Author: José Luis González Macías
Publisher: Chronicle Books
ISBN: 1797230484
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 163
Book Description
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, Nordmøre, Møre 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, Hjørring, 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
A Brief Atlas of Lighthouses at the End of the World
Author: José Luis González Macías
Publisher: Chronicle Books
ISBN: 1797230484
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 163
Book Description
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, Nordmøre, Møre 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, Hjørring, 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
Publisher: Chronicle Books
ISBN: 1797230484
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 163
Book Description
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, Nordmøre, Møre 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, Hjørring, 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
The Ultimate Book of Lighthouses
Author: Samuel Willard Crompton
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781592231027
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
The sheer beauty of the elegant, lonely lighthouses along our shores — and their unspoiled, scenic natural settings — has captivated our collective imagination. More than simply picturesque, the lighthouse has become an enduring symbol of salvation, fortitude, and heroic folklore. The Ultimate Lighthouse Book is a panoramic, lavishly illustrated history of these legendary buildings and celebrates the rich heritage of our ancestors’ courageous efforts to guide mariners through treacherous seas and storms. Over 200 color photographs are featured in this fully revised, expanded and updated edition.
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781592231027
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
The sheer beauty of the elegant, lonely lighthouses along our shores — and their unspoiled, scenic natural settings — has captivated our collective imagination. More than simply picturesque, the lighthouse has become an enduring symbol of salvation, fortitude, and heroic folklore. The Ultimate Lighthouse Book is a panoramic, lavishly illustrated history of these legendary buildings and celebrates the rich heritage of our ancestors’ courageous efforts to guide mariners through treacherous seas and storms. Over 200 color photographs are featured in this fully revised, expanded and updated edition.
Lighthouse at the End of the World
Author: Jules Verne
Publisher: U of Nebraska Press
ISBN: 080320955X
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 210
Book Description
In 1859, three sailors arrive on an isolated island to man a new lighthouse at the wreck-prone tippy tip of South America. They soon discover a band of egregious criminals, led by dangerous evildoer Kongre, who have been tricking ships into running aground, killing the survivors and taking the loot. When two lighthouse men go to assist a ship and are killed, serious trouble ensues.
Publisher: U of Nebraska Press
ISBN: 080320955X
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 210
Book Description
In 1859, three sailors arrive on an isolated island to man a new lighthouse at the wreck-prone tippy tip of South America. They soon discover a band of egregious criminals, led by dangerous evildoer Kongre, who have been tricking ships into running aground, killing the survivors and taking the loot. When two lighthouse men go to assist a ship and are killed, serious trouble ensues.
An Atlas of Countries That Don't Exist
Author: Nick Middleton
Publisher: Chronicle Books
ISBN: 1452158835
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 239
Book Description
A “fascinating” journey to little-known and contested lands around the globe, from Tibet to the Isle of Man to Elgaland-Vargaland (Geographical Magazine). What is a country? Acclaimed travel writer and Oxford geography don Nick Middleton brings to life the origins and histories of fifty states that, lacking international recognition and United Nations membership, exist on the margins of legitimacy in the global order. From long-contested lands like Crimea and Tibet to lesser-known territories such as Africa’s last colony and a European republic that enjoyed independence for a single day, Middleton presents fascinating stories of shifting borders, visionary leaders, and “forgotten” peoples. “Engrossing . . . You’ll not find Middle-earth, Atlantis or Lilliput inside, but you will find something just as intriguing . . . sure to prompt discussions about what makes a country a ‘real country.’” —Seattle Times
Publisher: Chronicle Books
ISBN: 1452158835
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 239
Book Description
A “fascinating” journey to little-known and contested lands around the globe, from Tibet to the Isle of Man to Elgaland-Vargaland (Geographical Magazine). What is a country? Acclaimed travel writer and Oxford geography don Nick Middleton brings to life the origins and histories of fifty states that, lacking international recognition and United Nations membership, exist on the margins of legitimacy in the global order. From long-contested lands like Crimea and Tibet to lesser-known territories such as Africa’s last colony and a European republic that enjoyed independence for a single day, Middleton presents fascinating stories of shifting borders, visionary leaders, and “forgotten” peoples. “Engrossing . . . You’ll not find Middle-earth, Atlantis or Lilliput inside, but you will find something just as intriguing . . . sure to prompt discussions about what makes a country a ‘real country.’” —Seattle Times
Last Places
Author: Lawrence Millman
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
ISBN: 9780618082483
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 260
Book Description
A classic of northern exploration and adventure, LAST PLACES is Lawrence Millman's marvelously told account of his journey along the ancient Viking sea routes that extend from Norway to Newfoundland. Traveling through landscapes of transcendent desolation, Millman wandered by way of the Shetland Islands, the Faeroes, Iceland, Greenland, and Labrador. His way was marked by surprising human encounters--with a convicted murderer in Reykjavik, an Inuit hermit in Greenland, an Icelandic guide who leads him to a place called Hell, and a Newfoundlander who warns him about the local variant of the Abominable Snowman. By turns earthy and lyrical, LAST PLACES is an ebullient celebration of the exotic North.
