Guiding Lights: The Extraordinary Lives of Lighthouse Women

Women have a long history of keeping the lights burning, from tending ancient altar flames or bonfires to modern-day lighthouse keeping. Guiding Lights includes true stories from around the world, chronicling the lives of the extraordinary women who mind the world's storm-battered towers. Stunning photographs from throughout history accompany accounts of the dramatic torching of Puysegur Point, haunted lighthouses in the US, lighthouse accidents and emergencies, and two of the world's most legendary lighthouse women: Ida Lewis and Grace Darling.

Format: Hardback
Length: 256 pages
Publication date: 07 October 2020
Publisher: Exisle Publishing

Women have a rich and storied history of tending to the flames, from ancient altar fires to modern-day lighthouse keeping. However, the remarkable tales of these women are often overlooked and underappreciated. Guiding Lights is a captivating collection of true stories from around the world, showcasing the lives of the extraordinary women who oversee the world's storm-battered towers. From Hannah Sutton and her partner Grant, the sole caretakers residing on Tasmania's rugged Maatsuyker Island, to Karen Zacharuk, the keeper in charge of Cape Beale on Canada's Vancouver Island, where bears, cougars, and wolves roam, the lives of lighthouse women are not for the faint of heart. Accompanied by stunning photographs from throughout history, the book delves into the dramatic torching of Puysegur Point, one of New Zealand's most inhospitable lighthouses, the haunting tales of "haunted lighthouses" across the United States, the harrowing lighthouse accidents and emergencies worldwide, and the remarkable stories of two of the world's most legendary lighthouse women: Ida Lewis (USA) and Grace Darling (UK). The book also examines our dual perception of lighthouses: are they comforting and romantic beacons symbolizing hope and trust, or storm-lashed and forbidding towers with echoes of lonely, mad keepers? Regardless of our interpretation, the stories of women's courage and dedication in minding the lights, both in the past and present, continue to captivate our imagination and inspire us.

Weight: 720g
Dimension: 236 x 162 x 29 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781925820621