Brilliant Beacons Audiobook By Eric Jay Dolin cover art

Brilliant Beacons

A History of the American Lighthouse

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Brilliant Beacons

By: Eric Jay Dolin
Narrated by: Tom Perkins
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In a work rich in maritime lore and brimming with original historical detail, Eric Jay Dolin, the best-selling author of Leviathan, presents the most comprehensive history of American lighthouses ever written, telling the story of America through the prism of its beloved coastal sentinels.

Set against the backdrop of an expanding nation, Brilliant Beacons traces the evolution of America's lighthouse system, highlighting the political, military, and technological battles fought to illuminate the nation's hardscrabble coastlines. In rollicking detail, Dolin treats listeners to a memorable cast of characters, including the penny-pinching Treasury official Stephen Pleasonton, who hamstrung the country's efforts to adopt the revolutionary "Fresnel Lens", and presents tales both humorous and harrowing of soldiers, saboteurs, ruthless egg collectors, and, most importantly, the light-keepers themselves.

©2016 Eric Jay Dolin (P)2016 Tantor Americas Architecture Engineering Maritime History & Piracy Transportation United States World Witty Light House History

Critic reviews

"A delightful journey with excellent sketches, renderings, and resources for museums and organizations." ( Kirkus)
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If you enjoy lighthouse and/or maritime history...this is a must. I enjoyed every minute. Will revisit this in the future.

Must Listen

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This book is a must-have for all lighthouse enthusiasts. It is both informative and enjoyable to read or listen to.
Very well narrated.
Tells you how the lighthouses are build, maintained, cared for, as well as about their role in the American history.

Great book about Lighthouses

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A fascinating and super detailed history of lighthouses on par with all of Dolin’s other books. At times somewhat slow but a good light hearted vacation book.

Another great book by Dolin

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This is the most comprehensive book on the history of American lighthouses that I am aware of on Audible. Highly recommend!

Best audiobook on American lighthouses

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I love lighthouses, and Dolin is one of my favorite historians! I didn’t even know this book existed, and it came up as a suggestion on Audible. It may have even been a free listen for me. What a great surprise. I learned so very much from this book about all those beacons that helped our nation.

I love lighthouses

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I don't always have time to read a book at length, but I've been doing a deep dive into my special interest in Lighthouses, and this book was a fantastic exploration of the history of US lighthouses.

Very Informative

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Based upon review and a interest in lighthouses I looked forward to listening to this book. Instead In the listening of it a fell asleep a time or two. 😴

Boring

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