Northern Lights (no, not the Aurora but that is good too)

[Quandary]

Took the wife for a few days shopping in Edinburgh, (you need to do these things before the weather warms up for refit time) While I was there I visited the National Museum who had a special exhibition on Scottish Lighthouses to coincide with a new book they have just published on the History of the Northern Lighthouse board, (£18 in paper back not sure what they were asking for the hardback). The recent TV programme was based on it. It is excellent, detailed research from Pharos at Alexandria, right on up to and after automation, including the very early daymarks some of which we still see on the coast. Well illustrated, annotated and referenced, some really fascinating drawings from the Stevenson collection, illustrations of optics, and copies of early charts. The Museum has been used as a repository for lighthouse artefacts for centuries so well equipped to carry this out. This is a book to read slowly and study if you are interested in living history, engineering or mechanical devices, not so much human interest except for Robert Stevensons attempts to sideline his mentor, Smeaton, but highly recommended.

Northern Lights, (The Age of Scottish Lighthouses) by A.D. Morrison-Low published by The National Museums Scotland £17.99 ISBN 978 1 905267 47 7 (paperback) or 57 6 (hardback)