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Toby Chance & Peter Williams - Lighthouses (2nd Hand Hardback)
SKU B002964
Availability:
1 available
Original price
£4.70
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Original price
£4.70
Original price
£4.70
£4.70
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£4.70
Current price
£4.70
Synopsis
The Great Exhibition, Crystal Palace, 1851: James Chance, of the glass-making firm Chance Brothers, is nervously showcasing a new lens, that, unknown to him, will revolutionise lighthouse production, propel his family business into a position of world leadership, save countless lives and have far-reaching consequences for trade, empire and the map of the world.
This is where Lighthouses begins. The true-life story that follows is of one man and his family's unexpected role in an exciting race to perfect this technology, against European rivals and colleagues, as they strive to regain for Britain the leadership position she had lost to the French in the 1820's.
This fascinating story places James Chance and the Chance Brothers firm against the backdrop of a time in which lighthouse manufacture was transformed from a craft into a scientific, high-precision industry.
As a tool for globalisation, and with immense strategic and economic value, lighthouses helped to establish a network of communications that transformed the trade maps of countries and empires.
Details
- Format : Standard 2nd Hand Hardback with Dust Jacket
- Condition : Very Good (Almost As New)
- Category : Non-Fiction - Architecture, Design & Engineering
- Published : 2008 (New Holland - 1st Edition, 1st Printing)
- ISBN : 9781847731746
- SKU : B002964
- PPC : SP600gm
- RRP : £17.99
- Quantity Available : 1 only.
Very detailed & fully illustrated.
External Reviews
"This book is a fascinating historical look inside the science and evolution of lighthouses and the optics that they use, largely seen through the eyes of the English family that from 1860 became for about 50 years the dominant world player in lighthouse design and manufacture. The story prominently features famous scientists like Michael Faraday, Sir David Brewster and Auguste Fresnel, the Frenchman credited with inventing the science which enabled the development of modern optical instruments including lighthouses. The most interesting part of the book to me is the interplay between various characters, including politicians, businessmen and scientists, who were involved in the development of lighthouses around the British coast and around the world. Highly recommended." - Google Review.
The Authors
Toby Chance is James Chance's great-great-grandson and grandson of Sir Hugh Chance, the last Chairman of an independent Chance Brothers. Toby works in event management and communications and has spent the past three years researching the family history.
Peter Williams is the author of the bestselling book Beacon on the Rock (2001). He has served at sea and was the founder of the lighthouse enthusiast magazine Leading Lights, which he continues to work with as consultant editor. Peter maintains a personal link with lighthouses as a Trinity House attendant for a Welsh lighthouse, which still uses a first order Chance lens, fitted in 1868.