lighthouse: Takapourewa or Stephens Island, Marlborough (New Zealand) Svyatonossky Lighthouse: Svyatoy Nos, Múrmansk Oblast (Russia) Wenwei Zhou Lighthouse: Wenwei Zhou or Gap Rock, Wanshan Archipelago, Hong Kong (China) Perfect for: Readers of quirky history Fans of nautical tales Coastal residents and visitors Armchair travelers Anyone who has ever dreamed of life as a lighthouse keeper Gift giving for Father's Day, Mother's Day, birthday, graduation, or housewarming