‘Lighthouses: Beacons of the Sea’ features incredible photos
Universal appeal: Lighthouses have strong hold over our imaginations, even if many are now redundant in the era of satellite navigation. Pictured here: Outer Lighthouse, St Joseph North Pier, Lake Michigan, Michigan, USA
Courtesy Dreamstime (Glenn Nagel)
Beautiful beacons: Author David Ross has charted the stories behind iconic lighthouses across the world in his new book: "Lighthouses: Beacons of the Sea." Pictured here: Gadeokdo East Breakwater (West End) Lighthouse, Yeondo, Changwon, South Korea
Courtesy Shutterstock (Igor Grochev)
Striking structures: "The appeal of lighthouses, I think it's quite a mixture of things. It's partly because usually they are very striking structures in their own right," Ross tells CNN Travel. Pictured here: West Pierhead Lighthouse, Cleveland Harbor, Ohio, USA
Courtesy Dreamstime (Bryan Busovicki)
Altruistic architecture: Ross also says the buildings are inherently altruistic. "They embody a particular kind of aspiration as well -- in that they're among the few buildings perhaps that exist only for the benefit of other people," he says. Pictured here: Cape Bruny Lighthouse, Tasmania, Australia
Courtesy Shutterstock (Greg Brave)
Safe harbor: "The image of the lighthouse either a warning of danger or guiding you into a safe harbor, is a very strong one," says Ross. Pictured here: Gardskagi Old Lighthouse, Gardur, Iceland
Courtesy Shutterstock (Z-Lex)
Childhood dream: Growing up in the coastal far North of Scotland, Ross remembers lighthouses being part of his childhood. "I think I was 10 years old when I first climbed the hundreds of steps up to the top of a lighthouse," he says. Pictured here: Bressay Lighthouse, Shetland, Scotland
Courtesy Shutterstock (Marc Andre Le Tourneux)
Old meets new: In Ross' new book, he helps tell the story of 150 lighthouses -- from rugged, old structures to modern new designs. Pictured here: Plover Scar Lighthouse, Cockerham Sands, Morecambe Bay, England
Courtesy Shutterstock (Silvergull)
Lighthouse development: "We wanted to [...] try as far as possible to show the development of a lighthouses from certainly from around the 16th and 17th century, right up to date," says Ross. Pictured here: Kjeungskjaer Lighthouse, Orland, Norway
Courtesy Shutterstock (Johann Stubhan)
New designs: The book also features more modern lighthouses, such as the Jeddah Port Control Tower, opened in 1990. Pictured here: Jeddah Port Control Tower, Saudi Arabia
Courtesy Fotolia (Igor Yu)
Thorough research: Ross explored lighthouse history at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill -- "the great center of lighthouse studies," as he calls it. Pictured here: Point of Ayr Lighthouse, Talacre Beach, Flintshire, Wales
Courtesy Shutterstock (Brian Dicks)
Archive findings: He also utilized archives at the British Library and the National Maritime Museum in London. Pictured here: Cape Recife Lighthouse, Port Elizabeth, South Africa
Courtesy Shutterstock (Four Oaks)
Picture finder: Ross hasn't visited all the lighthouses in the book -- the photographs were sourced by Amber Books from a variety of photographers and agencies across the world. Pictured here: Cockspur Island Lighthouse, Georgia, USA
Courtesy Shutterstock (Nikolay Khoroshkov)
Sailing spots: "I've probably been to, passed by -- or in some cases sailed past -- probably most of the British ones or some of the Irish ones," says Ross. Pictured here: Dovercourt Low Lighthouse, Essex, England
Courtesy Shutterstock (Philip Ellard)
Future delights: One of his favorites in the book that he hasn't visited is this Thai lighthouse, built to resemble a temple. Pictured here: Ban Tha Thewawong Lighthouse, Koh Sichang, Chonburi Province, Thailand
Courtesy Shutterstock (Nathapon Triratanachat)
Quirky and distinctive: "In the late 20th and 21st century there's been far more freedom for designers using very modern materials to produce quirky and distinctive designs that are a bit more than functional," says Ross. Pictured here: Punta Frouxeira Lighthouse, Valdovino, Galicia, Spain
Courtesy Alamy (Westland61)
Wild and rocky: His favorite lighthouses that he's visited are in Brittany, France: "The coast is very wild and rocky, mostly made up of granite, and the lighthouses are built of exactly the same material, great strong granite towers that just seemed to rise out of the rock," says Ross. Pictured here: Happisburgh Lighthouse, Norfolk, England
Courtesy Shutterstock (Sebastien Coell)
Bucket list: This lighthouse, in Florida, is one Ross has now added to the bucket list after writing the book. "I'd rather like the idea of getting onto a boat and sailing around that area and looking at that lighthouse from the sea," he says. "Which of course is probably the best way to view a Lighthouse in a way." Pictured here: Dry Tortugas Lighthouse, Loggerhead Key, Florida, USA
Courtesy Shutterstock (Dan Kosmayer)
Available now: All images taken from the book "Lighthouses" by David Ross (ISBN 978-1782746591) published by Amber Books Ltd (www.amberbooks.co.uk).
![<strong>Lighthouse development</strong>: "We wanted to [...] try as far as possible to show the development of a lighthouses from certainly from around the 16th and 17th century, right up to date," says Ross. <em>Pictured here: Kjeungskjaer Lighthouse, Orland, Norway </em>](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/180821174748-kjeungskjaer-lighthouse-orland-norway-shutterstock-johann-stubhan.jpg?q=w_5020,h_2823,x_0,y_0,c_fill/h_447)
