Umbrella Guide to California Lighthouses Author:Sharlene P. Nelson, Ted W. Nelson Early mariners found sailing California's often forbidding coast to be a risky adventure until after 1954, when the first of more than 40 lighthouse stations was built to mark 1,200 miles of meandering coastline, bays, and inland waters from San Diego to the Redwood Coast. These absorbing stories give a concise history of each light: where e... more »ach was built and why, the special breed of men and women who tended the lights, and the light's status today. Packed with maps, photographs, and useful information, including visiting hours and locations of nearby museums.« less