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28348. Wilkinson, William D. and CDR Timothy R. Dring, USNR (Retired). American Coastal Rescue Craft - A Design History Of Coastal Rescue Craft Used By The United States Life-Saving Service And The United States Coast Guard. University Press. 2009. 185p. Unjacketed cloth. With CD-ROM with 323 b/w illustrations. Long awaited, this exhaustive reference work describes detailed history and technical design information on every type of rescue craft ever used by the U.S. Life Saving Service (USLSS) and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) from the 1800s to current day. By looking at these vessels, many of which featured innovative designs, the authors shed light on the brave men and women who served in these heroic services. The first of its kind ever to be published in the United States on this topic, the book and accompanying CD provide detailed information, drawings, and photographs (many of which have never before appeared in print) for each type of surfboat, lifeboat, and utility craft, along with a complete list of every boat ever built and assigned coastal rescue station(s). Included are motorized, wind-powered and human-powered vessels. The book is organized into two major sections: 1) a general, historical narrative, and 2) detailed technical appendices. This college text-sized book is 185 pages in length, with about 140 photos and diagrams. In addition, a reference/appendix section on a co-packaged CD will include 323 additional photos and diagrams. The book is co-authored by William D. Wilkinson, Director Emeritus of the Mariners Museum in Newport News , VA , and CDR Timothy R. Dring, USNR (Retired). Mr. Wilkinson has been engaged since the 1950s in the historical research of small craft used for rescue purposes, and is a well-recognized expert in this field. He is currently an official historical consultant to the USCG on this subject. CDR Dring, although not a professional historian, has had previous experience in the Navy working closely with the Coast Guard on harbor and coastal defense, and has a great interest in and respect for the humanitarian rescue operations this Service conducts with specialized small craft. The extensive research that went into this book, including reference to original USLSS and USCG documents held by the National Archives, has had the full support of the USCG’s Historian, Dr. Robert Browning, and his staff. The most comprehensive work on Coastal Rescue Craft used by the United States Life-Saving Service and the United States Coast Guard ever published. (M). $125. Order now as only a limited number will be printed. 

6281. vanRoden, Mary. Nauset Light, A Personal History - the1875 Lightkeeper’s House and the1892 Oil House. Lyme , NH . 1995. 82pp. Soft wraps. This wonderful book by the recent owner of the Keepers Quarters at Cape Cod’s Nauset Light Station presents a personal and detailed look at life at this exposed location, as well as the action of the sea and efforts to preserve the buildings. Illustrated with wonderful detailed historical photographs, drawings and more -  wonderful reading. (M)  $19.95.

25237. Quinn, William P., SHIPWRECKS ALONG THE ATLANTIC COAST – A Remarkable Collection of Photographs of Maritime Accidents from Maine to Florida . Beverly . 2004. DJ. 244p. Illustrated with over 260 photographs. News photographer Bill Quinn has been taking and collecting photographs of shipwrecks since he filmed the sinking of the Andrea Doria in 1956. For nearly half a century he has added to his remarkable archive, and his books represent some of the largest collections of shipwreck images in print. First published in 1988 and long out of print, Shipwrecks Along The Atlantic Coast has been reedited and redesigned for this new edition. The waters along the Atlantic Coast have claimed thousands of ships over the years. In this classic work, noted news photographer, historian and author Bill Quinn features hundreds of photographs of schooners and square riggers stranded, from the 1870’s to the 1980’s, from rock bound Maine down past the sandy shores of Cape Cod, through the sounds of Sandy Hook , New Jersey and on down the coast to Florida . With detailed text, the author describes numerous wrecks and the work of the Life-Saving Service and Coast Guard over the years. Notable wrecks Include the loss of the General Slocum, the City of Worcester , the Andria Doria, Normandie fire, Amerique fire, wrecks on the many sandy capes on the coast, Diamond Shoal Light Vessel No. 69, and many more. Exceptional vintage photographs and riveting reading. (M). $29.95 Our Price $21.95.

29231. (DVD) Portland Head Light and the Lighthouses of Maine's Casco Bay. Portland Head Light is the first and the oldest of all Maine's lighthouses, located in Casco Bay at the entrance of Portland Harbor. There was once seven lighthouses (Portland Breakwater, Spring Point Ledge, Ram Island Ledge, Halfway Rock, Portland Head, Cape Elizabeth East and Cape Elizabeth West) and one lightship that marked the waters of Casco Bay and Portland Harbor. Learn the stories surrounding the keepers and their descendants, their hardships and the lives that they led. (M). $19.95. 

29205. Hawley, Jonathan P. Point Betsie - Lightkeeping and Lifesaving on Northeastern Lake Michigan . Ann Arbor . 2008. 250p. Soft wraps. 61 b&w photographs. Point Betsie: Lightkeeping and Lifesaving on Northeastern Lake Michigan is the compelling story of a key Great Lakes lighthouse whose beam has pierced night skies for 150 years. This rich history recounts the efforts of the U.S. Lighthouse Service, the U.S. Life-Saving Service, and the U.S. Coast Guard on Lake Michigan 's wreck-strewn northeastern coast, near the treacherous Manitou Passage. Much of Point Betsie's story is told in the accounts of dedicated keepers who served there with their families since 1858. Photographs also chronicle the lighthouse's expanding services through the years and the site's transition from early isolation to today's frequently visited attraction on Lake Michigan 's northeastern shore. The author devotes equal attention to the courageous lifesaving crews that served mariners off Point Betsie from 1877 to 1937. Keepers' logs bring to life the heroic rescues from wrecks that surfmen discovered while conducting their lonely night-time beach patrols, and document Point Betsie's central but previously untold role in the area's important maritime and social history. An illustrated, thoroughly researched history of dedicated lightkeeping and courageous lifesaving at Lake Michigan 's famed Point Betsie. (M). $29.95.

2986. Kagawa, Ron M. and J. Richard Kellam. Cobb's Island, Virginia : The Last Sentinel. Virginia Beach. 2003. 128 p. DJ. This one is definitely a sleeper – once I picked it up I was unable to put it down. Cobb's Island, Virginia: The Last Sentinel, co-written by Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture Ron Kagawa and J. Richard Kellam, charts the history of the now-barren Virginia barrier island that was once a flourishing hunting and fishing resort and home to the first U.S. Life Saving Service facility there. However, 99% of the history there relates directly to the Life Saving Service and early Coast Guard there. From cover to cover, the authors trace the work of the life-savers on the island, and particularly the history of the 1875-76 life-saving station and later Coast Guard stations there,  their modifications over the years and finally moving of the Coast Guard station in its entirety to the mainland between 1997-2001. The book is chock full of vintage photographs, architectural plans and much more. Well worth a place in your library. The book is now out of print but we have been able to obtain a quantity of copies, new, never opened. (M). $38.95

29173. Chance, Toby and Peter Williams. Lighthouses – The Race to Illuminate the World. London. 2008. 272p. DJ. Illustrated. Written by Toby Chance, James Chance's great-great-grandson and grandson of Sir Hugh Chance, the last Chairman of an independent Chance Brothers, Lighthouses attempts to fill the gap in lighthouse history concerning the development of illumination technology during the 19th and early 20th centuries. The main characters are James Chance, who started the lighthouse department at the firm founded by his uncle Lucas Chance in 1822; and Sir David Brewster, a radical Scottish optical scientist whose entreaties to the British establishment to take the lighthouse question seriously from the 1820s were largely ignored until a Royal Commission on lighthouse reported in 1861. During this time Britain lost its lead in lighthouse technology to the French, mainly due to the invention in 1819 of what has come to be known as the Fresnel lens, named after its inventor Augustin Fresnel. Fresnel, like Brewster, was an optical physicist but unlike Brewster was entrenched in the French scientific establishment and was hired by the Astronomer Royal to head up the French lighthouse service's investigations into improved methods of lighthouse illumination. The true-life story that follows is of one man and his family's unexpected role in an exciting race to perfect this technology, against European rivals and colleagues, as they strive to regain for Britain the leadership position she had lost to the French in the 1820s. A must for serious lighthouse enthusiasts. (M). $26.99

29199. Noble, Dennis L. and Truman R. Strobridge. Captain “Hell Roaring" Mike Healy - From American Slave to Arctic Hero. Gainsville. 2009. 352p. DJ. Captain “HeLL Roaring" Mike HeaLy remains One of the Coast Guard's great heroes. In the late 1880s, many lives in northern and western maritime Alaska rested in the capable hands of Michael A. Healy (1839-1904), through his service to the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service. Healy arrested lawbreakers, put down mutinies aboard merchant ships, fought the smuggling of illegal liquor and firearms, rescued shipwrecked sailors from a harsh and unforgiving environment, brought medical aid to isolated villages, prevented the wholesale slaughter of marine wildlife, and explored unknown waters and lands. Captain Healy's dramatic feats in the far north were so widely reported that a New York newspaper once declared him the "most famous man in America:' But Healy hid a secret that contributed to his legacy as a lonely, tragic figure. In 1896, Healy was brought to trial on charges ranging from conduct unbecoming an officer to endangerment of his vessel for reason of intoxication. As punishment, he was put ashore on half pay with no command and dropped to the bottom of the Captain's list. Eventually, he again rose to his former high position in the service by the time of his death in 1904. Sixty-seven years later, in 1971, the U.S. Coast Guard learned that Healy was born a slave in Georgia who ran away to sea at age fifteen and spent the rest of his life passing for white. This is the rare biography that encompasses both sea adventure and the height of human achievement against all odds. (M). $34.95

29201. Butler, Karen. Nantucket Lights: An Illustrated History of the Island’s Legendary Beacons. Nantucket. 1996. (151 pp. / 148 illus.) DJ. Lavishly illustrated, Nantucket Lights tells the story of the island’s lighthouses and lightships and the men and women who faithfully kept them. This is one of the most comprehensive and attractive books ever done on the lighthouses of Nantucket. Dazzling images including fascinating historic illustrations as well as recent photographs and paintings, and a carefully researched text illuminate an important aspect of Nantucket’s maritime past. Nantucket's three lighthouses all have fascinating history -- little Brant Point Light, which has been rebuilt more than any other American lighthouse; remote Great Point Light, completely destroyed in a storm in 1984 but rebuilt only two years later; and Sankaty Head Light, the famous "Blazing Star." There's also an excellent chapter on the Nantucket Lightship. Even if you've never been to the "Far Away Island," this book is a must. (M). $24.95.

29202. Hubbard, Sharon, with photography by Dan Driscoll. Quarterboards: A Unique Art Form. Nantucket. 2008. 100p. DJ. Quarterboards explores the tradition on Nantucket of naming homes and adorning them with the type of stunning signs found on ships. ‘Sconset’s 1680 house Shanunga, for example, takes its name from the quarter board salvaged from the wreck of a schooner in 1852. Lavishly illustrated with striking photography throughout, capturing the unique charm of Nantucket’s historic homes, bringing the deftly woven narrative filled with colorful characters and fascinating anecdotes to life. (M). Published at $39.95. Our price $36.95.

29203. Philbrick, Nathaniel. Away Off Shore: Nantucket Island and Its People, 1602-1890. Nantucket. 1993. 273p. Soft wraps. This local best-seller focuses on the real people – great and obscure, famous and infamous – behind the island at the center of a whaling empire. “For everyone who loves Nantucket, this is the indispensable book.” (M). $19.95.

29200. na. Cornfield Point Light Vessel LV-51 – A Connecticut State Archaeological Preserve. Published for the Connecticut State Historical Preservation Office by Historical Perspectives, Inc. c.2006. 24p. Soft wraps. Quite a nice publication, Details the history of Light Vessel No. 51 including her recent discovery in Long Island Sound off Old Saybrook. After serving for 27 years, on April 14, 1919 she was rammed by an oil barge and sank within eight minutes. The crew disembarked to the lifeboat and were picked up by a tug. Booklet includes chapters on lightship history, design and technology, LV No. 51, Life on board, Reminiscences of a retired light vessel crewman, Sister ships, The sinking of light vessel No. 51, Underwater survey of the wreck, and more. Thoroughly illustrated. Well done. (M). $12.95.

4571. Shomette, Donald G., SHIPWRECKS ON THE CHESAPEAKE - Maritime Disasters on Chesapeake Bay and its Tributaries 1608-1978. Tidewater. 1982. 324pp.  7th printing. 2007. 324 p. DJ. Fascinating, detailed accounts of the wrecks and rescues of the area, full of information and stories that will fascinate any reader interested in the Chesapeake and her ships as well as maritime history in general. Covers the 370 year period from the 1600’s to date. Illustrated. With large chronological index of vessels lost in the area. (M)  $19.95.

2999. Frump, Robert. Two Tankers Down: The Greatest Small-Boat Rescue in U.S. Coast Guard History. The Lyons Press. 2008,  212p.  In the tradition of The Perfect Storm, this is a too rarely told, riveting story of a legendary rescue at sea. Two Tankers Down is an improbable true story of men against the sea. In a fierce nor’easter offshore Cape Cod on Feb. 18, 1952, two tankers broke in half. The two ill-fated tankers, SS Pendleton and SS Fort Mercer, were T-2s, a ship type mass produced during World War II when the United States had to build a bridge across two oceans. The U.S. Coast Guard rescued 70 of the crew amid deadly dangers. Noted maritime author Bob Frump has rescued this all but forgotten story that should be told as long as men go down to the sea in ships. Bernie Webber was the least likely candidate to execute the greatest small-boat rescue in American history. The trouble-prone son of a Baptist minister, he’d been well on his way to becoming a juvenile delinquent - until he went to sea. And then, on the night of February 18, 1952, in a raging blizzard off the coast of Cape Cod, Webber, now a young lifeboat coxswain with the U.S. Coast Guard, and his crew performed a miracle. Two big oil tankers had split in two in raging seas, and nothing—not a big cutter, not a sea plane, not a chopper—could reach them in time. Only Webber and his crew of three men,  had a chance. He knew they would probably die on this mission. They were, after all, in an unassuming thirty-six-foot rescue boat that didn’t even have a name but for the “CG 36500” on its side. But he loved this boat—and he knew the inauspicious Coast Guard motto: “You have to go out. You don’t have to come back.” Webber and his crew took the CG 36500 out in sixty-foot waves and saved thirty lives. He and his men won the rarely bestowed Coast Guard Gold Medal for Valor and a place in history that shapes the Coast Guard culture to this day. Two Tankers Down tells their story, capturing the full drama of one of the most gripping sea rescue stories of all time. (M). $16.95

29198. Mattsson, Algot. Out of the Fog - The Sinking of Andrea Doria. Cornell Maritime Press. 2003. 168p. DJ. A trace of  the unsolved mystery seems to follow all ship sinkings through history. This interest is especially keen in the case of the collision between Stockholm and Andrea Doria, two passenger liners that collided at the edge of the fogbank in 1956, even though both were equipped with radar and officers on both ships were aware of the presence of the other. Stockholm was badly damaged but able to return to New York under its own power. Andrea Doria sank soon after the collision. The preliminary hearing held after the tragedy raised as many questions as it answered, as the two companies who owned the ships chose to settle out of court before all the testimony had been given. With no documented resolution, some of those questions remain to this day, but this book provides information and insights not previously available. Out of the Fog describes the events leading up to the collision from the perspective of both ships. The collision itself is covered, as is the heroic and largely successful rescue effort that followed. The book contains testimony given at the hearing, and an appendix provides a legal opinion from an attorney who was directly involved with the case. Well illustrated. (M). $24.95.

29105. Chewning, Alpheus. Virginia Beach Shipwrecks. 2008. History Press. Soft wraps. 128p. 40 b/w photos. The waters of coastal Virginia swirl with tales both tragic and heroic. Join Virginia Beach native Alpheus Chewning as he recounts harrowing stories of storms at sea, loss of life and fortune and the heroism of the United States Life-Saving Service. Marvel at the blunders and bungles that have plagued the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel and learn about the U-boats that lurked off the coast during World War II. Extensively researched and filled with fascinating details, "Virginia Beach Shipwrecks" is a treasure for sea lovers of all ages. (M). $19.99.

29190. Eldridge, Dana. Once Upon Cape Cod; From Cockle Cove to the Powder Hole. Brewster. 1997. 112p. Soft wraps. A group of essays describing Dana Eldridge's early years on Cape Cod in the 30’s – so very different from today’s Cape. Written with humor and warmth, this is a must read for anyone with a love of all things Cape. This is a book of essays where time stands still, the way it should. His boyhood adventures remind you of Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer. He had loving, laconic parents, and perfect grandparents. The whole watery world of Cape Cod was full of freedom and adventure for a boy. Here is the classic theme of local, small town life before we began to run away from it. (M). $10.95. 

9191. Eldridge, Dana. Cape Cod Lucky -  In Another Time. Brewster. 2000. 170p. Soft wraps. This sequel to Once Upon Cape Cod treats the reader to more insights and antics of growing up on Cape Cod. Dana Eldridge's unique prose brings us back to a time when young people explored and played with a freedom we rarely see today. This is a story of growing up on the Cape in the mid 40’s and 50’s – one of the last remnants of the unhurried life of the nineteenth century. That Cape is gone now, but Eldridge brings it vividly to life. You’ll smell the salt wind, you’ll hear the surf roaring on the bar, and you’ll laugh out loud at the wonderfully wry stories that fill this book. (M). $12.95.

29163. James, Barry C. Lighting the Way - A History of the Copper Harbor Lighthouse. Copper Harbor. 2000. 128p. Soft wraps. Action providing improved navigational aids at Copper Harbor followed closely upon the Keweenaw copper rush. The shipwreck of the John Jacob Astor in 1844 and rapidly expanding Lake Superior shipping traffic influenced President Polk and Congress to authorize construction of the Copper Harbor Lighthouse in 1847. For $4,800, Charles Rude built the original 65-foot-tall split stone, whitewashed tower on Hays Point between 1848-1849 about of the steel tower. A new lighthouse was built in 1866, incorporating the light towers and keeper’s dwelling in the same building. The present 62-foot steel tower was erected in 1933, with the light being converted to electricity in 1937. Detailed history includes all aspects of the operation of the station with a great deal on the work and life of the keepers there. Well illustrated with vintage photos. (M). 16.95. 

