Customer Reviews

Sentinels of the Shore: A Guide to the Lighthouses and Lightships of New Jersey

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

For those who love lighthouses -- traveling to them, photographing them, and reading about them -- Bill Gately's Sentinels of the Shore is a welcome guide and a lovely little tome anyone would be delighted to receive as a gift. It's also an important tribute to numerous historically significant lighthouses, such as Navesink Twin Lights, a unique set of multiple beacons that once served as a testing station for new optics and illuminants; Sandy Hook, the oldest standing, operational lighthouse in the U.S. and an excellent example of Colonial architecture; the Statue of Liberty, herself a lighthouse that still lifts a symbolic beacon over New York Harbor; and stately Barnegat Light, guardian of New Jersey's "Graveyard of Ships" and one of the state's most-visited sentinels. Inside, readers will find up-to-date information and color photos of about 30 other lighthouses. The defunct lightships also are included, along with historical sketches and rare archival material. There's a friendly, full-color foldout map showing the location of the lights and detailed directions for travelers. The author, an active preservationist and member of several lighthouse societies, has done a thorough job researching and presenting the lights of the Garden State, past and present. This one is priced right, pretty, and useful, but also enjoyable. It can go easily from the car glove box to the sitting room coffee table to the bedside bookshelf.

This is a lovely book which makes a great addition to my lighthouse collection. I've learned a great deal about some New Jersey lighthouses I didn't know had ever existed.

This is a great little reference book for those who travel the NJ waterways and/or have an interest in the history of the NJ lights. In addition to the more well known NJ lights such as "Old Barney" at the Barnegat Inlet and Twin Lights in Sandy Hook, Gately's book lists them all, including some which no longer stand.

Although very interesting, many of the listings leave the reader wanting more details. I hope a new edition, at some point, will provide more!