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The Lighthouse Stevensons: The Extraordinary Story of the Building of the Scottish Lighthouses by the Ancestors of Robert Louis Stevenson
 
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The Lighthouse Stevensons: The Extraordinary Story of the Building of the Scottish Lighthouses by the Ancestors of Robert Louis Stevenson (Paperback)

by Bella Bathurst (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Paperback: 304 pages
  • Publisher: Harper Perennial; 2nd edition (Nov 2000)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0007639449
  • ISBN-13: 978-0060932268
  • ASIN: 0060932260
  • Product Dimensions: 20.6 x 13.7 x 1.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 200,144 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

4 Reviews
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4 star:
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3 star:    (0)
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Average Customer Review
4.5 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating subject brought to life., 14 Oct 2008
By Ned Middleton (British professional underwater photo-journalist & author) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)   
This review is from: The Lighthouse Stevensons: The Extraordinary Story of the Building of the Scottish Lighthouses by the Ancestors of Robert Louis Stevenson (Hardcover)
As a scuba diver who is always looking for the more remote locations, I often find myself in some wilderness area surrounded by the sea. Quite frequently, there is a lighthouse nearby and I always seem to be made aware of those that were "British Built."

What I had not realised before reading this book, was that the famous Robert Louis Stevenson came from a long line of Stevensons who were expert lighthouse builders. Indeed, he is quoted in the book as having said; "Whenever I smell salt water, I know I am not far from the works of my ancestors."

This is a fascinating work which has been brought to life by an author who has done a really good job. Having been brought up in an age where electricity was used to power lighthouses from before I was born, photographs and accounts of how coal was hoisted to the top of these mammoth structures in earlier days is both a revelation and education in itself.

Containing portraits of various notable engineers in addition to the different lighthouses they built, I was impressed by the inclusion of a painting of one light by the legendary J. M. W. Turner, no less, the comparable sizes of different lights and sectional drawings showing how the brickwork was interlaced in order to withstand the fiercest storms.

An excellent book and one which will allow me to tell my fellow travellers something about whatever remote lighthouse we end up climbing at some time in the future.

NM

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12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A vivid and entertaining account of an unusual subject, 7 Nov 2001
By A Customer
It is well-known that Robert Louis Stevenson wrote Treasure Island, Kidnapped and other children's classics. Few will know the details of his family background and yet in their own way a the "Lighthouse Stevensons" were also remarkable men.
Against great odds these men designed and arranged for the building of the network of lighthouses around the dangerous and inhospitable Scottish coast.
They were typical of the Victorian age-when no obstacle seemed too great to overcome, despite the limited technology available at the time.
The book is full of interesting facts and anecdotes. For example, we are told about the "wreckers"-islanders who gained from shipwrecks and were opposed to the erecting of lighthouses.
The characters are well drawn and the style of writing is very reader-friendly. It is a good read for both the general reader and for anyone with an interest the Victorian age, in heroic feats of engineering and/or in the writer, Robert Louis Stevenson.
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7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Worth persevering, 24 Aug 2003
Budding authors are told to grip their readers' attention early. If I have one fault with Bella Bathurst's Lighthouse Stevensons it is that it gets off to a slow start.
But do persevere. Once it gets going this is an epic tale of man's triumph over the elements. The difficulties in building lighthouses on isolated outcrops, exposed to the elements at their most challenging, are vividly brought to life and the absolute confidence of the engineers of the period is astonishing. Technical isues are explained in layman's terms but with no sense of dumbing down.
The book also succeeds on other levels. It is an absorbing real-life family saga and a fascinating portrait of Scottish 19th century life.
An ideal mixture of information and entertainment.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the most informative books written
Bella, brings to life the era of industrial revolution, the progress of enginering as a science, and the tenacity of the Stevenson family. Quite simply a wonderful book.
Published on 17 Mar 2001

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