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
ISBN: 9780618082483
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 260
Book Description
A classic of northern exploration and adventure, LAST PLACES is Lawrence Millman's marvelously told account of his journey along the ancient Viking sea routes that extend from Norway to Newfoundland. Traveling through landscapes of transcendent desolation, Millman wandered by way of the Shetland Islands, the Faeroes, Iceland, Greenland, and Labrador. His way was marked by surprising human encounters--with a convicted murderer in Reykjavik, an Inuit hermit in Greenland, an Icelandic guide who leads him to a place called Hell, and a Newfoundlander who warns him about the local variant of the Abominable Snowman. By turns earthy and lyrical, LAST PLACES is an ebullient celebration of the exotic North.
Haunted Lighthouses
Author: Ray Jones
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 0762766425
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 257
Book Description
Lighthouses and ghosts are two popular passions. Melded together by master storyteller and lighthouse expert Ray Jones, these tales of spirited lights are guaranteed to grab the attention of all readers. As an added bonus, practical information is given for those who wish to visit the featured lighthouses for themselves . . . if they dare.
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 0762766425
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 257
Book Description
Lighthouses and ghosts are two popular passions. Melded together by master storyteller and lighthouse expert Ray Jones, these tales of spirited lights are guaranteed to grab the attention of all readers. As an added bonus, practical information is given for those who wish to visit the featured lighthouses for themselves . . . if they dare.
Lighthousekeeping
Author: Jeanette Winterson
Publisher: HMH
ISBN: 0547541481
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 245
Book Description
An orphaned girl is held spellbound by the tales of a lighthouse keeper on the Scottish coast, in a novel by the Costa Award-winning author of The Passion. After her mother is literally swept away by the savage winds off the Atlantic coast of Salts, Scotland, never to be seen again, the orphaned Silver is feeling particularly unmoored. Taken in by the mysterious keeper of a lighthouse on Cape Wrath, Silver finds an anchor in Mr. Pew—blind, as old and legendary as a unicorn, and a yarn spinner of persuasive power. The tale he has to tell Silver is that of a nineteenth-century clergyman named Babel Dark, whose life was divided between a loving light and a mask of deceit. Peopled with such luminaries as Charles Darwin and Robert Louis Stevenson, Mr. Pew’s story within a story within a story soon unfolds like a map. It’s one that Silver must follow if she’s to be led through her own darkness, and to find her own meaning in life, in this novel by a winner of the Costa, Lambda, and E.M. Forster Awards, the author of Oranges are Not the Only Fruit; Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? and other acclaimed works. “In her sea-soaked and hypnotic eighth novel, Winterson turns the tale of an orphaned young girl and a blind old man into a fable about love and the power of storytelling…Atmospheric and elusive, Winterson's high-modernist excursion is an inspired meditation on myth and language.”—The New Yorker
Publisher: HMH
ISBN: 0547541481
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 245
Book Description
