~ Early American Lighthouse Illumination

Thomas Tag has long been probably the only authority on lamps, lens apparatus and illumination for lighthouses, with his articles on the subject appearing in our catalogue, as well as the U. S. Lighthouse Society’s Keeper’s Log, Lighthouse Digest and other publications. Now Tom has put together much of this information in seven publications which detail the entire subject, from lamps and fuels, to burners, lens apparatus, manufacturing processes and more. This is a superb collection that answers the questions that many of us have been asking for some time, and will serve as a reference on the subject for years to come. Each of the booklets includes a complete set of footnotes defining the sources of the data for those interested in further research.

Normally priced at $26 each – Now on sale for $12 each while they last.

The View Near Graemsay Island.
Thomas Tag has long been probably the only authority on lamps, lens apparatus and illumination for lighthouses, with his articles on the subject appearing in our catalogue, as well as the U. S. Lighthouse Society’s Keeper’s Log, Lighthouse Digest and other publications. Now Tom has added still another volume to his list of publications – The View Near Graemsay Island. This author recently acquired a hand written diary by none other than lighthouse engineer Alan Stevenson. One section, of particular interest, described landmarks off the island of Graemsay that Stevenson wrote about in 1850 and 1851. The author decided to visit these areas, and this is his detailed description of what he found. Illustrated with early photographs and  drawings, this booklet makes most interesting reading.  18 p. (M). #27420.   $12.

 Bell Rock 200^th Anniversary – Part 1 – 1806.
Thomas Tag has long been probably the only authority on lamps, lens apparatus and illumination for lighthouses, with his articles on the subject appearing in our catalogue, as well as the U. S. Lighthouse Society’s Keeper’s Log, Lighthouse Digest and other publications. Now Tom has added still another volume to his list of publications – Bell Rock 200th Anniversary – Part 1 – 1806. Two Hundred years ago, in 1806, the design, development plans and construction authorization for the Bell Rock Lighthouse in Scotland were approved. This story covers the developments during 1806 and the early history of the Bell Rock. Illustrated with early photographs and  drawings, this booklet makes most interesting reading.  4 p. (M). #27419.  $12.

 Brilliance and Prejudice – The John R. Wigham Story.
Thomas Tag has long been probably the only authority on lamps, lens apparatus and illumination for lighthouses, with his articles on the subject appearing in our catalogue, as well as the U. S. Lighthouse Society’s Keeper’s Log, Lighthouse Digest and other publications. Now Tom has added still another volume to his list of publications – Brilliance and Prejudice – The John R. Wigham Story. This is the story of a brilliant engineer who created some of the most interesting lighthouse equipment ever developed. His designs would be both praised and maligned and would lead to conflict, prejudice, plagiarism, and the ultimate resignation of one of the leading scientists of the day. Thoroughly illustrated with early photographs and  drawings, this booklet makes most interesting reading.  33 p. (M). #2750.  $12.

The Fresnel Lens Makers Part VI The Other Glass and Lens Makers.
Thomas Tag has long been probably the only authority on lamps, lens apparatus and illumination for lighthouses, with his articles on the subject appearing in our catalogue, as well as the U. S. Lighthouse Society’s Keeper’s Log, Lighthouse Digest and other publications. Now Tom has added still another volume to his list of publications – The Fresnel Lens Makers Part VI – The Other Glass and Lens Makers. This final part describes the remaining lens makers including AGA, Pharos Marine, Automatic Power, Corning, Macbeth-Evans, Gebr., Dr. Genthe Glass, Nitsche & Gunther, Julius Pintsch, and Wilhelm Weule. Thoroughly illustrated with early photographs and  drawings, this booklet makes most interesting reading.  31 p. (M). #26333.  $12.

The Fresnel Lens Makers Part IV Chance Brothers Glass Works.
Thomas Tag has long been probably the only authority on lamps, lens apparatus and illumination for lighthouses, with his articles on the subject appearing in our catalogue, as well as the U. S. Lighthouse Society’s Keeper’s Log, Lighthouse Digest and other publications. Now Tom has added still another volume to his list of publications – The Fresnel Lens Makers Part IV Chance Brothers Glass Works. Part IV of five parts, describes the development of the early Fresnel lenses and defines the companies and individuals who took part in this effort. Augustin Fresnel had assistance from many sources as he developed and perfected his lens. This part details the work of the Chance Brothers Company in England, from its beginning as a glass window maker to its production of Fresnel lenses for the world market, and to its final demise in 1977 after being divided into several companies.  (M). #2659.              $12.

The Fresnel Lens Makers Part II Sautter.