6641. Wood, Vincent L., PLUM ISLAND RECOLLECTIONS - Views and Reminiscences of Plum Island c.1900 Recounting the Deeds of Capt. Thomas J. Maddock and the Crew of the U. S. Merrimack River Life-Saving Station, Plum Island, Massachusetts. Newburyport . 1995. 81p. Soft wraps. Signed by the author. Whatever your interest, you are sure to enjoy this readable account of every day life at a station of the U. S. Life-Saving Service. This wonderful account of life as Keeper of the Merrimack River Life-Saving Station brings together over 80 never before published vintage photographs made from the family’s archives of glass plate negatives. Taken by Mr. Wood’s grandfather, these negatives provide unusually clear, crisp views which have been faithfully reproduced in a high quality format. Using these views, along with personal notes and family memories, Mr. Wood presents a rare portrait of station life and training in 1910. This interesting account is only available here and is priced unusually low considering the rare accounts and quality photographs, well worth the retail price. A wonderful addition to your library. (M).  $19.95.

2998. Harrison, Timothy E. Lighthouses of Bar Harbor and the Acadia Region. Arcadia. 2009. 128p. Soft wraps. 180 vintage photographs. With the exception of Mount Desert Island’s Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse, the lighthouses of Bar Harbor and the Acadia region are among the most remote and lesser-known lighthouses of Maine. As the vessel traffic changed in these areas in the early 1900s, some of these lighthouses were sold into private ownership while others became less important as aids to navigation. Since the structures were located on remote islands or in a highly restricted military installation, the photographs and historical firsthand memories of most of these lighthouses have remained elusive and seemingly lost in the dusty pages of time. Through vintage photographs, Lighthouses of Bar Harbor and the Acadia Region uncovers the history of these structures that kept watch over Maine’s rocky coast. Superb photographs of the stations, keepers, equipment  and more, well worth it. (M). $21.99.

29109. Ostrom, Thomas P. The United States Coast Guard on the Great Lakes - A History. Elderberry Press. 2007. Soft wraps. 223p. The United States Coast Guard traces its origins to 1790, but was not officially named until 1915. At last there is one definitive volume, though a bit crude, describing its history on The Great Lakes from inception to the present. The author, Thomas P. Ostrom, served in the U.S.C.G.R. from 1961-69, and had basic and advanced training at the U.S.C.G. Base, Alameda, California. He served subsequently in the Port Security Reserve Unit in Duluth, Minnesota, and participated in monthly and active duty assignments each summer, earning petty officer rank. Chapters include: A Brief Coast Guard History (1790 to 2006), Predecessors on the Great Lakes (1790-1915), The Coast Guard Emerges (1915-1939), World War II to the Present (1945 to 2006), Station Duluth (1866 to 2006), The U.S.C.G. Reserve and Auxiliary, Aids to Navigation, Great Lakes Light Stations, Great Lakes Ice Breakers, Buoy Tenders on the Lakes, Life Saving, Environmental Protection, Law Enforcement, Port Security, National Defense, and Commerce, An Overview of the Ninth Coast Guard District, Coast Guard Command Leadership, and more. (M). $19.95.

2982. Silvia, Matilda. Once Upon an Island. Cohasset. 2003.  224p. DJ. In Once Upon an Island, Matilda Silvia captivates her readers with her accounts of living on Peddock’s island, a small island in Boston Harbor. This chronicle encompasses both typical family stories and unusual tales about living in a remote location situated across the bay from a booming metropolis. Matilda Silvia's father arrived on Peddock's Island, a new military fort under construction, in 1904 from Fort Apache. Fort Andrews would house the 59th Coast Artillery Corps, who were assigned to protect the Harbor while being trained during wartime. Silvia's father, an Army tailor, and his family continued to live there for nearly 100 years. The author herself was born on the island in 1917. (She recently died, and her daughter finished this book.) Silvia's memoir presents a conventional story of growing up in a military atmosphere-going to parades on summer Sunday afternoons, playing inter-post baseball games, attending school bundled in long underwear and starched petticoats in the winter. The one exceptional aspect of her narrative is the island's situation as an insular community: Silvia and her schoolmates had to take a boat to school, for instance, and could get ice cream only when a 100-pound chunk of ice was ferried over to keep the ice chests cool. Silvia documents her family's life with photographs dating back to the construction of Fort Andrews to almost a hundred years later showing a windowless and overgrown Officer's Quarters. She also recounts the unique way that people learn to live off the land. Her immediate neighbors, the soldiers, and the original Portuguese settlers proved that no matter what period of time it was, hooch would be found, lobsters would be shared, and military entertainment would be provided. Silvia's warmth and passion for the history, folklore, and close knit community of Peddock's is sure to infect all readers. Silvia's book gives a fine snapshot of a bygone era. (M). $19.95.

29142. Holmes, Richard. RHODE ISLAND LIGHTHOUSES – A Pictorial History. 2008. 212p. Soft wraps. A complete pictorial guide of the past and present Rhode Island light stations, with vintage photographs, prints and postcard views and a brief history and description of each. With hundreds of illustrations. (M). $24.95.

28454. Patterson, Janice B. Cleveland's Lighthouses. Arcadia. 2009. 128p. Soft wraps. 180 vintage photographs. Missionary-geographer John Heckewelder was prophetic in the 1790s when he mapped the place where the Cuyahoga River flows into Lake Erie. He wrote, “Cujahaga will hereafter be a place of great importance.” In 1796, surveyors arrived to plot a new town and named it after their superintendent, Moses Cleveland. Soon Cleveland was a magnet for inventors and entrepreneurs. By 1829–1830, a lighthouse was necessary to support lake traffic spurred by shipbuilding, shipping, and population growth. A succession of taller, brighter structures has guided mariners into the Cleveland harbor, creating a splendid history. Remarkable people have tended these sometimes-silent sentinels through decades of calm nights and dramatic storms, subtly contributing to the region’s growth and prosperity. Also included is Cleveland’s Life Saving Service and Coast Guard history, drawing from public and private collections, most never before published. Superb photographs of the stations, keepers, equipment  and more, well worth it. (M). $21.99.

2946. Chase, Wanton. Boyhood Life at Rose Island [Lighthouse]. Rose Island Beacon. Rose Island Lighthouse Foundation. Number 1. December 2001. 26p. Soft wraps. Wonderful out of print booklet recalling the boyhood life at Rose Island Lighthouse by Wanton Chase, who passed away this past December at 99 years of age. This high gloss page booklet details his memories of life growing up at the lighthouse in the early 1900s. Because he was a “sickly baby” he was sent to live at the Rose Island lighthouse with his grandparents from 1910 to 1918. Wonderful reading. (M). $9.95.

2911. Hudson, Gary J. They Had to Go Out. Xlibris. 2008. 173p. Soft wraps. Gary Hudson knows all too well that he could have been among the five Coast Guard crewmen who drowned during an attempted rescue on a wretched night in January of 1961. Just a week before the tragedy, Hudson had been transferred away from the Coast Guard rescue station at Point Adams near the mouth of the Columbia River. Otherwise, he could have been on one of the three Coast Guard boats attempting to aid a fishing vessel that sank. “They were all my shipmates,” Hudson said of the Coast Guard victims and survivors. “I knew them all.” For several years after the disaster, Hudson drove a rescue boat over the same treacherous waters at the Columbia River bar, and rescued a few boaters himself. He couldn’t stop thinking about his lost comrades. Hudson, 68, who now lives near Toledo, decided to do more than remember - he has now written this book to set the record straight about what happened. “They Had to Go Out” includes a detailed account of the worst loss of life the Coast Guard suffered on the Columbia River in a single incident. The book is heavy on facts about the rescue boats’ strengths — and weaknesses that may have been factors in the deaths. He spent four years interviewing survivors and going through the official records from the sinking. All this, and the many photos included, makes “They Had to Go Out” a fascinating read. (M). 19.99. 

2984. Metzer, Patty. Keeper of the Light. Focus Pub., Bemidji. 1997. 2nd. 368p. Soft wraps. Colin McRae seems to have found his life's fulfillment in his position as keeper at Highland Lighthouse in North Truro on Cape Cod. His life changes when he must travel into Provincetown to find a housekeeper and companion for his ailing sister. The only person available is a young, mysterious girl who is thought of as the town 'dummy' because she is mute. Life at Highland Light would never be the same. A story with strong characterization, unpredictable plot and an intriguing 1797 Cape Cod setting. Readers will not be disappointed. (M). $12.95. 

2097. Egan, Leona Rust. PROVINCETOWN AS A STAGE. Parnassus, Orleans. 1994. 296p. DJ. In 1916 this remote fishing village extending 25 miles into the Atlantic was teeming with unprecedented numbers of tourists; there were battleships from Teddy Roosevelt’s Great White Fleet in the harbor, and a significant segment of Greenwich Village’s Avant-Garde was there. By all contemporary accounts, never before in America had so many people who wrote, painted, or acted been thrown together in one small place. Of great significance to American theatre was a young struggling playwright named Eugene O’Neill, who settled in the old Peaked Hill Bars Life-Saving Station, where he remained for nine years that was to culminate in a Nobel Prize. O’Neil’s life in Provincetown, in the station and his career are the focus of this interesting book. (M).                                                                                                                                                             $14.95.

2936. Halperin, James L. and Gregory J. Rohan. The Collector’s Handbook – Tax Planning, Strategy, and Estate Advise from Collectibles Experts for Collectors and their Heirs. Dallas. 2008. 4th. 120p. Soft wraps. The Collector’s Handbook is a step-by-step guide to tax and estate planning for collectors. From record keeping to disposition methods, this handy primer cuts right to the chase on every topic. It is mostly written to the active collector, but pertinent chapters also have “Tips for Heirs” sections to aid non-collectors in avoiding common pitfalls when inheriting a collection (and once you've read this book, its convenient size makes it perfect for inclusion alongside your collection in a bank vault or safe deposit box). Whatever your motivations in collecting, this book will help make you a more intelligent collector. Nearly every collection involves making reasonable financial decisions; doing so repeatedly will improve the monetary value you or your heirs ultimately reap from your collecting endeavors, as well as increase your satisfaction. Making your hobby more productive and rewarding is easiest done while you are actively pursuing these pieces of history. This booklet is written by three owners of Heritage Coin, the world’s largest and most respected rare coin dealer and auctioneer, and offers sound advice and the experience gained from billions of dollars in collectible transactions over four decades. Chapters include record keeping, caring for your collection, safeguarding your collection, tax options for estate planning, charitable giving, art attribution and authentication, having your collection appraised, selling your collection, insurance companies offering collectible coverage, and more. A wealth of sound and practical information, written in a clear and concise manner. Must reading for every serious collector! (M). $16.95.

2908.  Hanable, William S. Lighthouses and Lifesaving on Washington's Outer Coast. Arcadia. 2008. 128p. Soft wraps. 180 vintage photographs. Washington’s storm-ridden outer coast stretches from Cape Disappointment, at the mouth of the Columbia River, to Cape Flattery, at the entrance to the Strait of Juan de Fuca, a distance of about 150 miles. Historians have labeled these waters “the Graveyard of the Pacific” and “the Unforgiving Coast.” Despite their hazards, sea routes to, from, and along the coast have been busy. Maritime fur traders and explorers, warships, Gold Rush shipping, passenger vessels, lumber carriers, break-bulk freighters, container ships, and tankers have plied these waters. Concurrently, fisheries developed along the coast, adding to the number of vessels at risk. To assist mariners sailing these waters, the United States built its first lighthouse on the Washington coast at Cape Disappointment in 1856. Additional lighthouses, lightships, and lifesaving stations soon followed. With more than 180 images from archives throughout the Pacific Northwest, this collection documents their history. This interesting volume draws from public and private collections, most never before published. Superb photographs of the station, keepers, equipment  and more, well worth it. (M). $21.99.

2907. Barnette, Michael. Florida's Shipwrecks. Arcadia. 2008. 128p. Soft wraps. 200 vintage photographs. The Sunshine State has a rich maritime history spanning more than five centuries. Tragically, part of that history includes thousands of ships that have met their fates in Florida waters. Potentially more than 5,000 shipwrecks reside off Florida’s 1,200 miles of coastline, with hundreds more lost in the state’s interior rivers. In and of itself, the Florida Keys archipelago, consisting of approximately 1,700 islands stretching 200 miles, is littered with the remains of close to 1,000 shipwrecks. In fact, many features of the Florida Keys were named after various shipwreck events, such as Fowey Rocks, which earned its name after the 1748 wrecking of the British warship HMS Fowey, and Alligator Reef, where the schooner USS Alligator met her demise in 1822. Florida’s Shipwrecks utilizes captivating images to illustrate dramatic stories of danger and peril at sea, introducing readers to a fascinating cross-section of Florida’s shipwreck history. This interesting volume draws from public and private collections, most never before published. Superb photographs of the station, keepers, equipment  and more, well worth it. (M). $19.99.

2921. Bardwell, John D. Old Kittery. Arcadia. 2005. 128p. 4 ½” x 6 ½”. Kittery, Maine is the cradle of American shipbuilding and its destiny has always been with the sea. Since time immemorial, Native Americans and European settlers have fished the Kittery waters. From the earliest colonial times, shipbuilding has been the dominant industry in Kittery -- its Naval Shipyard is the oldest and probably the best-known in the United States. Old Kittery and the more than fifty vintage photographs included, illustrate the history and nature of this Maine coastal community. Beautifully illustrated. (M). $9.99. 

28452. Terras, Donald J. Lighthouses of Chicago Harbor – Their History, Architecture and Lore. Evanston. 2006. 96p. Soft wraps. Since 1831 Chicago’s harbor has been home to a succession of lighthouses to grant safe access to one of the great historical port cities of the country. This beautifully illustrated book tells the story of the structures, the keepers, and the role that they played in Chicago’s development. Wonderfully illustrated with numerous vintage images, many beautifully reproduced in full page views. One of the first that you will encounter as you thumb through the pages is a full page color image of an 1848 Pleasonton map of Great Lakes lighthouses – a spectacular map by this early overseer of lighthouse construction in the United States. Other rare views include many keeper photos, lamps and equipment and much more. Well worth the price for these images alone. (M). $19.95.

28426. Steinberg, Maurice “Moe” RM 3/c. A Sailor at War: On the Greenland Patrol - WWII.  Xlibris. 2002. 178p. Soft wraps. A wonderful memoir of Radioman 3/c Maurice Steinberg’s experiences of World War II – from boot camp, to becoming a Morse Code radio operator on board a 240-foot Coast Guard convoy escort, and anti-submarine duto in the North Atlantic. U-boats remained a constant threat as his vessel patrolled the North Atlantic routes. This is part of the story of the Greenland Patrol, and life aboard a Coast Guard vessel. Wonderfully written in a down-to-earth style that every veteran and civilian alike will appreciate. (M). $24.95.

28418. Patten, Juliana Fern. Another Side of World War II: A Coast Guard Lieutenant in the South Pacific. Shippensburg. 2006. 156p. Autographed by the author. Another Side Of World War II is the engaging personal story of one man's experiences of World War II in the South Pacific Theatre. Coast Guard Lieutenant Jules Fern’s letters, spanning two years at sea in the South Pacific, offer a poignant view of life aboard ship during World War II. Compiled from his letters, logs, and photographs of the time, this account penned by his daughter after his death, provides readers with an intimate and vivid detailing of events from the perspective of someone deeply involved with the progression of the war. A welcome contribution to the growing library of World War II military memoirs an and biographies, Another Side Of World War II is very highly recommended to all readers with an interest in first-hand accounts, as well as those in search of a better understanding of World War II and America's participation in the South Pacific combat zones. Well illustrated with his photos taken at the time, orders, messages and more. (M). 16.95.

28359. Rogerson, Bruce et al. Point Cabrillo Light Station. Arcadia Publishing. 2008. 128 p. Soft wraps. 200 vintage photographs. Point Cabrillo Lighthouse, on the rugged coast of Mendocino County in Northern California, was first lit as an aid to navigation on June 10, 1909. The light station continues to serve mariners and is regarded as one of the crown jewels of lighthouses on the West Coast. In July 1850, just north of the future site of the lighthouse, the clipper brig Frolic wrecked in its journey from China to Gold Rush–era San Francisco. European settlers in search of salvage from the cargo found instead Mendocino’s vast strands of virgin redwood timber stretching inland from the coast. Getting this valuable lumber to market in the mid-19th century required ships, and ships needed lighthouses to guide them. In 1909, the light known today as Point Cabrillo was built on a windswept promontory two miles north of the village of Mendocino. Another in the series from Arcadia , this volume draws from public and private collections, most never before published. Superb photographs of the station, keepers, equipment  and more, well worth it. (M). $19.99.

28367. Semones, JoAnn. Shipwrecks, Scalawags, And Scavengers -  The Storied Waters Of Pigeon Point. Glencannon Press. 2007. 160p. DJ. Over 70 photos and illustrations. Pigeon Point - Those lucky enough to survive the bloodiest of shipwrecks at Pigeon Point say the San Juan, an old steamer, was doomed from the moment it collided with an oil tanker just before midnight on Aug. 29, 1929. "We heard the crash and the lights went out," said the San Juan's second officer. "Then, in a second, I got covered with water and the vessel sank from under me." Fifty-five passengers and 20 crewmen perished in the fog as the waves overtook the splintered steamer. Just one child survived the wreck as his mother threw him onto the deck of the oil tanker, itself damaged from the collision. Such tales haunt the pages of "Shipwrecks, Scalawags, and Scavengers: The Storied Waters of Pigeon Point." Between 1853 and 1953, ships of all types – clipper ships, barks, schooners, steamers — sailing the central California Coast fell victim to Pigeon Point’s unpredictable weather and rocky shoreline. Author and historian JoAnn Semones offers the first- ever history of shipwrecks at San Mateo County's notoriously treacherous Pigeon Point, using rare photographs and historic accounts from the people whose lives were altered by their experiences there. (M). $24.95. 

28261. Harrison, Timothy. Lighthouses of the Sunrise County. Foghorn Publishing. 2008. 189p. Soft wraps. The most complete photographic book ever published about the eleven lighthouses where the rays of the sun first touch the coast of the United States of America - Maine's Washington County. This detailed work by noted lighthouse historian and writer Tim Harrison utilizes hundreds of early photographs to detail the lives of the keepers of the lighthouses at some of Maine's most pictures and remote light stations from the days of the U.S. Lighthouse Service to the days of U.S Coast Guard and then to the present. Superb accounts by keeper and their families and descendents make this a most interesting read. Includes many early, rare photos, memories and storied about the keepers and their families, their pets, work and improvements to the station over the years, and much more. Includes an entire chapter on Connie Small, the "First Lady of Light."  Light stations include Avery Rock, Libby Island, Little River, Lubec Channel, Moose Peak, Narraguagus, Nash Island, Petit Manan, St. Croix River, West Quoddy Head and Whitlock's Mill. Great reading, well worth the price for the images alone! (M). $18.95. 

