This is a reissue of one of Edward Rowe Snow's most enduring classics. First published in 1945, it relates the histories of over fifty of the region's lighthouses in rich detail. Snow gives special emphasis to the story of heroine Abbie Burgess at Maine's Matinicus Rock Light, to the rich histories of Boston Light and Minot's Ledge Light. Modern day lighthouse expert Jeremy D'Entremont has provided extensive annotations to Snow's chapters, bringing the information about each lighthouse up to date.
Edward Rowe Snow (1902-1982) is remembered as one of the most vivid chroniclers of New England maritime history. Beginning with the publication of The Islands of Boston Harbor in 1935, he made his name as a historian of the New England coast - and also as a popular storyteller, lecturer, preservationist, and treasure hunter. For forty years, Snow flew to the lighthouses of New England as the Flying Santa, dropping Christmas parcels for the keepers and their families. A granite memorial to Edward Rowe Snow, Mr. New England, on Georges Island in Boston Harbor was dedicated in 2000 by his many friends.An heir to the great tradition of Edward Rowe Snow, Jeremy D'Entremont has been writing about New England maritime history for more than two dozen years. Webmaster of New England Lighthouses: A Virtual Guide at www.newenglandlighthouses.net, he is founder of Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouses and historian of the American Lighthouse Foundation. Jeremy is the series editor of the centennial editions of Edward Rowe Snow, and he has written a series of authoritative guides to America's lighthouses. He is also the author of Great Shipwrecks of the Maine Coast. He lives in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.