An orphaned girl is held spellbound by the tales of a lighthouse keeper on the Scottish coast, in a novel by the Costa Award-winning author of The Passion. After her mother is literally swept away by the savage winds off the Atlantic coast of Salts, Scotland, never to be seen again, the orphaned Silver is feeling particularly unmoored. Taken in by the mysterious keeper of a lighthouse on Cape Wrath, Silver finds an anchor in Mr. Pew—blind, as old and legendary as a unicorn, and a yarn spinner of persuasive power. The tale he has to tell Silver is that of a nineteenth-century clergyman named Babel Dark, whose life was divided between a loving light and a mask of deceit. Peopled with such luminaries as Charles Darwin and Robert Louis Stevenson, Mr. Pew’s story within a story within a story soon unfolds like a map. It’s one that Silver must follow if she’s to be led through her own darkness, and to find her own meaning in life, in this novel by a winner of the Costa, Lambda, and E.M. Forster Awards, the author of Oranges are Not the Only Fruit; Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? and other acclaimed works. “In her sea-soaked and hypnotic eighth novel, Winterson turns the tale of an orphaned young girl and a blind old man into a fable about love and the power of storytelling…Atmospheric and elusive, Winterson's high-modernist excursion is an inspired meditation on myth and language.”—The New Yorker
Lighthouse
Author: R. G. Grant
Publisher: Black Dog & Leventhal
ISBN: 9780316414470
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
Lighthouse is packed with extraordinary stories of human innovation, desperate shipwrecks, builders defying the elements and heroic sea rescues. Through more than 350 gorgeous vintage images and historic details, Lighthouse brings the golden age of seafaring alive. With rare archival blueprints and stories of daring adventure, Lighthouse captures the romance and awe-inspiring history of these isolated, life-saving towers, along with the incredible feats of engineering and invention it took to create them. Beginning in the 18th century and ending in the mid-19th century, this book examines these iconic buildings from every angle, chronicling the evolution of lighthouse design; the tremendous obstacles overcome during construction and upkeep; the thrilling tales of heroism and mercilessness of the seas; and the daily lives of the dedicated and often long-suffering keepers. With over 350 illustrations, this seasonless gift book provides the tales and original architectural plans for beloved lighthouses found throughout the world, including Eddystone, Sandy Hook, Montauk Point, Stannard Rock, Borkum Grosser, Green Point, Tillamook Rock, Cape Hatteras, Erie Harbor, and many more.
Publisher: Black Dog & Leventhal
ISBN: 9780316414470
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
Lighthouse is packed with extraordinary stories of human innovation, desperate shipwrecks, builders defying the elements and heroic sea rescues. Through more than 350 gorgeous vintage images and historic details, Lighthouse brings the golden age of seafaring alive. With rare archival blueprints and stories of daring adventure, Lighthouse captures the romance and awe-inspiring history of these isolated, life-saving towers, along with the incredible feats of engineering and invention it took to create them. Beginning in the 18th century and ending in the mid-19th century, this book examines these iconic buildings from every angle, chronicling the evolution of lighthouse design; the tremendous obstacles overcome during construction and upkeep; the thrilling tales of heroism and mercilessness of the seas; and the daily lives of the dedicated and often long-suffering keepers. With over 350 illustrations, this seasonless gift book provides the tales and original architectural plans for beloved lighthouses found throughout the world, including Eddystone, Sandy Hook, Montauk Point, Stannard Rock, Borkum Grosser, Green Point, Tillamook Rock, Cape Hatteras, Erie Harbor, and many more.
Lighthouses of Australia
Author: John Ibbotson
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780646416748
Category : Lighthouses
Languages : en
Pages : 282
Book Description
Includes 500 colour photographs of 220 lighthouses, 12 maps, index and a chronological list of over 400 Australian lighthouses.
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780646416748
Category : Lighthouses
Languages : en
Pages : 282
Book Description
Includes 500 colour photographs of 220 lighthouses, 12 maps, index and a chronological list of over 400 Australian lighthouses.