28319. Peterson, Harold L., THE AMERICAN SWORD 1775 – 1945  – A survey of the Swords Worn by the Uniformed Forces of the United States from the Revolution to the close of World War II. Dover. 2003. Soft wraps. A complete classification and description of all the major types of swords worn by the armed forces of the United States , the Revenue Cutter Service the Public Health Service, cadets, diplomat. Includes a directory of 400 American sword makers, the evolution of scabbards, sword nomenclature, silver hilted and presentation swords, and a complete classification and description of all of the major types of swords worn by the services, dealers and inspectors. Enhanced with more than 400 illustrations of swords from rare documents, plus much more. Includes 186 halftones of swords, b/w plates and drawings. Original blue cloth with silver stamping and vignette on front cover. An excellent reference. (M).  $24.95.

28365. Shaw, David W. The Sea Shall Embrace Them - The Tragic Story of the Steamship Arctic. Free Press. 2002. DJ. 241p. The 1854 collision at sea between the American ship Arctic and the Vesta, a much smaller French steamship, set in motion one of the most harrowing events in maritime history. David W. Shaw has based this fascinating account on the firsthand testimony of the few who survived the wreck, including the Arctic's heroic captain, James C. Luce, who was forced to fight his mutinous crew as they took the lifeboats and left hundreds of passengers to suffer a cruel and painful death. Not only did 400 people -- including Luce's own frail son -- die by daybreak, but the wreck also ended the domination of the seas by the American maritime fleet for the rest of the nineteenth century. Utterly compelling, The Sea Shall Embrace Them is a stirring slice of heretofore little-known American history. Beautifully written, it puts the reader on deck as a ship full of men, women, and children do battle both with a mighty ocean and with their own baser instincts. (M). Published at $24.95. Our price $22.95.

28375. Hodgkins, John. A Soldier's Son: An American Boyhood during World War II. Down East Books. 2006. 325p. Soft wraps. John Hodgkins was eight years old when his father was drafted into the army and left for Europe to fight in World War II. After his return, John's father never spoke much about the war, but John knew he'd kept a diary. After his father's death, John opened his diary and two boxes of memorabilia. What began as John's attempt to tell his father's story became the story of his own life. This memoir recounts what life was like on the home front of Temple, Maine, during the war -- as well as what life was like on the front lines, thanks to what John learned from his father's letters home and his war diary. It also provides a firsthand look at the hardscrabble lives of rural Mainers and a way of living that is now mostly gone. (M). $16.95.

28301. Elmer, EDeana Bosworth. Lighthouses of Louisiana. St. Albans. 2008. DJ. 131p. The first book ever to be completely devoted to the history of Louisiana’s lighthouses. Author E’Deana Elmer has always been fascinated by lighthouses. It took two and a half years of digging using such sources as the National Archives and the Coast Guard Archives to put together this detailed history of these little known and in many cases long lost beacons. “Did you know that the Chase bank building (formerly the Hibernia building) on Canal and Carondelet was once used as a lighthouse,” the author indicated in an interview. At the time it was built it was the tallest building in New Orleans and ships would use the lights on the buildings roof as a guide. There once had been 35 lighthouses in Louisiana, with only nine of them still standing today. Only two of them are still operational - the Southwest Pass lighthouse and the Sabine Pass East Jetty lighthouse. Most of Louisiana’s lighthouses have been snuffed out, destroyed by storms, eaten away by erosion, or simply torn down. (M). Published at $29.95. Our price $26.95.

8298. Bachelder, Peter Dow and Mason Philip Smith. FOUR SHORT BLASTS – The Gale of 1898 and the Loss of the Steamer Portland . 1998. 138p. Soft wraps. Cleanly written, this interesting account details the mysterious disappearance of the state of the art steamer, S.S. Portland, in November of 1898.  Since there were no survivors, sources are newspaper articles of the day and interviews with survivors of the gale in other craft. The authors provide details of the storm itself, the tragic foundering of the Portland , the storm's effect ashore, the official investigation of the sinking and ongoing legends which exist to this day. Illustrations and photographs are plentiful and poignant. In addition to a helpful index and bibliography, the authors have provided appendices—lists of victims as well as vessels lost or damaged in the gale, an amazing 3000 or more schooners, yachts, steamers and barges between New Jersey and Nova Scotia. Although the loss of the steamer and 140 passengers and crew is the primary subject, Four Short Blasts contains fascinating tangential stories, about the U. S. Life-Saving Service (long defunct) which at the time of the storm had 13 stations along the shore of Cape Cod . $17.95. 

28240. Buker, Commander George E., THE METAL LIFE CAR- The Inventor, the Impostor, and the Business of Lifesaving. University of Alabama Press. 2008. DJ. 224p, 17 illustrations. This title presents the fascinating story of American ingenuity and its struggle against bureaucracy and chicanery. For centuries sailing vessels crept along the coastline, ready to flee ashore in case of danger or trouble; this worked well until weather or poor sailing drove these ships against an unforgiving coast. Joseph Francis, born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1801, was an inventor who also had the ability to organize a business to produce his inventions and the salesmanship to sell his products. His metal lifeboats, first used in survey expeditions in Asia Minor and Central America, came into demand among the world's merchant marine, the U.S. Navy, and the U.S. Revenue Service. His corrugated "life car" would become an important tool of the U.S. Life-Saving Service. The metal boats also played an important role in the Third Seminole War in Florida. Francis' metal pontoon army wagons served in the trans-Mississippi campaigns against the Indians. In Europe, he was acclaimed as a genius and sold patent rights to shipyards in Liverpool and the Woolwich Arsenal in England, Le Havre seaport in France, in the free city of Hamburg, and in the Russian Empire. But while Francis was busy in Europe, Captain Douglass Ottinger, U.S. Revenue Marine Service, claimed to be the inventor of Francis' life car and obtained support in the U.S. Congress and the Patent Office for his claim. Francis had to battle for decades to prove his rights, and Americans remained generally unfamiliar with his devices, thereby condemning Civil War armies to inferior copies while Europe was using, and acclaiming, his inventions. Long awaited account of the work of this important life-saving equipment inventor. (M). $29.95.

28308. Ellsberg, Commander Edward. On the Bottom. Flat Hammock Press. 2004. 256 pages w/ photos, with added CD, & DVD. With an introduction by Edward L. Beach, Captain, U. S. Navy (Retired). First published in 1929, this enthralling work has become one of the greatest true stories of adventure, dogged determination, courage and loyalty ever written. On the evening of September 25, 1925 the U.S. Navy Submarine S-51 was rammed by the steamship SS City of Rome in open seas off Block Island, Rhode Island, and sank in 132 feet of water, with the loss of 33 lives. This disaster evoked such a storm of popular indignation against the Navy Department that something had to be done. It was felt that at all costs a determined attempt must be made to raise the S-51, if only to restore public confidence. No vessel had ever been raised from such a depth, and to the technical mind the thing was impossible. The task of salvaging the submarine fell to Lieutenant Commander Edward Ellsberg and a group of naval divers scavenged from all over the fleet. It was done painstakingly over a nine month period and involved obstacle after obstacle, all the while battling rough seas, icy waters, and "the bends." Working in hard hats with lead boots, in minimal light, while dragging air lines behind them, each diver had about an hour of exhausting and terrifying work before a lengthy decompression process. It is no exaggeration to say that the impossible was achieved. Originally published in 1929, this magnificent account of the struggle on the ocean floor to salvage the sunken U.S. Navy submarine, S-51, has become a modern classic of the sea. What was not included in Edward Ellsberg’s gripping account are specifics of the accident, the aftermath, and the extent that the event touched the nation. This expanded edition presents this and more by including an introduction, a publisher’s preface, additional photographs, an afterword, and appendixes. Also added is a recording of the period song "Sinking of the Submarine S-51," an oral history by Commander Ellsberg, and a video disc of rare on scene newsreel footage. "A marvelous tale, filled with moments of horrified expectancy, of glad thrills, of impossible deeds and endurances, of achievements that smack of magic." (The New York Times). (M). $34.95

28129. Galluzzo, John. Lifesavers of the South Shore – A History of Rescue and Loss. History Press. 2008. DJ. 128p. However cruelly the rocks of Massachusetts 's South Shore have treated storm-driven sailors, there can be no questioning the selflessness and courage of the keepers and surfmen who played host to the no man's land between frozen beach and gale-tossed sea. Read John Galluzzo's enthralling account of the Life-Saving Service and meet legends like Joshua James, whose surfboat, Nantasket, once saved twenty-nine men from six boats in a grueling thirty-six hours. Chart a course through the service's history, from its humble beginning in the refuge huts built after the American Revolution until its absorption into the U.S. Coast Guard in the twentieth century. (M). $19.99.

28262.  Bostick, Douglas W. The Morris Island Lighthouse: Charleston's Maritime Beacon. History Press. 2008. 128p. Douglas Bostick, historian and former director of Save the Light, Inc., recounts the stories of the many lightkeepers and their families who braved meager provisions, low pay and grueling conditions living on a small island at the entrance to Charleston Harbor. Filled with over 55 black & white photographs. (M). $19.99

28300. DeWire, Elinore. LIGHTHOUSES OF THE SOUTH – Your Guide to the Lighthouses of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. Stillwater . 2004. 160 p. DJ. A Pictorial Discovery Guide. A fresh look at the history and technological evolution of lighthouses in the area, the development of apparatus, architecture, construction and maintenance on their remote sites, the daily life of the keepers and much more. The author presents an exciting history illustrated with stunning photographs, historical anecdotes, architectural details and local legends. Lavishly illustrated, an excellent text on the subject and guide for the area. (M). Published at $29.95. Our Price $21.95.

28310. Ransom, Candice. Rescue on the Outer Banks. Millbrook Press. 2002. 48p. Soft wraps. Illustrated by Karen Ritz. Superb and artwork introduces young readers to Life Saving Service history through this fictionalized story based on the exploits of the Pea Island Lifesavers. On October 11, 1896, ten-year-old Sam Deal and his horse, Ginger, watch as the brave surfmen of Pea Island struggle to save the lives of nine people stranded on a shipwreck. Sam has dreamt of becoming a surfman just like the all-African-American crew, and this is his chance. Can he and Ginger help the crew rescue the victims, or will they be lost forever? Written in a story format, this account relates events that really happened, followed by a brief summary of the historical event to further explain the significance it had on history. Wonderful for your children, and for yourself just for the illustrations. (M). $14.95.

Nominated for the 2008 Foundation for Coast Guard History book award:

27268. Claflin, James W. HISTORIC NANTUCKET: SURFSIDE LIFE-SAVING STATION - A History of Nantucket’s Life-Saving Stations. Volume I. Worcester. 2007. 79 p. Soft wraps. Special edition, signed and numbered of 500, includes pasted in wood chip from Surfside Life-Saving Station. Historic Nantucket: Surfside Life-Saving Station is one of a continuing series of booklets that tell the story of historic lighthouses, lightships and life-saving stations along the New England Coast . The Nantucket coastline has long been one of the most dangerous areas along the New England coast. Over the years four life-saving stations and eight Massachusetts Humane Society stations stood guard over the island’s shores, standing ready to combat the seas in an effort to rescue shipwrecked mariners in their time of need. With thousands of vessels plying the dangerous waters, the chance of a shipping disaster was always great. Hundreds of shipwrecks did indeed occur off the coast with startling losses. Using descriptive text and a variety of vintage images from private as well as museum collections, we get a rare glimpse into the history of the area and the lives of these dedicated government men and women. Author James Claflin combines an extensively researched text with his exquisite collection of vintage photographs, many previously unpublished, to tell the story of this important piece of history. (M). $8.95.

28198. Groot, E. P., The United States Life-Saving Service in Ocean County. Excerpts From Annual Reports of the United States Life Saving Service for the Fiscal Years Ending June 30,  1876-1914. Ocean County Historical Society. 2005. 368p. Stiff wraps. This is a carefully prepared and attractively presented narrative of the Life-Saving Service in Ocean County from 1876 to 1914. After witnessing a shipwreck on the coast of Long Beach Island and the loss of all thirteen lives in 1839, W. A. Newell was prompted as a Congressman in 1848 to appeal for funds to establish a federal life-saving system.  This book tells the story of that system, its function, and activities at Ocean County’s eight life saving stations. Included are numerous accounts of wrecks and rescue efforts taken from original reposts and other sources, as well as extensive statistical information on maritime accidents and developments in life-saving technique.  The book contains extensive notes on the U.S. Life Saving Service, locations and manning of stations, activities and narratives of life saving crews, tabular summaries of maritime accidents, an index of vessel names, and various maps and pictures. Excellent reference and reading. Rare. (M). $88.

28169. Thurlow, Sandra Henderson and Deanna Wintercorn. GILBERT’S BAR HOUSE OF REFUGE – Home of History. Stuart. 2008. 96p. Soft wraps. The Houses of Refuge in Florida were a series of stations operated by the United States Life Saving Service along the coast of Florida to rescue and shelter ship-wrecked sailors. Five houses were built on the east coast in 1876, with five more added in 1885. There was also two Life Saving Stations built, one just south of the Jupiter Inlet, the other on the Gulf coast on Santa Rosa Island near Pensacola. The houses were manned by civilian keepers, contractors who lived in the houses with their families. Most of these houses remained in service as life-saving stations until 1915 or later. Some of the locations became United States Coast Guard stations after the Life Saving Service was merged into the Coast Guard in 1915.Today, only one remains – Gilbert’s Bar. This rare and wonderful account of the life and work at these lonely outposts is long overdue. (M). $16.95.

28238. Bathurst, Bella. The Wreckers – A Story of Killing Seas and Plundered Shipwreck, from the Eighteenth Century to the Present Day. Boston. 2005. 326p. DJ. Bella Bathurst's first book, the acclaimed The Lighthouse Stevensons, told the story of Scottish lighthouse construction by the ancestors of Robert Louis Stevenson. Now she returns to the sea to search out the darker side of those lights, detailing the secret history of shipwrecks and the predatory scavengers who live off the spoils. Even today, Britain's coastline remains a dangerous place. An island soaked by four separate seas, with shifting sand banks to the east, veiled reefs to the west, powerful currents above, and the world's busiest shipping channel below, the country's offshore waters are strewn with shipwrecks. For villagers scratching out an existence along Britain's shores, those wrecks have been more than simply an act of God; in many cases, they have been the difference between living well and just getting by. Some plunderers were held to be so skilled that they could strip a ship from stem to stern before the Coast Guard had even left port, some were rumored to lure ships onto the rocks with false lights, and some simply waited for winter gales to do their work. From all around Britain, Bathurst has uncovered the hidden history of ships and shipwreck victims, from shoreline orgies so Dionysian that few participants survived the morning to humble homes fitted with silver candelabra, to coastlines rigged like stage sets to villages where everyone owns identical tennis shoes. Spanning three hundred years of history, The Wreckers examines the myths, the realities, and the superstitions of shipwrecks and uncovers the darker side of life on Britain's shores. (M). Published at $25. Our Price $16.95.

28192. Raffield, John C. UNITED STATES COAST GUARD STATION ~ PANAMA CITY -  A Seventy Two Year History 1933-2005. Jacksonville. 2005. 111p. Soft wraps. United States Coast Guard Station ~ Panama City, A Seventy Two Year History," was the first and only documented Coast Guard history for Panama City and Bay County since the United States Coast Guard’s arrival in 1933. The station featured nine C.G. Cutters, four C.G. manned Lighthouses, and WW II Coastal Defense Gun Emplacements at the Pass, K-9 and mounted beach patrols, and the forty LSTs that conducted their two-week shakedown exercises in the Gulf, and anchored in St. Andrews Bay for ‘safe harbor’ at night to escape the German U-boats activity in the Gulf. Growing up in Panama City, the author had both direct and indirect relationship with the Coast Guard crews, CG Auxiliary personnel, and retirees. Over the years, Coast Guard retirees have made Panama City their new home, and made boating at one level or another, their business. The author has always had a fondness for the beaches, water, boats, and has felt a friendship with the Coast Guard as his dad had throughout WW II as a member of the CG Auxiliary, and having lived in the old Coast Guard Headquarters ~ barracks as a child. In this privately published work, the author presents a detailed history of Coast Guard Station – Panama City including the men and facilities, history of cutters assigned there over the years, harbor defenses and beach patrols, lighthouses in the area, LSTs and World War II activities, and more. Thoroughly illustrated with photographs. (M). $58.

28202. Raffield, John C. BIRTH PLACES OF U.S. COAST GUARD CUTTERS, SMALL BOATS, AND STATIONS – PANAMA CITY, FL. - A Seventy Four Year History 1933-2007. Jacksonville. 2007. 292p. Soft wraps. Birth Places Of U.S. Coast Guard Cutters evolved as an additional detailed Coast Guard history – a companion to the author’s earlier work United States Coast Guard Station ~ Panama City. In this work he includes additional CG Cutters, bringing the total U.S. Coast Guard Cutters to eleven being homeported in Panama City. Through the years, there have been four different Station locations, and the eleven cutters, four small boats, and four aids to navigation boats making their berths in seven different locations in St. Andrews Bay. The author felt the need to complete a more in depth look into the cutters and boats. The author felt that the new historical information and photos needed to be documented before all the existing personal historical resources “Cross The Bar,” resulting in their accounts of local Coast Guard history being lost to Station-Panama City, Panama City, and Bay County. Growing up in Panama City, the author had both direct and indirect relationship with the Coast Guard crews, CG Auxiliary personnel, and retirees. Over the years, Coast Guard retirees have made Panama City their new home, and made boating at one level or another, their business. The author has always had a fondness for the beaches, water, boats, and has felt a friendship with the Coast Guard as his dad had throughout WW II as a member of the CG Auxiliary, and having lived in the old Coast Guard Headquarters ~ barracks as a child. In this privately published work, the author presents a detailed history of the vessels of U.S. Coast Guard Station – Panama City. Thoroughly illustrated with photographs. (M). $68.

28196. Hill, Peter. Stargazing. Knopf. 2004. 275p. DJ. When Peter Hill, a student at Dundee College of Art, answered an advertisement seeking relief lighthouse keepers, little did he imagine that within a month he would be living with three men he didn't know in a lighthouse on Pladda, a small remote island off the west coast of Scotland . The year was 1973, Hill was nineteen, and he was to spend the next six months in various lighthouses, "keeping" with all manner of unusual and fascinating people. The resulting book is a charming and beautifully written memoir that is not only a heartfelt lament for Hill's own youth and innocence but also for a simpler and more honest age, for the life of the keepers kept awake by the spray and the cold wind, and mush more. (VG+). Published at $29.95. Our Price $14.95.

