Lighthouses of South Africa

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This extraordinary book is a landmark in lighthouse literature, featuring dramatic photographs by master photographer Gerald Hoberman, showcasing lighthouses from land, sea, and air, alongside their mechanisms and optics. It explores the romance of seafarers navigating the perilous coastline of Africa’s Cape of Storms. The narrative spans from the earliest known light at Pharos in the Ancient World to 45 lighthouses and beacons, highlighting the region's fauna, flora, marine life, and breathtaking scenery. Collaborating with James Collocott from the Transnet National Ports Authority, Hoberman provides a multifaceted insight into lighthouses. While detailed with coordinates and technical specifications for discerning pharologists, the book is visually appealing and easy to navigate. It reveals the optical, mechanical, and civil engineering innovations of lighthouse science, often set against treacherous conditions in remote territories. Hoberman enriches history with vivid accounts of legendary shipwrecks and the civil lobbying for lighthouse establishments, weaving a rich social history. Maps illustrate the locations of lighthouses and shipwrecks, while chapter headings feature delightful pencil drawings by Mellany Fick and an anthology of poems from Virgil, Shakespeare, Kipling, and Masefield.