The Last Lighthouse Keeper
Author: John Cook
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
ISBN: 1760874612
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 342
Book Description
A beautiful memoir from John Cook, one of Tasmania's last kerosene lighthouse keepers. A story about madness and wilderness, shining a light onto the vicissitudes of love and nature. In Tasmania, John Cook is known as: 'The Keeper of the Flame'. John's renowned as one of the last of the "kerosene keepers": he spent a good part of his 26-year career in Tasmanian lighthouses tending kerosene, not electrical, lamps. He joined the lighthouse service in 1969, after a spell in the merchant marine. Far from reviling work on isolated islands such as Tasman and Maatsuyker, Australia's southernmost lighthouse, he discovered that he loved the solitude and delighted in the sense of purpose that light keeping gave him. He did two stints on Tasman, in 1969-71 and 1977, and was the head keeper on Maatsuyker for eight years. Tasman's kerosene light was a pressure lamp fuelled by two big bottles that had to be pumped up to 75 pounds per square inch (about 516 kilopascals): "It was the equivalent of pumping up a tyre every 20 minutes," John says. "Then you had to wind up the weights - they went down the tower and turned the prism around like a big clockwork. If the weights went all the way to the bottom, the light would stop. "The main thing was that 365 nights of the year you sat in that tower, 100 feet up, and you had to stay awake," John says of Tasman. "If you fell asleep the light would stop and then you were in trouble." Keepers took watches around the clock, in a system similar to that on a ship. Day watches weren't a chance to slack off: standing orders required the watchkeeper to look seawards at least every half-hour and to log sightings of any vessels, and their course, in the area. "But the main thing was there was always maintenance to do," John says. "Because Mother Nature was your boss. She'd blow gutters off, that sort of thing - she was always stickin' her bib in, and you were repairin' it." Tasman keepers also ran a herd of up to 500 sheep. They didn't have a freezer, so they'd kill and dress a sheep every fortnight. John supplemented his bulk stores, delivered every three months by the lighthouse supply vessel, with extras brought on the bi-monthly mail boat, and by keeping chooks, ducks and turkeys. "I never ran out of things to do," he says. "In my free time I used to do correspondence courses - I did navigation, diesel mechanics, business management and accounting." In 1977, keepers left the Tasman quarters forever. "I've got such strong memories of those places with people in them, and kids' voices rattlin' around," John says. "It breaks my heart to think about those places sittin' out there empty with no lights on."
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
ISBN: 1760874612
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 342
Book Description
A beautiful memoir from John Cook, one of Tasmania's last kerosene lighthouse keepers. A story about madness and wilderness, shining a light onto the vicissitudes of love and nature. In Tasmania, John Cook is known as: 'The Keeper of the Flame'. John's renowned as one of the last of the "kerosene keepers": he spent a good part of his 26-year career in Tasmanian lighthouses tending kerosene, not electrical, lamps. He joined the lighthouse service in 1969, after a spell in the merchant marine. Far from reviling work on isolated islands such as Tasman and Maatsuyker, Australia's southernmost lighthouse, he discovered that he loved the solitude and delighted in the sense of purpose that light keeping gave him. He did two stints on Tasman, in 1969-71 and 1977, and was the head keeper on Maatsuyker for eight years. Tasman's kerosene light was a pressure lamp fuelled by two big bottles that had to be pumped up to 75 pounds per square inch (about 516 kilopascals): "It was the equivalent of pumping up a tyre every 20 minutes," John says. "Then you had to wind up the weights - they went down the tower and turned the prism around like a big clockwork. If the weights went all the way to the bottom, the light would stop. "The main thing was that 365 nights of the year you sat in that tower, 100 feet up, and you had to stay awake," John says of Tasman. "If you fell asleep the light would stop and then you were in trouble." Keepers took watches around the clock, in a system similar to that on a ship. Day watches weren't a chance to slack off: standing orders required the watchkeeper to look seawards at least every half-hour and to log sightings of any vessels, and their course, in the area. "But the main thing was there was always maintenance to do," John says. "Because Mother Nature was your boss. She'd blow gutters off, that sort of thing - she was always stickin' her bib in, and you were repairin' it." Tasman keepers also ran a herd of up to 500 sheep. They didn't have a freezer, so they'd kill and dress a sheep every fortnight. John supplemented his bulk stores, delivered every three months by the lighthouse supply vessel, with extras brought on the bi-monthly mail boat, and by keeping chooks, ducks and turkeys. "I never ran out of things to do," he says. "In my free time I used to do correspondence courses - I did navigation, diesel mechanics, business management and accounting." In 1977, keepers left the Tasman quarters forever. "I've got such strong memories of those places with people in them, and kids' voices rattlin' around," John says. "It breaks my heart to think about those places sittin' out there empty with no lights on."