28209. Morris, Patricia. Georgia's Lighthouses. Arcadia Publishing. 2008. 128 p. Soft wraps. 200 vintage photographs. When British general James Oglethorpe landed on Georgia ’s coast in 1733, he realized that the success of his new colony, Savannah , depended largely on its establishment and development as a commercial port. Only three years later, in 1736, the first lighthouse was built on Tybee Island . Beginning there at the mouth of the Savannah River , this volume travels down the coast, telling the very different stories of the Cockspur Light, Sapelo Light, St. Simons Light, and Cumberland Light, which is now located on a private island. Rich in history, these lighthouses help to define the story of Georgia ’s 100-mile coastline. Of the lighthouses built, only five remain today; two are operational lights— Tybee Island and St. Simons Island . Another in the series from Arcadia , this volume draws from public and private collections, most never before published. Superb photographs, well worth it. (M). $19.99.

28210. Grand Traverse Lighthouse Museum.  Grand Traverse Lighthouse. Arcadia Publishing. 2008. 128 p. Soft wraps. 200 vintage photographs. The Grand Traverse Lighthouse sits majestically at the entrance of Grand Traverse Bay , guiding vessels between Chicago and the Straits of Mackinac. For over 150 years, it has been an important beacon for all who have plied the waters of Lake Michigan . The original 1852 lighthouse was used for six years before being torn down. In 1858, a larger lighthouse with an attached nine-sided tower was erected on a site farther west. Over the course of its history, 66 lighthouse keepers, assistant keepers, and U.S. Coast Guard personnel have maintained the light. Today visitors tour the restored lighthouse, which is now a living museum filled with displays and exhibits depicting a simpler way of life. Another in the series from Arcadia , this volume draws from public and private collections, most never before published. Superb photographs, well worth it. (M). $19.99.

28211. Fahlen, Kim and Karen Scanlon. Lighthouses of San Diego. Arcadia Publishing. 2008. 128 p. Soft wraps. 200 vintage photographs. As his ship rounded the high point off Point Loma, San Diego , in 1859, Richard Henry Dana wrote, “We were greeted by the cheering presence of a light-house.” In reality, beams from San Diego ’s first lighthouse were repeatedly lost in cloud and fog, and all too soon came agitation for a more effective light at a lower elevation. By 1891, two new lighthouses were constructed to achieve what one could not—a major light on the low tip of Point Loma and a secondary light at Ballast Point. Although abandonment of the first lighthouse structure was nearly catastrophic, it still survives today to charm millions of visitors. Now, and long overdue, are new glimpses of the famous and lesser-known lighthouses of San Diego thanks to the memories and photographs belonging to families of the men who kept the lights burning. Another in the series from Arcadia , this volume draws from public and private collections, most never before published. Superb photographs, well worth it. (M). $19.99.

28212. Fahlen, Kim and Karen Scanlon. Lighthouses of San Diego. Arcadia Publishing. 2008. 15 p. Soft wraps. San Diego ’s first lighthouse on top of Point Loma was replaced by 1891 with two others, at the base of the cliff and on Ballast Point, where their beams were less affected by fog and low clouds. In this collection of vintage-photograph postcards, the authors explore these historic beacons’ pasts. Another in the series from Arcadia , this volume draws from public and private collections, most never before published. Superb views, well worth it. (M). $7.99.

28213. Veronico, Betty S. Lighthouses of the Bay Area. Arcadia Publishing. 2008. 128 p. Soft wraps. 200 vintage photographs. The 1848 discovery of gold in the hills of California brought prospectors and adventurers west; many came across the country on the treacherous western trails, while others came by sea. The rugged coast of California and the dangers of the San Francisco Bay waters claimed many ships and their passengers. The loss of these ships and the ever-increasing number of vessels converging in the San Francisco Bay made it evident that navigational aids were desperately needed. To enhance maritime safety in the region, the San Francisco Bay ’s first light, located on Alcatraz Island , began construction in 1852. Light stations soon followed at Fort Point, Point Bonita, and the Farallon Islands . An additional 15 lights later served the bay, and two lightships were stationed outside the Golden Gate . Another in the series from Arcadia , this volume draws from public and private collections, most never before published. Superb photographs, well worth it. (M). $21.99. 

28214. Veronico, Betty S. Lighthouses of the Bay Area. Arcadia Publishing. 2008. 15 p. Soft wraps. The San Francisco Bay ’s first light, on Alcatraz Island , began construction in 1852. Light stations soon followed at Fort Point, Point Bonita, and the Farallon Islands . An additional 15 lights later served the bay, and a lightship was stationed outside the Golden Gate . In this collection of vintage-photograph postcards, the authors explore these historic beacons’ pasts. Another in the series from Arcadia , this volume draws from public and private collections, most never before published. Superb views, well worth it. (M). $7.99. Due out in August.

28215. Taylor, Cathy. Maryland's Lighthouses. Arcadia Publishing. 2008. 128 p. Soft wraps. 200 vintage photographs. In Colonial times, as the Chesapeake Bay and larger rivers became vital shipping channels, the need arose to mark Maryland ’s dangerous shoals and waterways. Lighthouses sprang up throughout the 1800s and early 1900s, including wood-framed cottages placed upon screw pile foundations that stood offshore in the unforgiving waters. Most of these unique structures did not survive, lost tragically to ice that also occasionally claimed the lives of the keepers who faithfully tended them and rescued mariners in trouble. With the advent of electricity and GPS, many beacons succumbed to vandalism and neglect, leaving a fraction remaining. Another in the series from Arcadia , this volume draws from public and private collections, most never before published. Superb photographs, well worth it. (M). $19.99.

28216. Clary, Margie Willis and Kim McDermott. South Carolina Lighthouses. Arcadia Publishing. 2008. 128 p. Soft wraps. 200 vintage photographs. Boasting one of the oldest lighthouses in North America and the most working lighthouses today, South Carolina has a long seafaring history. In 1767, the Morris Island Lighthouse was built at the entrance to Charleston Harbor , and before 1860, there were lighthouses in Georgetown , Cape Romain , Bull’s Bay, and Hunting Island . During the Civil War, all lighthouses on the eastern coast were darkened. Many were destroyed. After the war, towers that had been damaged were repaired, and additional lights were erected on Daufuskie and Hilton Head Islands . In 1962, the new Charleston Light on Sullivan’s Island replaced the Morris Island Lighthouse, which was suffering from erosion by the ever-encroaching sea. The new light contained an elevator and two rotating beacons capable of producing 28 million candlepower, a light that can be seen 26 miles out to sea. At that time, it was considered one of the most powerful lights in the Western Hemisphere . Another in the series from Arcadia , this volume draws from public and private collections, most never before published. Superb photographs, well worth it. (M). $19.99.

28217. Clary, Margie Willis and Kim McDermott. South Carolina Lighthouses. Arcadia Publishing. 2008. 15 p. Soft wraps. With one of the oldest lighthouses in the country and the most working lighthouses today, South Carolina boasts a rich lighthouse history. In this collection of vintage-photograph postcards, the authors explore these historic beacons’ pasts. Another in the series from Arcadia , this volume draws from public and private collections, most never before published. Superb views, well worth it. (M). $7.99.

28218. Author(s): The Air Station Elizabeth City Wardroom. Coast Guard Base Elizabeth City. Arcadia Publishing. 2008. 128 p. Soft wraps. 200 vintage photographs. Situated on the northern end of North Carolina ’s Outer Banks, Elizabeth City has a strong aviation tradition. The Wright brothers used the “ Harbor of Hospitality ” as a final way station before traveling on to Kitty Hawk . This coastal town has been the center of United States Coast Guard Aviation since the establishment of the only Coast Guard–owned airport in 1939. Coast Guard Base Elizabeth City began as an installation of six seaplanes operating off of the Pasquotank River . During World War II, the population ballooned to 8,000 assigned personnel. Post-war USCG Aviation expansion saw the addition of many maintenance functions that led to the creation of the Aviation Repair and Supply Base, the center of USCG Aviation maintenance. The base was expanded with a separate air station, the Aviation Technical Training Center , CG Aviation’s schoolhouse, Support Center Elizabeth City , and Small Boat Station Elizabeth City . The mission of providing the finest aviation maintenance to Coast Guard Aviation and the highest level of service to mariners of the Virginia Capes and Outer Banks remains an integral part of the installation. Another in the series from Arcadia , this volume draws from public and private collections, most never before published. Superb photographs, well worth it. (M). $19.99. Due out in September.

28155. Campbell, Lyall. Sable Island Shipwrecks - Disaster and Survival at the North Atlantic Graveyard. Nimbus. 1994. 200p. Illustrated. More than 500 ships have gone aground in this "graveyard of the Atlantic" since 1583 when one of Sir Humphrey Gilbert's ships, the "Delight", went down. Campbell has studied the marine disasters around Sable Island and tells many of their stories. This best-selling book tells of disaster, danger, rescue, and survival, and the people who provided care and safe haven for those unlucky enough to be shipwrecked in the Graveyard of the North Atlantic. $17.95.

28162. Floca, Brian. LIGHTSHIP. New York. 2007. 40p. DJ. This is a truly beautiful picture book about a subject most young readers may never have encountered. Author-illustrator Floca, in brisk but poetic words and stunning watercolors that are both witty and informative, tells the story of the red-hulled Ambrose Light. Young adventurers are sure to be drawn into the life of the crew and its cat, as the ship weathers fog, storms, and close encounters with other vessels, while all the time she "holds her one sure spot." From the shining lights high on the masts to the domain of the engineer deep in the hull, Floca's research lets readers explore the equipment of a lightship and the perils of the sea. Though each picture deserves attention, especially striking are the ones of the scarlet hull in a snowstorm (through portholes, cat and cook are seen snug below) and of the huge black shape of the S.S. Ardizzone (a tribute to the English illustrator) looming over the Ambrose as a crewman shouts his warning. (M). $19.95.

28108. D’Entremont, Jeremy. The Lighthouse Handbook: New England. Kennebunkport. 2008. 440p. Soft wraps. New England's remarkable and stunning lighthouses are among the region's greatest attractions, treasured national landmarks beloved by all. Many are still operative, too, guarding the rocky and dangerous northeastern coastline. This breathtaking volume captures every magnificent one, in full color and with directions for reaching even the least accessible. In addition to its comprehensiveness, the book's size makes it a wonderful working field guide that fits comfortably in a glove compartment or backpack. Foreword by Bob Trapani, executive director of the American Lighthouse Foundation. (M). $14.95 

27302. Powers, Dennis M. SENTINEL OF THE SEAS – Life and Death at the Most Dangerous Lighthouse Ever Built. Citadel Press. 2007. 380p. DJ. Miles off the coast of northern California lies a mariner’s nightmare. Concealed by roiling sea and thick fog, the jagged edges of a submerged volcanic mountain chain await approaching vessels like predators in the mist. This is one of the most hazardous reefs off the West Coast. And for over a century, it has been home to the most remote, most expensive, and most dangerous lighthouse ever built in America. In Sentinel of the Seas, Dennis M. Powers chronicles the heroic stories of men and women who have gone where land and sea collide. To build the St. George Reef Lighthouse, Alexander Ballantyne—probably the only man alive who was qualified and brave enough to supervise such a project—faced incredible hurdles, including the haul of six-ton granite blocks onto a spit of washed-over land from a quarry seventy-five miles away. In 1937 George Roux, the tough, longtime head lighthouse keeper, was trapped for two months by howling winds and stories-high waves with his crew on the verge of mutiny. In 1951 a rogue wave capsized a Coast Guard launch being lowered from the lighthouse, challenging keeper Fred Permenter to attempt a nearly impossible rescue that would win him a place in Coast Guard history. Based on five years of research drawing on the National Archives, original journals, and personal interviews, Sentinel of the Seas is the first book to capture the tumultuous history of this astounding engineering feat and the lives that have been influenced by it. (M). $21.95.

2873. na. H. K. CUMMINGS REVISITED, 1887-1905. Vol. I. Intro. by Henry Scammell. Bobi Eldridge (Coordinator). Snow Library. Orleans. 2004. 35p. Soft wraps. Superbly reproduced images from the collection of 750 glass plate photographs taken by H. K. Cummings at the turn of the previous century. Henry Knowles Cummings, born in the last year of the Civil War, discovered the fascination of photography the years from 1885 to 1905. His photos bore images of the town as it then was, streets and buildings, horses and rigs, and people and dogs. Other plates held images made by the ever present sea. He pointed his camera everywhere, at the treeless moors of the Outer Cape, at the wooden sailing ships storm-smashed against the shore, at the crews of life-saving stations. That was H. K. Cummings pursuing his avocation, as two or three of his Orleans contemporaries did. On the counter of his dry good store on Main Street, he kept a pile of prints from his negatives, which he sold for 25 cents each. By the time of his death in the 1950s, at 87, Cummings the photographer had amassed about 1,000 views of Orleans scenes and people. His plates and some of his prints are preserved now at the Snow Library, a valuable record in the history of the town. Volume I contains thirty three impressions including Chatham Twin Lights, the wreck of the Kate Harding (December 1892), Orleans Life-Saving crew, town views and much more. A joy to peruse through, beautifully done. (M). $17.95. 

2874. na. H. K. CUMMINGS REVISITED, 1887-1905. Vol. II: Working. Intro. by Henry Scammell. Bobi Eldridge (Coordinator). Snow Library. Orleans. 2006. 35p. Soft wraps. Superbly reproduced images from the collection of 750 glass plate photographs taken by H. K. Cummings at the turn of the previous century. Henry Knowles Cummings, born in the last year of the Civil War, discovered the fascination of photography the years from 1885 to 1905. His photos bore images of the town as it then was, streets and buildings, horses and rigs, and people and dogs. Other plates held images made by the ever present sea. He pointed his camera everywhere, at the treeless moors of the Outer Cape, at the wooden sailing ships storm-smashed against the shore, at the crews of life-saving stations. That was H. K. Cummings pursuing his avocation, as two or three of his Orleans contemporaries did. On the counter of his dry good store on Main Street, he kept a pile of prints from his negatives, which he sold for 25 cents each. By the time of his death in the 1950s, at 87, Cummings the photographer had amassed about 1,000 views of Orleans scenes and people. His plates and some of his prints are preserved now at the Snow Library, a valuable record in the history of the town. Volume II contains thirty three impressions including Wellfleet Lighthouse, wreck of Charles A Campbell, Orleans Life Saving crew, Orleans Cable Station, salt works, town views and much more. A joy to peruse through, beautifully done. (M). $17.95.

28114. Drew, Bernard A., The Berkshire Photo Album – Historic Images 1870’s – 1990’s. Pittsfield. 1999. 128p. A wonderful collection of some 440 images from The Berkshire Eagle’s extensive archive, this book provides a look at life, love, and labor during the last century and a half in the two cities and thirty towns of Massachusetts’ western-most county. Many of the views are published here for the first time and feature people, places and events both well remembered and long-forgotten. Excellent New England reading. (M). $16.95

2890. Coston, Martha J., SIGNAL SUCCESS. The Work and Travels of Mrs. Martha J. Coston. An Autobiography. Kessinger. 2007. 333p. Reprint. Soft wraps. Widow of the inventor of the Coston flares used extensively by the Life-Saving Service, tells of her efforts to sell his night signals. Martha Coston was born in 1826. Widowed at 21, she discovered her late husband's (a former naval scientist) notes on the invention of a ship-to-ship, land-to-ship pyrotechnic flare signal system. Martha Coston perfected AND then patented her deceased husband’s idea for a pyrotechnic flare. Martha Coston developed the idea into an elaborate system of flares called Night Signals that allowed ships to communicate messages nocturnally. The U. S. Navy eventually bought the patent rights to the flares. Coston’s flares served as the basis of a system of communication that helped to save lives and to win battles. The Coston flare was also used extensively by the U. S. Life Saving Service and later Coast Guard. Martha Coston credited her late husband with the first patent for the flares, but in 1871 she received a patent for an improvement exclusively her own. Her system was also adopted by the governments of France, Italy, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Haiti. As of the late 1970s, the Coston Supply Company established by Mrs. Coston remained in business. This system of bright, long-lasting signal flares revolutionized naval communication and continues to be in use. (M). $36.

2821. (DVD) The Lightship (c1985, released June 2005) with actors: Tom Bower, Klaus Maria Brandauer, Robert Costanzo, Badja Djola, Robert Duvall. From the 1934 novel by Archie Binns. Lightships – stationary vessels that serve as offshore lighthouses – were once a common feature of the America n coasts. In “The Lightship”, director Jerzy Sk olimowski takes us into the storm-tossed, suffocatingly close world of a lightship to witness the age-old struggle of good and evil in a uniquely nightmarish setting. The ship’s captain, Klaus Marie Brandauer, must somehow protect his men and his rebellious son against an invading gang led by a man who is as cunning as he is without scruples (Robert Duvall). The trio of robbers, two brothers and their twisted genius leader, don't reckon on the crew fighting back. Filmed on an actual lightship meticulously restored to evoke a now bygone way of life, “The Lightship” is a powerful and realistically vivid drama of one man’s struggle against the powers of darkness. Color, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC. Running time 88 minutes. New and factory sealed! Never viewed! (M). $21.95.

27462. Roche, James D. The Cuckolds Lighthouse: A Challenge to All Except the Mariner. iUniverse. 2002. 74p. Soft wraps. The historical significance of the Cuckolds ledge in Maine dates back to 1874. Located at the entrance of Boothbay Harbor, a busy East Coast port, this seven-acre, fifteen-foot-high rock ledge was easily hidden at night and by ocean waves, fog, or snowstorms. Initially it was outfitted with a tripod and day-board, then a fog signal station, and finally a lighthouse. When the power of automation replaced the knowledge and skill of the traditional lighthouse keeper, the Cuckolds Lighthouse was left on its own to battle the elements and warn the approaching mariner of the dangers lurking only fifty-nine feet below its shining light. Having withstood more than a hundred years of abuse from the ocean's fury, the lighthouse stands today not only as a navigational beacon but also as a symbol of America's rich maritime history. The Cuckolds Lighthouse provides a look into the important past of this small lighthouse off the coast of Maine and the people who kept the little light going day and night. Illustrated with many vintage photos. (M). $12.45.