Thomas Tag has long been probably the only authority on lamps, lens apparatus and illumination for lighthouses, with his articles on the subject appearing in our catalogue, as well as the U. S. Lighthouse Society’s Keeper’s Log, Lighthouse Digest and other publications. Now Tom has added still another volume to his list of publications – The Fresnel Lens Makers Part II Sautter. Part II of five parts, describes the development of the early Fresnel lenses and defines the companies and individuals who took part in this effort. Augustin Fresnel had assistance from many sources as he developed and perfected his lens. This part details the work of the Louis Sautter Company, in France from its beginnings producing Fresnel lenses and other lighthouse equipment from 1852 to the company’s final demise in 1970. 10 p. Spiral bound.  (M). #25216.    $12.

Who Invented The Fresnel Lens?

Thomas Tag has long been probably the only authority on lamps, lens apparatus and illumination for lighthouses, with his articles on the subject appearing in our catalogue, as well as the U. S. Lighthouse Society’s Keeper’s Log, Lighthouse Digest and other publications. Now Tom has added still another volume to his list of publications – Who Invented the Fresnel Lens. From 1822, when Fresnel published his first paper Memoir sur un Nouveau System d’Eclairage des Phares, Sir David Brewster, in Scotland, claimed that he was the true inventor. This account discusses the various claims and should finally settle the dispute. 15 p. Spiral bound.  (M). #24155.   $12.

The Drummond Lime Light.

2003. 17p. Soft wraps. Thomas Tag has long been probably the only authority on lamps, lens apparatus and illumination for lighthouses, with his articles on the subject appearing in our catalogue, as well as the U. S. Lighthouse Society’s Keeper’s Log, Lighthouse Digest and other publications. Now Tom has added still another volume to his list of publications – The Drummond Lime Light. The Durmmond Lime Light is produced by two jets of gas, one of oxygen and the other of hydrogen, ignited upon a ball of lime. The author discusses the light as it was tested for use in lighthouses in the early 1800’s. Beginning with the actual story of the Lime Light development and trials, the author then continues with seventeen pages of detailed background information about the light and the lighthouse trials. Includes photographs and diagrams, this volume is the definitive source on the subject. (M). #23325. $12.

Lighthouse Builders and Inventors

This detailed document lists and describes the builders and inventors who participated in some way in the development of lighthouses and their technical elements. Where possible, the author has included birth and death years to place his life in context with the timeline of developments. Also each entry is annotated with a footnote identifying the source of the data. Includes over 190 listings. 10p.  Spiral bound. #22248.  $12.

The Genius and the Mentor

This is the story of the life and work of Augustin Jean Fresnel. It is not the usual biography of his life, which you may have read before; instead it is the story of the very unusual school he attended, the mentor who made his work possible, and the lighthouse illumination equipment he designed. The work of these two ‘Genius and Mentor’ produced the initial ideas that led to the magnificent design of the Fresnel lens for lighthouses that we are so familiar with. 16p. Spiral bound. #22246.  $12.

American Made Fresnel Lenses

This is the story of the development of optical quality glass in Europe and in America, the desire to build Fresnel lenses in America and the reasons that this desire was finally realized. It includes many previously unknown photographs of American-made Fresnel lenses. 18p.  Spiral bound. #9441.  $12.

David Porter Heap – The Great Improver

This is the story of David Porter Heap who was one of the Engineers to the Lighthouse Board and also served as the Engineer in the Third Lighthouse District for many years. David Heap was responsible for improving many lighthouse-related items such as five and eight-day lamps, the Funck-Heap lamps, the first use of ball bearings in lens rotation, the first acetylene gas buoy in America, the Topophone and others. 13p. .Spiral bound. #9442.  $12.

A Bit Unusual

This is the story of the many kinds of fuel that were experimented with for use in lighthouses. Everything from Bude lamps and sheep’s tails to atomic reactors is discussed. It includes a copy of the only known drawing of a Drummond Lime light as proposed for use in lighthouses. 12p. .Spiral bound. #9444.  $12.

The Jewel in the Sand

This is the story of the glass used in lighthouse lenses. The story covers how the glass was made and how the lenses and prisms were made and polished. It includes drawings of the early glass polishing equipment. Also included is a chart defining all of the Fresnel lens orders from Hyper-radial through eight-order and a listing of the lens manufacturers. 11p. .Spiral bound. #9445.  $12.

Memoir Upon A New System Of Lighthouse Illumination

Fresnel, M. A., Memoir Upon A New System Of Lighthouse Illumination. Paris. 1822. [reprint] 2001. Translated into English. English translation of Fresnel’s original memoir on his new system of lighthouse illumination from 1822, upon which modern lens apparatus was based. Memoir discusses in some detail the properties of large glass lenses and their use as replacements for parabolic reflectors that were in use at the time. In addition, lamps and burners to properly illuminate the apparatus are discussed, methods employed to produce a flash,  and much more. A most interesting and important early work by this noted designer, now in English for us to study. 24p. Spiral bound. #2137.   $12.