The Northern Lights: Lighthouses of the Upper Great Lakes (Great Lakes Books) [Hardcover]

Charles K. Hyde (Author), Ann Mahan (Author), John Mahan (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0814325548 | ISBN-13: 978-0814325544 | Publication Date: June 1995

The definitive guide to lighthouses on the Great Lakes.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Symbols of safety, reassurance, and guidance, lighthouses hold a special fascination for many people. On the Great Lakes, lighthouses—"northern lights"—helped to open the region to settlement and supported the growth of commercial trade. To this day, they continue to light the way for thousands of recreational boaters.

In this definitive guide to the lighthouses of the Great Lakes, Charles Hyde describes the histories of more than one hundred and sixty individual lighthouses that still exist in Lakes Erie, Huron, Michigan, and Superior, and the straits of Mackinac.

Featuring more than two hundred color photographs, "The Northern Lights" captures the beauty, history, and significance of lighthouses on the Great Lakes, and illuminates the rich maritime history of the region.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Wayne State Univ Pr (T) (June 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0814325548
• ISBN-13: 978-0814325544
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 8.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,768,022 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Although I was born and grew up in Pittsfield, MA, I have spent most of my adult life in the Great Lakes region. I earned my Ph.D. in History at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and after a brief time elsewhere, I have taught at Wayne State University in Detroit since 1974. Among other areas, I have published in the fields of Industrial Archeology, Michigan History, Business History, and Automotive History. My study of several abandoned Dteroit automobile factories stimulated my interest in automotive history. My most recent books have been a business history of the Chrysler Corporation, a biography and company history of the Dodge Brothers, and more recently, a combination history of Nash Motors, the Hudson Motor Car Compnay, and the American Motors Corporation. My newest writing project is a history of the American automobile industry's work during the Second World War.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great book on the Great Lakes, March 22, 2000

By 

Susan K. Thompson "aka Susy Kysely Thompson" (East Troy, Wisconsin) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Northern Lights: Lighthouses of the Upper Great Lakes (Great Lakes Books) (Hardcover)

The endpapers of this book feature an 1848 map of lighthouses on the Great Lakes. The evolution of the Lighthouse Board and the Fresnel lens are accompanied with historical photos as the book moves toward the 20th century. There are even some sequential photos of early training exercises for keepers and rescue workers. Readers then get to meet some of those keepers and their families, not in dry biographies, but in colorful accounts and memoirs. Once acquainted with these brave men and women, the tour of the Great Lakes lights begins, and sometimes I think that you see these lights today through their eyes. There is a pride in those that have been lovingly preserved, and a sadness for those in ruins. Each light covered has its historical significance and photo; some lights have more than one. A great many of the shots are aerial views, all in all a treat for any lighthouse buff.