27459. (DVD) The Great Ships - The Coast Guard Ships (History Channel) c.2005. New old stock, factory seaeled, from program presented in 1997 on the History Channel and A&E Home Video. The United States Coast Guard has policed the nation's waters since the 1790s. From the first official vessels of the U.S. Government to today's specialized lifesaving craft, the ships of the Guard have played a vital role in maritime history. This in-depth program goes aboard some of the many craft employed by the Coast Guard, from the small boats used for shoreline rescue operations to the deep-sea patrol ships that form the vanguard in America's war against drugs. See dramatic footage of real-life search and rescue operations, and hear incredible stories of life-and-death missions from Coast Guard sailors and officers. And trace the evolution of the Guards' ships from the earliest Revenue Cutters to the myriad vessels of the modern force. The DVD also presents the history of the Coast Guard including the U.S. Life Saving Service and the Revenue Cutter Service to the present day cutters and boats. Color and B&W. 50 minutes. (M) $24.95

27303. Wardius, Barb and Ken. WIND POINT LIGHTHOUSE. Arcadia Publishing. 2007. 128 p. Soft wraps. Several lighthouses have called Racine home, but none is more synonymous with the nautical heritage of the “Belle City” than Wind Point. Always a beehive of activity, the Wind Point Lighthouse is one of the larger lighthouse complexes on the Great Lakes, and a hardworking keeper, two assistants, and their families made their livelihood here. For over 125 years, the tall stately tower has faithfully stood guard, shining its bright beam out over Lake Michigan nightly. Countless mariners relied on the Wind Point Lighthouse, along with a booming trademark foghorn for safe passage. Today the Wind Point Lighthouse is the most well-known symbol of Racine and is a success story among Great Lakes lights. The Wardiuses’ interest in lighthouses began nearly 30 years ago and today, their prints and photos carry the island’s history for future generations. Now they have put the rich lighthouse history into a book, filled with more than 200 archival photographs of the light, keepers and their families, equipment, everyday routines and more. Rare station and crew images  are especially noteworthy. (M).  $19.99.

27301. Rongner, George E. LIFE ABOARD A COAST GUARD LIGHTSHIP. Infinity Publishing. 2007. 247p. Soft wraps. George E. Rongner served 32 years in the U. S. Coast Guard, enlisting as a surfman and rising to Chief Warrant Officer. One of his many assignments included ass Officer in Charge, Buzzards Bay Lightship. His readable account chronicles the ceaseless dangers and constant tedium experienced by the men living closely together at sea for such lengthy periods of time. He describes as no outsider can, how they reacted to the routine, the piercing emanations of the fog signal, and the perils from storms and passing vessels. Former lightship sailor and anyone interested in the sea, will enjoy this look into the everyday life aboard a Coast Guard Lightship. Nicely done, a great read. (M).  $14.95.

27296. Kirklin, Wayne. LIGHTSHIPS: Floating Lighthouses Of The Mid-Atlantic. History Press. 2007. 128p. Before radar, depth finders and satellite-guided navigation—before the seafloor was charted with scientific precision—mariners had to rely on alternative means to approach a coastline safely. Lightships played an invaluable role in filling the void. In Lightships, author Wayne Kirklin chronicles the heyday of these crucial navigational aids. (M). $19.99.

27330. D’Entremont, Jeremy. THE LIGHTHOUSES OF MASSACHUSETTS. Beverly. 2007. Soft wraps. 240 p. With The Lighthouses of Massachusetts, author Jeremy D’Entremonthe continues his new series, "Lighthouse Treasury," which describes the fascinating history of our American lighthouses, state by state. The author focuses on the human side of lighthouse history, telling the tales of the courageous keepers, male and female, and their families who kept the beacons burning, braved ferocious storms, and saved hundreds of lives in the days when shipwrecks were commonplace. In The Lighthouses of Massachusetts, D'Entremont continues his definitive series, narrating the histories of more than sixty lights from Buzzards Bay to Newburyport. The Lighthouses of Massachusetts is meticulously researched and copiously illustrated, with photographs from the author's enormous collection. (M). $21.95

27234. Edgett, Ruth. A WATCH IN THE NIGHT: THE STORY OF POMQUET ISLAND ’S LAST LIGHTKEEPING FAMILY. Nimbus. 2007. Soft wraps. 196p. A Watch in the Night chronicles the struggles of one Nova Scotia family to survive on a tiny windswept island without running water, electricity, or reliable communication with the mainland. George and Ruth Millar are in their twenties in April, 1924, when they set out with two small children on their first rowboat voyage to Pomquet Island, half a mile off Bayfield on the southern shore of St. George’s Bay, Nova Scotia. They will spend the next thirty-six years raising children and keeping the light on this bleak teardrop of land. There they will raise generations of livestock, brought up their 6 children, and lived through violent storms and other weather disasters. A Watch in the Night is not a dry account of light-keeping life, but rather a tale in which faith, ingenuity, and tenderness triumph over adversity. A Watch in the Night takes the reader on a memorable voyage through a vital period of Atlantic Canadian history with one extraordinary light-keeping family. (M). $19.95.

27268. Claflin, James W. HISTORIC NANTUCKET: SURFSIDE LIFE-SAVING STATION - A History of Nantucket’s Life-Saving Stations. Volume I. Worcester. 2007. 64 p. Soft wraps. Historic Nantucket: Surfside Life-Saving Station is one of a continuing series of booklets that tell the story of historic lighthouses, lightships and life-saving stations along the New England Coast . The Nantucket coastline has long been one of the most dangerous areas along the New England coast. Over the years four life-saving stations and eight Massachusetts Humane Society stations stood guard over the island’s shores, standing ready to combat the seas in an effort to rescue shipwrecked mariners in their time of need. With thousands of vessels plying the dangerous waters, the chance of a shipping disaster was always great. Hundreds of shipwrecks did indeed occur off the coast with startling losses. Using descriptive text and a variety of vintage images from private as well as museum collections, we get a rare glimpse into the history of the area and the lives of these dedicated government men and women. Author James Claflin combines an extensively researched text with his exquisite collection of vintage photographs, many previously unpublished, to tell the story of this important piece of history. (M). $8.95.  

27259. Barbo, Theresa M., John J. Galluzo and W. Russell Webster. THE PENDLETON DISASTER OFF CAPE COD: THE GREATEST SMALL BOAT RESCUE IN COAST GUARD HISTORY. History Press. 2007. 128p. Soft wraps. Late in February 1952, a northeaster swept New England with bitter cold, snow and gale force winds. East of Chatham 70-knot winds and 60-foot seas battered merchant vessels as the tankers SS Fort Mercer and SS Pendleton met the full force of the storm. They both broke in two on the morning of February 19th with 84 half-frozen men marooned on the battered hulks. Four Coast Guardsmen set out from Cape Cod during a fierce storm in a seemingly impossible quest to locate and rescue the crew of the damaged tanker Pendleton. They returned as heroes. This book chronicles the miraculous true story of Bernie Webber and the Coast Guard 36500. The story of how these men were rescued is retold even today. $19.99.

27223. Sutherland, Kenneth G. UNITED STATES COAST GUARD HARBOR PATROL FLEET 1924-1980. Bloomington. 2007. Soft wraps. 248p. One of the most important activities of the U.S. Coast Guard is Port Security under the control of the Captain of the Port. This book is a first attempt to collect and share data on the various types of small boats used by the  C.O.T.P. On June 15th, 1917, Congress passed the Espionage Act, forming the basis for the Coast Guard's Port Security and Port Safety Missions and by 1918, jurisdiction over the anchorage and movement of vessels in harbors changed from the War Department to the Treasury Department, with Coast Guard officers as Captains of the Ports. The U. S. Coast Guard's Port Security Small Boat Stations and Units have a long and proud tradition of duty and service, from enforcing the rules and regulations to anti-sabotage patrols, search and rescue, fire-fighting, and placing marine inspection teams aboard large supertankers underway in all weather conditions. Covering the period from 1924-1980, this book provides the first look at the variety of craft used to carry out these missions. (M). Published at $34.99. Our price $31.99.

27171. Hall, Thomas. THE T.W. LAWSON: THE FATE OF THE WORLD'S ONLY SEVEN-MASTED SCHOONER. Charlestown . 2006. 160p. Soft wrtaps. Over 70 images. Armed with curiosity and a desire to piece together the story of the world’s only seven-masted schooner, Tom Hall spent years researching, diving on the Lawson wreck and interviewing the relatives of those involved in the rescue efforts. The result of his work is the most complete account of the T.W. Lawson’s story, ranging from her building and launch in Massachusetts to her fated wreck off the Scilly Isles. Wonderfully illustrated, a joy to peruse. (M). $21.99.

27155. Waugh, Chris. MISTY MEMORIES OF GUARD ISLAND, ALASKA – Ketchikan’s Legacy of a Lighthouse Family. Newport . 2006. 135. Soft wraps. In 1952 the author’s young family moved to tiny Guard Island Light Station, 12 miles northwest of Ketchikan , Alaska . As a child, Chris lived at this isolated lighthouse island for almost two years. Her parents related the details of their lives there, and her father took pictures to document them. This story is about their life, laughter and tears as they lived in confinement and isolation. It's also about going back, which they did more than fifty years later. (M).  $14.95.

27179. Kroll, C. Douglas. COMMODORE ELLSWORTH P. BERTHOLF – First Commandant of the Coast Guard. Annapolis. 2002. 160p. DJ. Written by a former Coast Guard officer, the book chronicles Bertholf’s colorful early career with the service when he patrolled the vast reaches of the Pacific, enforced maritime laws regulating the fishing, sealing, and whaling industries, participated in daring rescues, and transported Siberian reindeer from Russia to the starving Inuits. When Ellsworth P. Bertholf was court-martialed and dismissed from the Naval Academy for a hazing incident, no one could have predicted his future greatness. But undaunted by his experience at the academy, Bertholf pursued a career in the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service and by 1902 had earned a special Gold Medal of Honor from the U.S. Congress for his role in a dramatic overland relief expedition to Alaska. By 1915 he had bypassed twenty-two officers senior to him to become the first commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard and went on to successfully steer his fledgling service through the trials of World War I. This biography of the man who has been called the savior of the Coast Guard offers a revealing portrait not only of Bertholf but also of the last years of the Revenue Cutter and Life-Saving Services and the early formative years of the Coast Guard. (F). Published at $39.95. Our price $24.95.

27201. Pinyerd, David. LIGHTHOUSES AND LIFESAVING ON THE OREGON COAST. 2007. Arcadia Publishing. 128 p. Soft wraps. 200 vintage photographs. The Oregon Coast has been the site of shipwrecks even before Lewis and Clark’s arrival in 1805. Even as the population grew, the federal government let the Oregon Coast go unguarded by lighthouses and lifesavers for decades. Economic and political pressures finally forced the government to build the first Oregon lighthouse in 1857 at the Umpqua River. The LifeSaving Service followed in 1878 with a station at the mouth of Coos Bay. Eventually, most of the harbor entrances and headlands were protected by both the Lighthouse Service and the LifeSaving Service, the precursor to today’s Coast Guard. Lighthouses and Lifesaving on the Oregon Coast commemorates the true heroes who served to warn, protect, and rescue those who went to sea. Another in the series from Arcadia , a well known publisher of local and regional histories, this volume draws from public and private collections, most never before published. Superb photographs, well worth it. (M). $19.99

27200. Roales, Judith. DELAWARE LIGHTHOUSES AND RANGE LIGHTS. 2007. Arcadia Publishing. 128 p. Soft wraps. 200 vintage photographs. Delaware does not usually come to mind as one of America’s great maritime states. Yet it has a long history of “firsts,” innovations, and improvements in lighthouse construction and technology dating from the beginning of lighthouse history in the United States. One of the original six lighthouses built before the founding of this country was in Delaware. In the following years, major offshore lighthouses and an extensive system of range lights were established. At the height of its lighthouse history, Delaware had 27 manned light stations that warned mariners of the shoals and colliding currents at the mouth of the Delaware Bay and guided ships safely from the Atlantic Ocean to the inland ports of Wilmington and Philadelphia. Most of Delaware’s lighthouses are gone now, preserved only in faded photographs and yellowed documents such as those collected here. The lights that remain struggle daily to survive the punishing hands of vandals and Mother Nature. Another in the series from Arcadia , a well known publisher of local and regional histories, this volume drawns from public and private collections, most never before published. Superb photographs, well worth it. (M). $19.99

27199. Ewing, Wallace K and David H. Seibold. MARITIME GRAND HAVEN: COAST GUARD CITY USA. 2006. Arcadia Publishing. 128 p. Soft wraps. 200 vintage photographs. Settlers arrived at the mouth of the Grand River on November 2, 1834. Their community was christened Grand Haven, as it offered a secure harbor. As the logging industry grew, shipping expanded, and Grand Haven Harbor became especially busy during the financial boom and westward expansion that followed the Civil War. Northwest Ottawa County became an established resort destination, and passenger boats frequented the harbor as well. Heavy traffic through Grand Haven caused concern about shipwrecks. The first crew of lifesavers was formed in 1871 and soon joined the United States Lifesaving Service. In 1915, the United States Lifesaving Service merged with the United States Coast Guard. Grand Haven has long had a proud association with these dedicated crews, and in 1998, the relationship was marked when Congress designated it “Coast Guard City USA.” Another in the series from Arcadia , a well known publisher of local and regional histories, this volume drawns from public and private collections, most never before published. Superb photographs, well worth it. (M). $19.99

2789. THEY HAD TO GO OUT – True Stories of America’s Coastal Life Savers From The Pages of “Wreck & Rescue Journal”. Gwinn. 2007. Forward by Fred Stonehouse. 208p. Soft wraps. They Had to Go Out represents an unprecedented gathering works of talented historians working in the field of Life Saving Service history, taken from the pages of Wreck & Rescue Journal. Included are the writings of Ralph Shanks, Fred Stonehouse, Dennis L. Noble, Maurice Gibbs, and John Galluzzo.The stories reach from Massachusetts to Michigan to Washington, covering some of the accounts of bravado and selflessness of the men of the U. S. Life Saving Service, shedding more light on perhaps the most exciting aspect of America’s maritime history. (M). Published at $16.95. Our price $15.95.

26323. Trapani , Robert Jr. DELAWARE LIGHTS – A History of Lighthouses in the First State . History Press. 2007. 160 p. Soft wraps. In Delaware Lights, this noted author recounts the stories of twenty-seven beacons from the lost Cape Henlopen Light Station, completed in 1767, to the Marcus Hook Range Rear Light Station, constructed in 1920. He not only discusses their construction and the changes they have undergone, but also tells dramatic tales of their keepers, who sometimes braved storms, isolation and poor conditions so that the lights would stay burning for those at sea. Trapani also brings Delaware ’s lighthouse history full circle by conveying to the reader that though these guiding beacons are now automated and aging, the lights are hardly finished making history here in the 21st century. (M).  $19.99.

27101. Szelog, Thomas and Lee Ann Szelog. OUR POINT OF VIEW – Fourteen Years at a Maine Lighthouse. Down East Books. 2007. 112p. DJ. Beautifully illustrated with 106 color photos by the authors. Our Point of View offers moving personal glimpses about living in a lighthouse keeper's home, as well as arrestingly beautiful visual images of the lighthouse and property and views from this one-of-a-kind vantage point.  Tom and Lee Szelog were the first tenants to live in the newly renovated former lightkeeper’s house at Marshall Point Light in Port Clyde, Maine. Being a professional photographer, Tom naturally kept a visual record of their years at Marshall Point. Both of the Szelogs also kept personal journals, and when the time came to put together a record of their time in this most remarkable home, they delved back into their journals, selecting the most vivid and interesting recollections to share with their readers. After nearly 14 years at the Marshall Point light-keeper’s house, the Szelogs moved to their current home in Whitefield, Maine where they bring this glimpse of their lighthouse life to you. (M). $24.95.

27108. Roberts, William. LIGHTHOUSES AND LIVING ALONG THE FLORIDA GULF COAST. Bloomington. 2005. 97p. Soft wraps. Signed by the author. Here is a true story of the Roberts family's three generations of lighthouse keepers in the U. S. Lighthouse Service. Their dedication and devotion began in 1894 when grandfather was assigned to the Cape St. George Lighthouse in Apalachicola, Florida, and lasted over fifty-eight years and three generations. This account, recorded by a family member, includes their lighthouses, family lives, maintaining and  operating the lighthouses, as well as childhood stories of his  growing up on lighthouse stations during the depression years of the late 1920's and 1930's. (M). $21.95.

2790. Dalton , J. W., THE LIFE SAVERS OF CAPE COD . 1902. Reprint 1991. Parnassus. 155p. Soft wraps. Profusely illustrated with over 100 fine b/w photographs, illustrations and maps, this is certainly the finest and most complete history of the Life-Saving Service and its 13 posts on the outer reaches of Cape Cod ever written. The Life Savers of Cape Cod brings to life a unique age of heroism along the treacherous shores of Olde Cape Cod. In 1902, writer J. W. Dalton set out to visit each of the thirteen U. S. Life-Saving Service stations on Cape Cod, from Wood End in the north to Monomoy Point in the south. His book, The Life Savers of Cape Cod, published late that year, remains the most minutely detailed account of station life at the high point of the service's existence. Dalton's research covers not only the history of the service and descriptions of each station, but also provides a paragraph on each and every keeper and surfman then serving along the Cape's seashore. Also included is information on the men, equipment, construction and modifications of the buildings, rescues,  even entries on the names and habits of the stations' pets. Included too is the account of Keeper Seth Ellis of the Monomoy station, lone survivor of the life-saving disaster of the previous March 17.  Excellent reading on the subject, wonderful photographs. (M).  $9.95.

2739. Smith, Robert H. SMITH’S GUIDE TO MARITIME MUSEUMS OF NORTH AMERICA. Del Mar. 2006. 6th. 250p. with photo CD of maritime subjects. Soft wraps, spiral bound. This month we have received a pair of books by Robert H. Smith that are valuable additions to any maritime history collection. The first is the latest version of  “Maritime Museums of North America” listing over 600 maritime museums, canals and canal locks, and lighthouse museums. Smith’s work has for many years been the only comprehensive guide in print. In it you will find such information as location and how to get there, phone numbers, description of major exhibits, history, gift shops and more. Every page is filled with vivid descriptions of ships on display, lighthouses and their surroundings, and almost anything the author, researcher or visitor would need to know. Fully updated and illustrated. I use this guide as a reference to contact lighthouse related museums and I am sure that it will be of great use to you as well. This latest edition has pointers to museum Web sites and accompanying photo CD with more than 400 images of maritime subjects from around the country organized by state. (M). Published at $19.95.  Our Price $18.95.

