The Lighthouse Stevensons - Couverture souple

Bathurst, Bella

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 0060932260 ISBN 13 : 9780060932268

Editeur : Harper Perennial, 2000

Synopsis

For centuries the seas around Scotland were notorious for shipwrecks.  Mariners' only aids were skill, luck, and single coal-fire light on the east coast, which was usually extinguished  by rain.  In 1786 the Northern Lighthouse Trust was established, with Robert Stevenson appointed as chief engineer a few years later.  In this engrossing book, Bella Bathhurst reveals that the Stevensons not only supervised the construction of the lighthouses under often desperate conditions but also perfected a design of precisely chiseled interlocking granite blocks that would withstand the enormous waves that batter these stone pillars.  The same Stevensons also developed the lamps and lenses of the lights themselves, which "sent a gleam across the wave" and prevented countless ships from being lost at sea.

While it is the writing of Robert Louis Stevenson that brought fame to the family name, this memorizing account shows how his extraordinary  ancestors changed the shape of the Scotland coast-against incredible odds and with remarkable technical ingenuity.  

A propos du livre

À propos de l'auteur

Bella Bathurst is a freelance journalist. She divides her time between London and Scotland.

À propos de la quatrième de couverture

For centuries the seas around Scotland were notorious for shipwrecks. Mariners' only aids were skill, luck, and single coal-fire light on the east coast, which was usually extinguished by rain. In 1786 the Northern Lighthouse Trust was established, with Robert Stevenson appointed as chief engineer a few years later. In this engrossing book, Bella Bathhurst reveals that the Stevensons not only supervised the construction of the lighthouses under often desperate conditions but also perfected a design of precisely chiseled interlocking granite blocks that would withstand the enormous waves that batter these stone pillars. The same Stevensons also developed the lamps and lenses of the lights themselves, which "sent a gleam across the wave" and prevented countless ships from being lost at sea.

While it is the writing of Robert Louis Stevenson that brought fame to the family name, this mesmerizing account shows how his extraordinary ancestors changed the shape of the Scotland coast against incredible odds and with remarkable technical ingenuity.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Harper Perennial
• Date d'édition: 2000
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 0060932260
• ISBN 13: 9780060932268
• Reliure: Broché
• Nombre de pages: 304
• Coordonnées du fabricant: Product Safety Manager; enquiries@harpercollins.ie; ; HarperCollins, Macken House, 39/40 Mayor Street Upper; Dublin 1; D01 C9W8; Irlande