26315. Wermiel, Sara E. LIGHTHOUSES: Norton/Library of Congress Visual Sourcebooks in Architecture, Design & Engineering. New York. 2006. 384 p. DJ. This pictorial survey of the icon of steadfastness and strength: the American lighthouse, is the newest addition to the Norton/Library of Congress series. This abundantly illustrated book conveys the romance and beauty of lighthouses and beacons while explaining the development of the forms, materials, architecture, and engineering of their structure: wood, masonry, cast-iron plate, on- and off-shore skeletal, caisson, and reinforced concrete. It covers lighthouses from all parts of the United States from the late eighteenth century to the 1940s, when control of lighthouses was transferred to the U.S. Coast Guard. Numerous images of lighthouses from coast to coast provide examples of striking design and setting, celebrate technological achievement and the work of important engineers, and include associated structures such as keepers' quarters, fog signal buildings, boathouses and boat railroads, cistern buildings, barns, and workshops, as well as interiors and working details of the light mechanisms. With over 1200 illustrations, many of rarely seen views, this is sure to be one of the better books this year. Includes CD-ROM containing all of the images shown in the book for even better viewing. (M). Publisher’s price $75. Our price $69.95.

Signed by the author:

2743.  Fredrickson, Arthur C. and Lucy F. FREDRICKSON'S  HISTORY OF THE ANN ARBOR AUTO AND TRAIN FERRIES - Complete With Pictures. Frankfort. 1994. 158 p. Soft wraps. The carferries came in, and during their brief stay they did so much to develop our present system of transportations, and then were so easily forgotten after they had gone. The facts in this history of Ann Arbor carferries have come from notations in the many log books of these little known vessels. The stories built around these facts were furnished by the knowing seafaring men who were present at these times. As many of these men have long since passed on, these stories are all the more valuable. (M). $9.95.

726b. Coffin, Edward Wayman. NANTUCKET ’S FORGOTTEN ISLAND - MUSKEGET. [self published] 1996. 114p. Soft wraps. Autographed by author. Lying northeast of Nantucket , just eight miles from Martha’s Vineyard , Muskeget is a low bleak island, ringed with sandy shoals and often entrapped by foul weather. Often ice bound in winter with high tides, Muskeget was the scene of many shipwrecks through the years. Its population consisted of the men of the Life-Saving Station with only seasonal increases by the local Island Club gunners taking advantage of the prolific fowl population. This unusual book is written from the point of view of an islander and a surfman (the author’s father served on the island as a surfman). The book relates many interesting tales formerly untold - fully 60% of the book tells of the surfmen and their daily lives, with interesting comments on the life and recreation of the seasonal population. Also included are many rare photographs from private collections. Privately published in a very limited quantity (only 490 printed, quite difficult to find now. (VG+).  $36.

26348. Duncan, Robert C., Roger S. Duncan, W. Wallace Fenn, and Paul W. Fenn THE CRUISING GUIDE TO THE NEW ENGLAND COAST-  Including the Hudson River, Long Island Sound, and the Coast of New Brunswick. New York. 2002. Twelfth Edition  827p. DJ. Here, entirely updated, is the latest edition of the most complete, authoritative cruising guide to the northeastern coast.  The bible for Eastern sailors and power boaters for more than half a century has been thoroughly overhauled and expertly refitted. For the preparation of the twelfth edition, the authors visited nearly all the harbors, talked with harbormasters and marina owners, and reevaluated earlier judgments. The Guide tells you how to dodge bad currents and edge around shoal water, and where to anchor and find essential services, including pump-out stations, fuel docks, and a hot shower. It notes channels and harbors that have been dredged or shoaled up; recently replaced buoys; and changes in marinas, boatyards, and other facilities.  This guide is far more than a traditional cruising guide, providing valuable information on weather, tides, coastal geography and geology, fog, marine birds, animals, sea conditions, and even places of historical interest ashore. The authors—who know these great cruising grounds as old friends—relate the histories of the towns, ports, vessels, lighthouses, and even rocks you'll encounter. Black-and-white photographs and maps throughout. (M). Published at $49.95. Our price $45.  

 26349. Boyer, Marie-France. SPIRIT OF THE SEA. New York. 2003. 120p. DJ. The cry of a seagull, a plume of spray, the bright pink of a plastic float, boxes of glittering fish on the quay, fishermen's wooden sheds—all these stir in us deep memories of the sea. Marie-France Boyer takes us on a voyage to fishing communities along the coasts of the North Atlantic and the shores of the Channel and the North Sea. She takes us to the heart of our collective memory, gathering traces of this separate seagoing world, which is both familiar and romantic. Lines, nets, lobster pots, marker flags, buoys, and anchors—from Boulogne to Birarritz, from Fécamp to the Ile d'Ouessant, from Maine to Norfolk, there remains an ancient repertoire, a visual imagery of richness and power. This book celebrates the harsh and singular world of fishermen, and reveals the poetry of the everyday. 147 illustrations, 131 in color. (M). $24.95.

26299. Hoyt, Susan Roark. LIGHTHOUSES OF NORTHWEST MICHIGAN. Chicago. 2004. 128 p. Soft wraps. Lighthouses of Northwest Michigan is a companion to the author’s first work Lighthouses Of Southwest Michigan. This work completes the history, covering the lighthouses on Lake Michigan’s eastern shore. When settlers first reached this area, rudimentary harbors in this area made docking and loading hazardous while shoals and reefs, hidden beneath the water's surface, threatened to ravage the unsuspecting vessels. The need for lighthouses to mark these dangerous waters and harbor entrances was crucial to prevent the loss of lives and valuable cargo. Through a rare collection of archival photographs, this book explores these fascinating structures and the people who maintained them. (M). $19.99. 

26327. Bunting, W. H. THE CAMERA’S COAST - Historic Images of Ship and Shore in New England. Historic New England . 2006. 144p. 252 B&W photographs and color illustrations. With an Introduction by John R. Stilgoe. The Camera’s Coast: Historic Images of Ship and Shore in New England is a wonderful collection of historic photographs, paired with a rich assortment of ephemera—the subtle colors of an old postcard, the seductive details of an advertisement, a gay poster—engagingly captioned by W. H. Bunting. This page-by-page panorama of New England coastal activity from the late-nineteenth to the early twentieth centuries ranges from the ordinary to the extraordinary, from leisure and recreation to hard work. The imagery is mostly bygone but still strongly connected to our present-day landscape. Begun several years ago as a traveling Historic New England exhibition of photographs with informative captions by guest curator and maritime historian Bunting, he brings these vintage photographs to life with their stories – a captivating account. In this beautifully designed book, additional images from Historic New England's diverse collection of ephemera have been carefully selected by the editors to augment the photographs and to flesh out Bunting’s stories. Wonderful gift or reference. (M). $29.95.

26300. Muller, Robert G. NEW YORK STATE LIGHTHOUSES. Chicago. 2004. 128 p. Soft wraps. New York State Lighthouses explores the great lighthouse heritage of New York State. Second only to Michigan in the number of lighthouses it contains, New York boasts a lighthouse legacy that stretches from the Great Lakes to the tip of Long Island. Many of these lighthouses, even some no longer in existence, were photographed for use on early postcards and these images are assembled for the first time in the pages of this book. The culmination of over five years of research and study, this work provides a most interesting view of New York’s many light stations. (M).   $19.99.

26279. Duffus, Kevin P. SHIPWRECKS OF THE OUTER BANKS – An Illustrated Guide. Raleigh . 2006. 176p. Soft wraps. It is the most frequently asked question by visitors to North Carolina ’s Outer Banks. Once, the remains of shipwrecks covered nearly every mile of shoreline. Today, most have vanished—either salvaged, burned, buried, stolen or vandalized—but not all. Hundreds of rare and remarkable photographs have also survived. Researcher, writer and filmmaker, Kevin Duffus, has roamed the beaches and searched the faded files of archives to create this photographic companion to historian David Stick’s definitive, “Graveyard of the  Atlantic .” Four color format with over 250 images, Duffus' new book is a visual record of shipwrecks and their legacy—lifesaving, salvage, rumors of wreckers, and the hundreds of forgotten shipwreck victims buried among the dunes. Duffus explains the various causes of shipwrecks and why there is a Graveyard of the  Atlantic in the first place, what it was like for passengers and crews when ships crashed into the breakers along the banks, and the true stories of some of the most incredible rescues. Duffus shares the memories of the Outer Banks’ last living lighthouse keeper, the descendants of lifesavers, residents who played on shipwrecks as children, and one well-known historian who used to dance on the deck of a wrecked vessel. In addition to GPS locations and directions to dozens of wreck sites, this book includes new research on historic sites altered by inlet migration and a tribute to the forgotten heroes of the islands. The book's foreword was written by David Stick, who has described the volume as the long-awaited sequel to his nearly six decade old and still in print, Graveyard of the  Atlantic . (M). $24.95.

26280. (DVD). The Graveyard of the Atlantic - 400 Years of Shipwrecks, Mysteries and Heroic Rescues. A film by Kevin Duffus. For more than four centuries, seafaring vessels have traversed the tempestuous and deadly ocean waters that have been known, nearly as long, as the Graveyard of the Atlantic. In all, more than 1,000 unlucky vessels and their crews and passengers were forced to make the ocean waters and beaches along North Carolina’s Outer Banks their final port of call, representing one of the greatest densities of shipwrecks in the world. It is simply one of the most dramatic and poignant chapters in U.S. maritime history. Featured in this award-winning 90-minute film are the unparalleled rescues of the crews of the Ephraim Williams (1884) and the Priscilla (1899). Learn how shipwrecks provided a way of life and often a means of survival for the residents of these isolated barrier islands. Rare interviews with native Outer Bankers who witnessed many shipwrecks relate the excitement, intrigue and compassion caused by the shouts, “Ship ashore!” Narrated by popular newscaster and musician, Bill Leslie. 90 minute DVD $19.95.  

26281. (DVD) War Zone - World War II Off North Carolina’s Outer Banks. A film by Kevin Duffus. In 1942, the United States suffered one of its worst defeats of WWII, not in Europe or the Pacific, but along the nation’s eastern seaboard. Three hundred ninety-seven ships were sunk or damaged and nearly 5,000 people were killed. For six months, 65 German U-boats hunted merchant ships practically unopposed within view of coastal communities. The greatest concentration of these attacks occurred off North Carolina’s Outer Banks. “War Zone” features eyewitness accounts of lifesavers, merchant sailors and residents, and describes how life was altered when war was waged on Outer Banker’s doorsteps. Learn the truth behind decades-old urban legends of German spies, saboteurs and sympathizers. Viewers will marvel at the courage of a young mother who delivered her newborn son in a storm-tossed lifeboat off Cape Hatteras and how the event marked a turning point in the battle of “Torpedo Junction.” Most amazing is the first-hand account of the nearly calamitous first engagement between a U-boat and a U.S. Navy destroyer, and the sinking of the U-701, just 22 miles from Hatteras. “War Zone” is a story of infamy, irony, and innocence lost. 180 minute 2-DVD Set $19.95. 

Just Out. 26143. Porter, Jane Molloy. FRIENDLY EDIFICES: PISCATAQUA LIGHTHOUSES AND OTHER AIDS TO NAVIGATION 1771-1939. Portsmouth. 2006. 568 pp. Cloth covered. 168 illustrations. The five lighthouses of the Piscataqua region of New Hampshire and Maine are among the most admired structures of their type in America - Nubble Light, York, Maine; Boon Island Light, Maine; Whale’s Back Light, Kittery, Maine; White Island Light, Rye, New Hampshire; Fort Constitution Light, New Castle, New Hampshire. The construction of a lighthouse is not a simple matter. In addition to being able to project a warning light, the structure also must be able to withstand the foul coastal weather, especially here where the North Atlantic brings crashing waves and strong winds. Before a lighthouse could be built, funds had to be authorized usually from public sources, and politicians, whether local or state or national, had to be convinced that the expenditure is warranted. After lighthouse specifications were written, contractors had to carry out those plans. Bricks, wood, iron, and steel have supported the local lights for centuries, although four of the five lighthouses have been replaced at least once. Finally, the lights had to be maintained, a task originally charged to a keeper and often his family lived with him. In addition to the extensive details about lighthouse construction, maintenance, and operation, the author also discusses the design and placement of various aids to navigation, such as the river and ocean buoys that protect mariners from hidden rocks and ledges, fog signals, and breakwaters that created safe harbors. Chock full of superb information, vintage as well as color images and much more will keep you engrossed for many hours. If you get only one book this year, this should be the one. (M). Published at $34.95. Our price $32.95. 

26264. Snyder, James D. A LIGHT IN THE WILDERNESS The Story of the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse & the Southeast Florida Frontier.  North Pa lm Beach . 2006. 287p. DJ. Filled with vintage photographs. In his fourth book about South Florida’s rich history, James D. Snyder explores the role of the Jupiter Lighthouse and how it transformed the southeastern coast of Florida . $35,000 was provided by Congress in 1853 for establishing a lighthouse “near Jupiter inlet, to mark the dangerous shoals lying of that point, and to guide vessels along that coast.” With the completion of the lighthouse plans, five hundred tons of building materials were assembled and shipped to the  Indian River inlet using shallow draft scows. However, in 1855, just as construction on the tower had started, a group of careless surveyors in the  Everglades destroyed the prized banana plants of Chief Billy Bowlegs, touching off the Third Seminole War. Despite these difficulties, and a combination of malaria and yellow fever, brick by brick, the tower slowly rose to its preordained height of 108 feet. A two-story dwelling for a head keeper and two assistants was built near the base of the hill in 1859. After $60, 859.98, almost twice the original appropriation, was spent on the construction work, the lighthouse finally commenced operation on July 10, 1860. With more than seventy rare photos, maps and letters, Mr. Snyder will describe how the lighthouse construction progressed, and how the region survived the aftermath of the Civil War and built the steamboat-railroad link that brought the first influx of pioneers to this “Garden of Eden.” (M). $27.95.  

26212. Tag, Thomas A.  CHURCH STEEPLES AND FOG SIGNALS. Dayton. 2006. 20p. Spiral bound. Thomas Tag has long been probably the only authority on lamps, lens apparatus and illumination for lighthouses, with his articles on the subject appearing in our catalogue, as well as the U. S. Lighthouse Society’s Keeper’s Log, Lighthouse Digest and other publications. Now Tom has added still another volume to his list of publications – Church Steeples and Fog Signals. This detailed account covers a long neglected area of lighthouse equipment – the mechanical weight-driven fog bell strikers. The author covers a history of fog bells, bell construction, wave actuated bells and clockwork-striking machinery. Included are Lowell Fog Bell Strikers, Custer Strikers, Daboll Strikers, Stevens, Gamewell, and more. Thoroughly illustrated with early photographs and  drawings, this booklet makes most interesting reading.  (M). #26212   $26.

26239. Butts, Ed. GUIDING LIGHTS TRAGIC SHADOWS. Toronto. 2006. 272p. A peaceful lighthouse at Prescott, Ontario, was once the flashpoint of American invasion in an undeclared war. Robbers called "Blackbirds" preyed on Lake Erie shipping, using false beacons to confuse their victims. The lighthouse at Oswego, New York, was the site of one of the worst disasters in the history of the United States Coast Guard. A Lake Huron lightkeeper wiped snow off the window of his lamp room, and inadvertently caused a shipwreck. A 14-year-old Detroit River lightkeeper¹s daughter was the heroine in a courageous rescue. Lighthouses, from the Upper St. Lawrence River to the head of Lake Superior, have played an integral role in the history, romance, lore and legends of the Lakes. The towers and their keepers bore witness to, and participated in, the dramas of war, shipwrecks, and daring rescues. All while enduring the privations of one of the loneliest occupations on earth. $24.95

26236. Baird, David. LIGHTHOUSES OF ATLANTIC CANADA. 240p. Calgary. 2003. Soft wraps. This colorful book traces the origins of more than 250 lighthouses from the beginning to the present day. This expansive volume is packed with more than 350 photographs and illustrations depicting light stations from the famed Peggy's Point to more remote outposts. Includes some great vintage photos, as well as views of lanterns, lenses and more. Also included are access maps and driving instructions for visiting the lighthouses. Highly recommend. (M). $24.95.

26208. Wardius, Barb and Ken. CANA ISLAND LIGHTHOUSE. Arcadia Publishing. 2006. 128 p. Soft wraps. The beautiful peninsula of Door County has a long and bountiful tradition of maritime history, including its many lighthouses, and the Cana Island has illuminated the coastline on the Lake Michigan side of Door County for over 100 years. The Cana Island Lighthouse is one of the most picturesque of any lighthouses still operating on the Great Lakes today. The Wardiuses’ interest in lighthouses began at Cana Island nearly 30 years ago. Today, their prints and photos carry the island’s history for future generations. Now they have put the island’s rich lighthouse history into a book, filled with more than 200 archival photographs of the light, keepers and their families, equipment, everyday routines and more. Rare station and crew images  are especially noteworthy. (M).  $19.99.  

26211. LaGuardia-Kotite, Martha J. So Others May Live – Coast Guard Rescue Swimmers: Saving Lives, Defying Death. Guilford. 2006. 208p. DJ. So Others May Live is the untold story of the U.S. Coast Guard’s quiet but resolute rescue swimmers. From deep ocean caves on the Oregon coast to the panicked and chaotic streets of post-Katrina New Orleans, here are their stunningly heroic stories and the greatest maritime rescues attempted since the program began in 1985. These feats, told through the eyes of the heroes, reveal an understanding of how and why the rescuer, with flight crew assistance, risks his or her own life to reach out to save a stranger. The book covers diverse environments: oceans, hurricanes, oil rigs, caves, sinking vessels, floods, and even Niagara Falls. It is truly a can’t-put-it-down collection of accounts. (M). ). Published at $22.95.  Our Price $21.95.  

949. Strobridge, Truman R. and Dennis L. Noble. ALASKA AND THE U. S. REVENUE CUTTER SERVICE, 1867-1915. 288p 1999. Stiff wraps. Not long after the United States purchased Alaska in 1867, the U. S. Revenue Cutter Service made its first appearance in Alaska . During the next forty-eight years the ships and men of the USRCS firmly established U.S. sovereignty in Alaska and the Bering Sea and performed amazing acts of heroism. In this scholarly work the authors bring together scattered documentation to chronicle events in the service’s colorful history. Wonderfully illustrated with 30 photographs. (M). Pub. At $32.95.                                                                                                                                              Our Price $29.65.

26193. DeRaps, Ernest G. (US Coast Guard, Retired) and Pauline E Fitzgerald DeRaps. LIGHTHOUSE KEEPING / LIGHT HOUSEKEEPING. Wells. 2006. 128 p. Soft wraps. Two lighthouse books in one - FogHorn Publishing has just released a very unique book, which is actually two books in one, of the memories and stories of lighthouse life from the first hand accounts of a family that actually lived the lighthouse life. This unique book is written with two titles - Lighthouse Keeping, by Coast Guard Keeper Ernest G. DeRaps and Light Housekeeping, by his wife Pauline DeRaps. This wonderful book, depicting the DeRaps’s family life on three Penobscot Bay Maine lighthouses and Ernest’s life at a stag station south of Vinalhaven, Maine. It is packed with amazing and heartwarming stories that are more than just a “good read”. In fact, we’ll bet that you won’t be able to stop reading once you start. First you can read Ernest DeRaps stories as he recalls the life of a lighthouse keeper. His stories are intertwined with his own original pen & ink sketches of life at the lighthouses. After reading Ernest’s side of the story and viewing the full color photos, you will then need to flip the book 180 degrees and read Pauline’s side of the story for an entirely different perspective of the same events and stories. This book is a must have for a lighthouse aficionado. (M).  $19.95.  

26148. Mills, Chris. LIGHTHOUSE LEGACIES. Halifax. 2006. Imagine living your life perched on a tiny island, without electricity, exposed to the fury of the sea, and always at the service of the mariner. This is how lightkeepers and their families spent their lives, even up until the 1960s. We are very close to losing the last of the people who lived this isolated life and experienced the heyday of lightkeeping in Canada. Lighthouse Legacies lets us share in the memories of those who kept the lights. These stories are presented largely in the words of the people, with context and history by author Chris Mills. Each chapter deals with an element of lighthouse life and is complemented by photos from lighthouse family collections, the Coast Guard and Mills’ own collection. Great reading. (M). $24.95

Claflin, James W. HISTORIC NANTUCKET LIGHTSHIPS: NEW SOUTH SHOAL 1854-1896. 72 pages. 20 vintage photos. Worcester. 2005. $8.95

Other titles in this series include: Brant Point Lighthouse, Sankaty Head Lighthouse, Great Point Lighthouse, Race Point Lighthouse.

Just Out. 26135. Harrison, Timothy E. PORTLAND HEAD LIGHT - A Pictorial Journey Through Time. Wells. 2006. 154 p. Soft wraps. 8 ½” x 11”. An unusual format, this detailed work by noted lighthouse historian and writer Tim Harrison utilizes over 100 early photographs, postcard views and other images to detail the lives of the keepers of Portland Head Light, from the days of the U.S. Lighthouse Service to the days of U.S Coast Guard and then the present. Superb accounts by keeper and author Robert Sterling, as well as members of the Strout family, who kept the light at Portland Head for over 100 years, make this a most interesting read. Includes many early, rare photos, memories and storied about the keepers and their families, their pets, work and improvements to the station over the years, and much more. (M). $24.95

26164. Kellogg, James [ed]. Burke, Harry Rosencrans. FROM THE DAY’S JOURNEY. St. Louis. 2006. 129p. Soft wraps. Harry Rosecrans Burke worked as a newspaper reporter and later editor in rural Iowa, Oregon, Idaho and California from 1915 until his retirement in the 1950’s. In 1924 he completed his book of essays on local St. Louis history in his book From the Day's Journey. Here local author and historian James Kellogg has republished this rare work giving us the opportunity to look through this window into the past. Burke's original essays about St. Louis locales from the 1920s and '30s have been expanded by the author’s notes and recollections as he revisits many of the same places and subjects to add his own updates to the material. (M).   $39.95.

2699. D’Entremont, Jeremy. THE LIGHTHOUSES OF RHODE ISLAND. Beverly. 2006. Soft wraps. 240 p. With The Lighthouses of Rhode Island, author Jeremy D’Entremonthe continues his new series, "Lighthouse Treasury," which describes the fascinating history of our American lighthouses, state by state. Read about: A feud between two keepers at Whale Rock Light led to a harrowing life-and-death chase; The hurricane of 1938 devastated the state's lighthouses. The keepers at Plum Beach Light off North Kingstown miraculously escaped with their lives; others weren't so lucky; Ida Lewis lived at Newport's Lime Rock Light for more than 60 years and became one of the world's most celebrated lightkeepers; The keeper and his family at Block Island North Light aided the survivors of one of New England's worst shipwrecks, the Larchmont disaster of 1907; Pomham Rocks Light on the Providence River was home to a famous fish-catching cat; and much more. The Lighthouses of Rhode Island is meticulously researched and copiously illustrated, with photographs from the author's enormous collection. (M).  $14.95

Once Again Available:

8207. Chenery, Richard L. III., OLD COAST GUARD STATIONS VOLUME I – VIRGINIA: POPES ISLAND TO FALSE CAPE . 2004. 2nd.  94p. Soft wraps. 70 photographs and illustrations. Just Released by well known author Richard L. Chenery, III. In this first of a series, Mr. Chenery provides wonderful details about the little known early years of the Coast Guard. Included are recollections of veteran surfmen, surfmen’s uniform and insignia, beach apparatus drills, covers the Early Coast Period from 1915 to early 1960’s, details surfboats, motor lifeboats and DUKWs, pulling boat drills and races, WW II beach patrols, Life-Saving Branch, and much more…Mr Chenery has been researching the early Coast Guard for a number of years and has a particularly fine knowledge of early uniforms and insignia, as well as stations and equipment. In Volume I he covers the lifeboat stations in Virginia in wonderful detail, with excellent photos and illustrations, many never before published. 8 ½” x 11”. A MUST for your library !              Retail priced at only $17.95.

20248. Chenery, Richard L. III., OLD COAST GUARD STATIONS VOLUME II – NORTH CAROLINA. 2004. 2nd.  123p. Soft wraps. 113 photographs and illustrations, with 2 maps of North Carolina lifeboat station locations. Just Released by well known author Richard L. Chenery, III. In this second in the series, Mr. Chenery provides covers all 29 of the old lifeboat stations along this section of coastline. Included are wonderful details about the little known early years of the Coast Guard along the North Carolina coast. Included are recollections of veteran surfmen, surfmen’s uniform and insignia, beach apparatus drills, covers the Early Coast Period from 1915 to the 1950’s, details surfboats, motor lifeboats and DUKWs, award of gold and silver lifesaving medals, Coast Guard Day surfboat races, heroic rescues, the last breeches buoy rescue in North Carolina, WW II beach patrols, Life-Saving Branch, and much more…Mr Chenery has been researching the early Coast Guard for a number of years and has a particularly fine knowledge of early uniforms and insignia, as well as stations and equipment. In Volume I Mr. Chenery covered the lifeboat stations in Virginia in wonderful detail, with excellent photos and illustrations, many never before published. 8 ½” x 11”. A MUST for your library !       Retail priced at only $17.95.

26134. Trapani , Robert Jr. LIGHTHOUSES OF MARYLAND AND VIRGINIA – History, Mystery, Legends and Lore. Elkton. 2006. 170 P. Soft wraps. Lighthouses Of Maryland and Virginia presents stories and photographs of 20 lighthouses with the focus being the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Coast. Trapani 's stories feature unusual incidents associated with each silent sentinel. Tales of murder and intrigue, along with storms, explosions, shipwrecks, ghost stories and romance are spotlighted in this easy-to-read collection of short stories. Using historical photographs, U.S. Coast Guard documents, newspaper articles and personal interviews, Trapani has created an informative and interesting book that shares an import part of the region's history and lore. Maryland Lights include: Bloody Point Bar, Concord Point, Great Shoals, Holland Island Bar, Point Lookout, Seven Foot Knoll, Sharkfin Shoal, Sharps Island, Thomas Point Shoal, and Turkey Point.Virginia Lights include: Assateague, Back River, Killock Shoal, Lambert's Point, Smith Point, Thimble Shoal, Wolf Trap and York Spit. There also is information on preservation efforts at Thomas Point Shoal, Hooper Strait, Drum Point and Piney Point lights. Particularly interesting are the accounts if the keepers’ lives, their difficulties and efforts to make do. (M).  $11.95.  

26133. Fischer, Katrina Sigsbee and Alex A. Hurst. ANTON OTTO FISCHER: Marine Artist. Nantucket. 1984. 235 p. DJ. Signed by the author. Published in 1984 and long out-of-print, this is a fascinating, generously illustrated biography of an impoverished man who became a much loved marine artist. A seaman first, Anton Otto Fischer (1882-1962) got his start in the art world as a model and general helper for A.B. Frost, later becoming a very popular illustrator for such publications as The Saturday Evening Post. He also illustrated Moby Dick, 20,000 Leagues under the Sea and the rare tale "Tugboat Annie." The marine paintings collected here often depict the dramatic moments of battle and their aftermath, and the trials of travel and immigration by ocean. Beautifully detailed with strong emotional content. 235 illustrations include photographs, sketches, drawings, pen & ink, and paintings (many in color). $45

26122. Tag, Thomas A. THE FRESNEL LENS MAKERS PART V – THE BARBIER, BENARD AND TURENNS (BBT) LENS WORKS. Dayton . 2006. 11 P. Soft wraps. Thomas Tag has long been probably the only authority on lamps, lens apparatus and illumination for lighthouses, with his articles on the subject appearing in our catalogue, as well as the U. S. Lighthouse Society’s Keeper’s Log, Lighthouse Digest and other publications. Now Tom has added still another volume to his list of publications – The Fresnel Lens Makers Part V – The Barbier, Benard And Turenns (BBT) Lens Works. Part V of six parts, describes the development of the early Fresnel lenses and defines the companies and individuals who took part in this effort. Augustin Fresnel had assistance from many sources as he developed and perfected his lens. This part details the work of the Barbier, Benard And Turenns (BBT) in France. From its beginnings in the 1860’s  the company was one of the leading makers of Fresnel lenses for the world market, and to its current status as today’s Samtec-Gisman Company, still producing navigation buoys.  (M).  $26.

2679. Shanks, Ralph and Lisa Woo Shanks, Editor. INDIAN BASKETS OF CENTRAL CALIFORNIA - ART, CULTURE, AND HISTORY. Native American Basketry From San Francisco Bay And Monterey Bay North To Mendocino And East To The Sierras. Novato. 2006. 176 p. 200 photographs. DJ. This unique book provides a complete study of the exquisite Native American basketry from the San Francisco Bay Area and the Monterey Bay region north to Sonoma, Napa, and Mendocino and eastward across the Sacramento Valley to the crest of the Sierras. Baskets of the Pomo, Ohlone (Costanoan), Coast Miwok, Esselen, Huchnom, Lake Miwok, Maidu, Wappo, and Yuki people are lavishly illustrated and knowledgably and sensitively described. Color photographs and drawings illustrate the rare, fine California Indian baskets from museum and private collections in the United States and Europe. The vast majority of these baskets are illustrated for the first time. Ralph Shanks is vice president of the Miwok Archaeological Preserve of Marin. Lisa Woo Shanks is editor of the Basketry of California and Oregon Series. They are the authors of The North American Indian Travel Guide, The U.S. Life Saving Service, Lighthouses of San Francisco Bay, and more, with other works on the horizon. (M). $44.95.

2644. Belyk, Robert C. GREAT SHIPWRECKS OF THE PACIFIC COAST. New York. 2001. 276 p. DJ. Fascinating, never-before-documented stories of the worst shipwrecks on the Pacific Coast during the golden age of coastal transportation, 1854 to 1929. The eighty years spanning the California gold rush to the start of the Great Depression saw thousands of passengers and crews perish in Pacific steamship wrecks. In Great Shipwrecks of the Pacific Coast, author Robert Belyk looks beyond commonly provided-and frequently superficial-public explanations of weather conditions or human error, and closely examines ten significant maritime disasters that occurred along the Pacific coastline from California to Alaska. Filled with the drama of life and death aboard doomed ships, Belyk brings to life the struggles of real people caught in desperate situations when disaster strikes at sea. Illustrated with rare photographs and drawings. The shipwrecks accounted for here include: Yankee Blade: Wreck of a Gold Ship, Brother Jonathan: In the Teeth of the Dragon, Pacific: The Final Whistle, Rio de Janeiro: Death of a City, Clallam: The "Hoodoo" Ship, Valencia: Appointment with Death, Columbia: Disaster off Shelter Cove, Francis H. Leggett: Battle Lost, Princess Sophia: A Grave Error, San Juan: End of an Era. (F). $19.95.

2645. Hairr, John. NORTH CAROLINA LIGHTHOUSES AND LIFESAVING STATIONS. 2004. Arcadia Publishing. 128p. Soft wraps. With bold capes jutting into the ocean, sandy shoals extending miles offshore, fickle weather, and treacherous currents, it is no wonder that the coastline North Carolina came to be known as the “The Graveyard of the Atlantic.” For more than two centuries, these bright beacons of safety have guided ships into busy harbors, signaled dangerous navigational obstacles, and warmed the hearts of homesick travelers. North Carolina Lighthouses and Lifesaving Stations presents to readers the tales behind the lighthouses and life-saving stations, illuminating their past in both word and image. Through more than 200 archival photographs, stories of shipwrecks, rescues, service, and pride spring to life. Rare station and crew are especially noteworthy. (M).  $19.99.

2629. Clifford, J. Candace and Mary Louise. MIND THE LIGHT KATIE: THE HISTORY OF THIRTY-THREE FEMALE LIGHTHOUSE KEEPERS. Alexandria. 2006. 144 p. 56 illustrations. Mary Louise and J. Candace Clifford’s book Women Who Kept the Lights: An Illustrated History of Female Lighthouse Keepers has been so popular the authors have prepared a condensed version for younger readers age 12 and up. The 144 women who served as principal keeper for more than a year are listed in the longer book. The 33 women presented here are those whose lives were recorded in logs, journals, official correspondence, newspaper articles and obituaries, and recollections by their children and grandchildren. Kateie was 44 years old when her son Jacob rowed his stepfather, John Walker, ill with pneumonia, to Staten Island for medical treatment. John’s last words to his wife were, "Mind the light, Katie." John, official keeper of the Robbins Reef Lighthouse, never returned. Although she was paid only a laborer’s wage, Kate faithfully minded the light until she finally received the keeper’s appointment in 1894. Her only communication with the mainland was by rowboat or through the periodic calls of the lighthouse tender bringing supplies. Assisted by her son Jacob, Kate kept the Robbins Reef Light until 1919. (M). $12.95. 

25381. Muller, Bob. LONG ISLAND’S LIGHTHOUSES – PAST AND PRESENT. Patchogue. 2004. 383p. Soft wraps. Long Island’s Lighthouses – Past And Present is the culmination of over five years of research and study from local and national sources. While several books have chronicled Long Island’s lighthouses, none have included all of the structures including those that have been lost over the years. Filled with stories and photos never before presented, as well as architectural plans and more. I particularly enjoy the images and information about the many LHS and Coast Guard keepers. Well done, an invaluable reference for the area. (M). Published at $25. Our price $23.95.  

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23379. Hahn-Pedersen, Morten. DANISH NORTH SEA LIGHTSHIPS. Esbjerg . Denmark 1991 64 p. Soft wraps. Lightships are not uniquely Danish--floating lights have been placed at sea where fixed lights cannot penetrate for over a hundred years. Since the Second World War, technological developments have rendered them obsolete, but they have a fascinating history. This book is the most comprehensive on the subject yet written, with information about the ships' construction, life on board, the seamen who sailed them, and the potential tragedies the lightships have prevented. Filled with excellent vintage photographs. In English. (M).  $44.

2217. Department of Commerce. Lighthouse Service. INSTRUCTIONS TO LIGHT KEEPERS. Wash. GPO. 1911. 26 p. Nicely done reprint. Includes general instructions for all employees, instructions for Light-Keepers, instructions to all stations and vessels equipped with fog signals, instructions relating to light vessels, and much more. Includes all aspects of station and apparatus maintenance. A complete and important document. $8.55.

25230. MacAlindin, Bob. PRISONERS OF THE SEA. Milford Haven. 1999. 176 p. Soft wraps. The crews and the lightships that they manned were the prisoners of an alien environment. For the men it was, in the main, a voluntary exile, that was marginally better for a seaman than voyaging the seven seas and being away from their families for years. For the ships, anchored in one place at the mercy of the buffeting sea, it was a trail between their builder and nature. In spite of this the prisoners enjoyed sunny afternoons fishing and yarning, but were always ready, whatever the weather, to risk their lives to rescue less fortunate seamen whose ships had tried to impale themselves on the very mark that the light vessel was guarding them against. The author traces the development of these "prisons" from the early almost unseaworthy wooden hulks to the modern well founded, all steel, high-tech light vessel, and includes many stories from the crews´ point of view. (M). $29.95.

2232. Trapani, Robert Jr., INDIAN RIVER LIFE-SAVING STATION… JOURNEY ALONG THE SANDS… THE U.S. LIFE-SAVING YEARS, 1876-1915. Virginia Beach. 2002. 64p. Soft wraps. Signed by the author. This lovely addition to our library weaves the history of the Life-Saving Service into this account of life at the Delaware’s Indian River Inlet Life-Saving Station. Laid out chronologically, this booklet provides an intimate look at this station’s important history and its impact on the region. Includes over 55 wonderful photographs and color reproductions, keeper and crew accounts, shipwrecks, equipment and more. Nicely done. (M). $11.95.

25238. D’Entremont, Jeremy. THE LIGHTHOUSES OF CONNECTICUT. Beverly. 2005. Soft wraps. 192 p. With The Lighthouses of Connecticut, author Jeremy D’Entremont inaugurates a new series, "Lighthouse Treasury," which describes the fascinating history of our American lighthouses, state by state. There are 20 Connecticut lighthouses today, from Great Captain Island off Greenwich to Stonington Harbor at the Rhode Island border, and D'Entremont has unearthed everything from unassailable fact to improbable ghost story. He doesn't stop with the lighthouses we see today. The Lighthouses of Connecticut also has chapters on major lights that have disappeared, Sperry Lighthouse in New Haven Harbor and the Bridgeport Harbor Lighthouse, as well as a chapter on lightships and some smaller lights that once protected traffic on the Connecticut River. Read about:  The keeper at Green's Ledge Light off Norwalk, who went on a binge ashore, leaving his assistant nearly to starve to death. Two years later, the assistant's brother replaced him and, in an apparent act of revenge, abandoned the new head keeper, who nearly starved to death himself, or how isolation has driven keepers and their assistants insane. One keeper had to stay awake two days and nights, fending off his assistant, who threatened him with a razor lashed to the end of a spar, and much more. The Lighthouses of Connecticut is meticulously researched and copiously illustrated, with photographs from the author's enormous collection. (M).  $14.95  

20230. Farson, Robert H., TWELVE MEN DOWN – Massachusetts Sea Rescues. Yarmouth Port.2000. 246p. 191 photos and illustrations. In Colonial Days Massachusetts turned to the sea for her livelihood. With the growth of coastal and deepwater fleets, many trips ended in disaster. The loss of life was so great that in the late 1700’s the Massachusetts Humane Society was formed. Their work up to World War II, and the work of its successor the U. S. Life-Saving Service, are detailed in this wonderful new work. From Martha’s Vineyard and Cuttyhunk, to Nantucket, Cape Cod and up the coast to  Salisbury Beach, there were small stations with surfboats and breeches buoy apparatus. This is a book about rescues near the coast by men who rowed small boats into mountainous waves, many in bitterly cold weather. Thousands of sailors were saved by these intrepid men and their story of selfless dedication comes alive in Mr. Farson’s work. Nicely illustrated with numerous vintage photographs. (M). (Published at $36.)  Special Purchase Price. $24.95. 

2338b. Grant, John. STAYING AT A LIGHTHOUSE - America's Most Romantic Lighthouse Inns. Guilford. 2005. 104 p. Soft wraps. New Updated edition. Whether they were abandoned long ago or still stand as beacons in the fog, hundreds of lighthouses decorate the beautiful shores of North America. But only a few invite people to stay the night. Staying at a Lighthouse visits these unique overnight havens, offering a personal tour of the most sought-after landmarks in the country. A few of them operate as grand bed-and-breakfast inns. Others provide a more rustic experience, offering guests a retreat from the hustle and bustle of their daily lives. Still others allow visitors to assume the role of lighthouse keeper for a short time. But they all provide an experience that is romantic, renewing, and above all, memorable. Readers can step back in time at these and many other coastal towers: • Heceta Head Lighthouse, Oregon • East Brother Light Station, California • Sand Hills Lighthouse Inn, Michigan • Rose Island Lighthouse, Rhode Island • Saugerties Lighthouse, New York • Race Point Lighthouse, Massachusetts • Monomoy Point Lighthouse, Massachusetts • The Keeper's House Inn, Maine Information provided in each profile includes history of the lighthouse and the area, background of the present-day keepers, and a description of the accommodations and the guest experience, plus all pertinent practical contact details. (M). $11.95.  

26122. Tag, Thomas A. THE FRESNEL LENS MAKERS PART V – THE BARBIER, BENARD AND TURENNS (BBT) LENS WORKS. Dayton . 2006. 11 P. Soft wraps. Thomas Tag has long been probably the only authority on lamps, lens apparatus and illumination for lighthouses, with his articles on the subject appearing in our catalogue, as well as the U. S. Lighthouse Society’s Keeper’s Log, Lighthouse Digest and other publications. Now Tom has added still another volume to his list of publications – The Fresnel Lens Makers Part V – The Barbier, Benard And Turenns (BBT) Lens Works. Part V of six parts, describes the development of the early Fresnel lenses and defines the companies and individuals who took part in this effort. Augustin Fresnel had assistance from many sources as he developed and perfected his lens. This part details the work of the Barbier, Benard And Turenns (BBT) in France. From its beginnings in the 1860’s  the company was one of the leading makers of Fresnel lenses for the world market, and to its current status as today’s Samtec-Gisman Company, still producing navigation buoys.  (M).  $26.

2659. Tag, Thomas A. THE FRESNEL LENS MAKERS PART IV - CHANCE BROTHERS GLASS WORKS. Dayton. 2006. Soft wraps. Thomas Tag has long been probably the only authority on lamps, lens apparatus and illumination for lighthouses, with his articles on the subject appearing in our catalogue, as well as the U. S. Lighthouse Society’s Keeper’s Log, Lighthouse Digest and other publications. Now Tom has added still another volume to his list of publications – The Fresnel Lens Makers Part IV Chance Brothers Glass Works. Part IV of six parts, describes the development of the early Fresnel lenses and defines the companies and individuals who took part in this effort. Augustin Fresnel had assistance from many sources as he developed and perfected his lens. This part details the work of the Chance Brothers Company in England, from its beginning as a glass window maker to its production of Fresnel lenses for the world market, and to its final demise in 1977 after being divided into several companies.  (M).  $26.

25335. Tag, Thomas A. THE FRESNEL LENS MAKERS PART III THE HENRY-LEPAUTE LENS WORKS. Dayton. 2005. 8 p. Spiral bound. Thomas Tag has long been probably the only authority on lamps, lens apparatus and illumination for lighthouses, with his articles on the subject appearing in our catalogue, as well as the U. S. Lighthouse Society’s Keeper’s Log, Lighthouse Digest and other publications. Now Tom has added still another volume to his list of publications – The Fresnel Lens Makers Part III The Henry-Lepaute Lens Works. Part III of five parts, describes the development of the early Fresnel lenses and defines the companies and individuals who took part in this effort. Augustin Fresnel had assistance from many sources as he developed and perfected his lens. This part details the work of the Henry-Lepaute Lens Works, in France, from its beginnings as a clock maker, to its production of Fresnel Lenses for the world market, to its current status.  (M). $26.

25216. Tag, Thomas A. THE FRESNEL LENS MAKERS PART II SAUTTER. Dayton. 2005. 10 p. Spiral bound. Thomas Tag has long been probably the only authority on lamps, lens apparatus and illumination for lighthouses, with his articles on the subject appearing in our catalogue, as well as the U. S. Lighthouse Society’s Keeper’s Log, Lighthouse Digest and other publications. Now Tom has added still another volume to his list of publications – The Fresnel Lens Makers Part II Sautter. Part II of five parts, describes the development of the early Fresnel lenses and defines the companies and individuals who took part in this effort. Augustin Fresnel had assistance from many sources as he developed and perfected his lens. This part details the work of the Louis Sautter Company, in France from its beginnings producing Fresnel lenses and other lighthouse equipment from 1852 to the company’s final demise in 1970. (M).  $26.

25213. Taylor, Thomas W. KEY WEST LIGHTHOUSE: A LIGHT IN PARADISE. 2005. 141 p. Soft wraps. Key West in the Florida Keys is the southernmost city in the continental United States. It history is replete with stories of pirates, hurricanes, and shipwrecks. Soon after Florida became a territory of the United States, lighthouse was built on Key West in 1826 to serve as a primary aid to navigation to help reduce the number of shipwrecks. This lighthouse was destroyed by the hurricane of 1846 but was replaced by a tower which survives today. Thomas Taylor’s new book Key West Lighthouse: A Light in Paradise brings to life the history of this unique lighthouse and the tropical setting in which it is located. The book includes a number of historic photographs of the lighthouse and details the lives of its keepers. Well done by this noted historian and writer. (M). $19.95.

25195. (4 DVD set) Victory at Sea series. Winner of both an Emmy and a Peabody, this legendary 1952 WWII documentary series drew from more than 13,000 hours of footage shot by the US, British, German, and Japanese navies. Narrated by Leonard Graves, with an original music score by Richard Rodgers, it spans American and Allied naval operations from Pearl Harbor to the Mediterranean, Murmansk to Mandalay. This award-winning documentary series is presented in its entirety and has been digitally remastered and restored for your viewing pleasure. Set includes all 26 full length episodes shown on TV, B&W and color; approximately 12 hours on 4 DVDs of original uncut action. Superb, stirring documentary and music that you will long remember. $39.95.  

25158. Evans-Hylton, Patrick. LIGHTHOUSES AND LIFESAVING STATIONS OF VIRGINIA. Arcadia Publishing. 2005. 128 p. Soft wraps. Created as navigational tools, lighthouses are of interest to more than mariners; the ruggedly romantic nature of the beacons delights and enthralls thousand of admirers. Lights along the Virginia coast are no exception. From the richly historic Old Cape Henry Light, authorized by President George Washington in 1789, to the candy-striped Assateague Light on the state’s Eastern Shore, lights along the Virginia shore enthrall thousand of admirers. Of equal interest are the tales of the men of the United States Life-Saving Service, the forerunner of today’s Coast Guard. Spaced along the shore, they aided navigation by responding selflessly to ships in distress, often at their own peril. Author Patrick Evans-Hylton has collected more than 200 archival images that capture the illuminating history of the silent sentinels of the sea and the valiant stories of heroic keepers and surfmen. (M). $19.99.

25151. Dougherty, Barbara Quillen. DEWEY BEACH HISTORY & TALES. Dewey Beach. 2005. 2nd. 144 p. Soft wraps. Signed by the author. The much anticipated second edition of Dewey Beach History & Tales is now available. Featuring 144 pages with approximately  300 photographs, maps, postcards & other images, this second edition of Dewey Beach History & Tales was compiled and edited by local historian Barbara Quillen Dougherty. The book includes numerous updates and historical information, as well as many new “tales”. The first edition, published in 1996, sold out in less than two years. In addition to a great deal on the Dewey Beach Life Saving station and crews, included are very informative articles about Dewey Beach in the 1920’s, 1930’s and 1940’s. Included with the book is a lovely Dewey Beach Life Saving Station note card with envelope. The author’s proceeds from the sale of Dewey Beach History & Tales was given to the Dewey Beach Life Saving Station. (M). $38. 

6264. Stackpole, Edouard A., LIFE SAVING NANTUCKET. Nantucket. 1972. 295pp. Hard cover, as new. DJ. A complete, definitive history of the life-saving services in this area, surrounded by shoals and known for its toll on shipping. Well illustrated with photos. Certainly one of the best and most interesting and complete sources on the subject. (M) $26.

2541. Tongue, Stephen D. LANTERNS & LIFEBOATS – A History of Thunder Bay Island. Alpena. 2004. 126 p. Soft wraps. “Magnificent desolation”, that is how early settlers described Thunder Bay Island. Just offshore from Alpena, Michigan, Thunder Bay Island boasts a life saving station which assisted in the rescue of over 1,000 lives and the second oldest lighthouse still standing on Lake Huron. The Thunder Bay life saving station opened in 1876, making it one of the earliest on the Great Lakes. Lanterns & Lifeboats the lighthouse and life saving station, their crews and the transition to the Coast Guard in 1915. (M).  $14.95.  

2558. Trapani, Robert Jr. LIGHTHOUSES OF NEW JERSEY & DELAWARE – History, Mystery, Legends and Lore. Elkton. 2005. Lighthouses Of New Jersey & Delaware presents stories and photographs of 20 lighthouses along the New Jersey and Delaware coasts. From Sandy Hook, N.J., to Fenwick Island, Del., Trapani's stories feature unusual incidents associated with each silent sentinel. Shipwrecks and suicides, storms and fires, invasions of beetles and cats, and even a few ghost stories and legends are spotlighted in this easy-to-read collection of short stories. Using historical photographs, U.S. Coast Guard documents, newspaper articles and personal interviews, Trapani has created an informative and interesting book that shares an import part of the region's history and lore. Particularly interesting are the accounts if the keepers’ lives, their difficulties and efforts to make do. (M). $11.95.

25116. Monks, Sheryl. GHOSTLY LIGHTHOUSES FROM MAINE TO FLORIDA. Winston-Salem. 2005. 128 p. Soft wraps. Lighthouses have always fascinated people. In this collection, Sheryl Monks gathers 15 tales about the ghostly inhabitants of some of America's most haunted beacons along the eastern seaboard. The stories include Sequin Island Light in Maine, where the eerie sound of piano music can be heard drifting across the harbor; Bird Island Lighthouse in Massachusetts, which was cursed by a pirate light keeper and is now haunted by the wife he murdered there; and the St. Augustine Lighthouse in Florida, where two young sisters who drowned during its construction still play pranks on visitors. Included is a history of each beacon, a photo and travel information. (M).  $12.95.  

25137. Batchelor, John. NORTH AMERICAN LIGHTHOUSES COLORING BOOK.  New York . 1995. 47 p. Soft wraps. Enjoyable children’s coloring book includes 36 b/w drawings to color of lighthouses including  Cape Hatteras , Montauk Point, Cape Canaveral, Quoddy Head,  Point Reyes , and many others. Includes location map and history of each. (M). $4.95.

2588. Karch, Mary. UNDER THE LIGHTHOUSE – Memories of Barnegat City. Harvey Cedars. 2004. 80 p. Illustrated with 97 vintage photographs. This pictorial history of Barnegat Light is based on the memories of long-time residents who experienced the early days and changes in this small fishing village on the northern tip of Long Beach Island. Photographs and stories document the fishing industry, historic buildings, and of course its most famous landmark, Barnegat Lighthouse. This book combines images of a past almost forgotten with memories of the residents who will never forget the small town that was once called Barnegat City. (M). $18.95

2589. Buchholz, Margaret Thomas. NEW JERSEY SHIPWRECKS – 350 Years in the Graveyard of the Atlantic. Harvey Cedars. 2004. 200 p. New Jersey Shipwrecks takes us on a gripping voyage through the “Graveyard of the Atlantic,” a name bestowed upon the state’s treacherous shoals and inlets. From the days of sail to steam and oil, ships (and even submarines) have been drawn to this coast and, for thousands of vessels, it became their final resting-place. Early rescuers braved the seas, rowing small boats, using simple buoys and rope to help the wreck victims. Quoting from original documents, letters and reports, Shipwrecks reveals the sense of duty and service which prevailed in these brave rescuers; many devoted their lives — literally — to help save the men and women whose own lives were turned upside down in stormy Atlantic waters. From the early wrecks of the 18th century to the present day, the life-and-death drama of maritime disasters is captured in Shipwrecks, along with the history of the U. S. Lifesaving Service (later to become the Coast Guard), lighthouses, legends, and true accounts of heroism. One hundred and forty-two historic photographs and illustrations are included in this large-format hardcover. The book includes a listing of hundreds of other wrecks along the Jersey Shore. (M). Published at $44. Our Price $40.95.  

2512. Noble, Dennis. RESCUED BY THE UNITED STATES COAST GUARD - Great Acts of Heroism since 1878. Annapolis. 2005. 328 p. Although the U.S. Coast Guard enjoys a reputation as the best maritime rescue service in the world, details of its heroic history are not well known. Dennis Noble has corrected this oversight with a book that highlights dramatic rescues over the past century carried out from shore-based Coast Guard stations and aircraft and patrol boats. He writes about a day shortly before Christmas in 1885 when Keeper Benjamin Dailey and his U.S. Life-Saving Service crew rowed five miles in seas almost higher than the length of their boat to pick up shipwrecked sailors and then bring them safely to shore. He also describes a 1918 rescue when a USCG boat crew pulled through burning gas and oil to extricate sailors from a sinking tanker. Among the most memorable is Paul A. Langlois, who during the darkness of a gale swept night, maneuvered his helicopter around rocky pinnacles thrusting higher into the air then the helicopter, to rescue two people from a sailboat. But as Noble makes clear, not every rescue is successful and attempts that ended in deaths are included as well. Maritime rescue specialists and historians will be drawn to the author’s overview of the change in equipment and the array of aircraft used by Coast Guard lifesavers. (M). Published at $32.95. Our price $29.95.

6721. Jennings, Harold B., A LIGHTHOUSE FAMILY. Orleans. 1989. 1st. 118p. DJ. Signed by Author. A wonderful narration of boyhood memories while growing up at Lovell’s Island Lighthouse in Boston Harbor. A story of adventures, shipwrecks, storms, living without electricity and learning how to run a lighthouse combine to provide entertainment and a learning adventure. (F). $12.95. REDUCED to $9.71.

24353. Planisek, Sandy. RELIVING LIGHTHOUSE MEMORIES 1930’S – 1970’S. GLLKA. 2004. 253 p. Soft wraps.  Seventeen years after the publication of their first book "Living at a lighthouse," in 1987, the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association has published a second book of oral histories of USLHE and USCG keepers and their children titled "Reliving Lighthouse Memories." Profusely illustrated and edited by GLLKA Straits Coordinator Sandy Planisek, the 253-page book features fascinating and insightful stories in the words of those who lived the experiences. Includes memories of a Coast Guard electrician, lighthouse keepers, lighthouse children and more during the difficult period of automation and changing job descriptions.  Highly recommended. (M).    $13.95

24221. Walling, Michael G.,  BLOODSTAINED SEA – The U. S. Coast Guard in the Battle of the Atlantic, 1941-1944.  2004. Bloodstained Sea is an exquisitely researched, thoroughly absorbing history of the Coast Guard's role in the greatest sea battle ever fought. Americans called it Torpedo Junction; to the Germans, it was Devils Gorge. By any name, the North Atlantic of the early 1940s was one of the most dangerous fronts in a catastrophic war. Between 1941 and 1944, the officers and crews of the U.S. Coast Guard undertook one of the most difficult and dangerous tasks any group of sailors has ever had to face—escorting convoys of merchant ships filled with desperately needed supplies from the United States to Europe, across a U-boat-infested Atlantic. In vivid detail, Bloodstained Sea re-creates the heroic actions of these ships and their crews as they chased down enemy subs and raiders, rescued thousands of survivors from destroyed ships in the frigid waters of the North Atlantic , and repeatedly withstood the vicious onslaughts of fierce winter storms. Through eyewitness accounts based on hundreds of interviews with crew members; personal diaries, notes, and letters; and each cutters logbooks and patrol reports, Walling plunges you into the thick of battle, re-creating some of the most desperate encounters, heroic rescues, and harrowing missions of the Second World War. Complete with dramatic photographs of the Coast Guard in action, Bloodstained Sea brings this epic drama life. (M). $24.95

LONG OUT OF PRINT!

The following book is no longer available in stores and I have long been searching for a few copies for stock. Finally I was able to pick up two at another out of print book store though they were quite pricey,  and I don’t expect to find any more in the future. This will certainly be your last opportunity to pick this title up for your library.

 9421. Gowdy, Jim & Kim Ruth. GUIDING LIGHTS OF THE DELAWARE RIVER AND BAY. Sweetwater, NJ., 1999. 296p. Soft wraps. Just released, this is the most comprehensive history ever written on the lighthouses, lightships, tenders and depots of the Delaware River and Bay – from Cape May to Gloucester City and Philadelphia to Fenwick Island . This detailed history was painstakingly research by the authors and is enhanced by more than 180 photographs and 25 illustrations. Using records from the National Archives, Coast Guard, and private collections this monumental work provides wonderful reading. The vintage photographs alone are a feast to the eye and offer previously unseen views of many of these interesting stations. Includes are views of a number these lights under construction, and some in the process of destruction. Also includes rare views of tenders, keepers, light vessels and much more. (M). $74.  

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Many recent books available at 10% or more off publishers' list prices - please ask. 

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This Page Last Updated February 03, 2012 . 

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All text and illustrations on web site Ó James W. Claflin . 02/03/2012 All rights reserved. Use prohibited without written permission.