Lighthouses

by Jackum Brown

If form followed function, lighthouses the world over would be simple, utilitarian structures: tall, boring towers with a staircase up the middle and a light on the top. Luckily, architects and engineers behind some of the world's finest lighthouses were infused with the spirit of the the raw environment they worked with.

These structures are chronicled by Jackum Brown. Among many examples is the French dedication to the aesthetic, seen in the baroque splendour of the 17th-century Cordouan light, built for Louis XIII. Then there's the gratuitously decorative neo-Gothic church tower of the Westkapelle light off the Netherlands.

Brown explains why different nations' lighthouses are as distinctive as their flags. She also gives us insights into the men and women who manned them.

Lighthouses is a tribute to man's attempt to render safe the most inhospitable places, and it explains why these structures hold such a special place in our imaginations.

Lighthouses is published by Cassell Illustrated on 11 August. To order a copy for £13.99 with free UK postage call the Observer Book Service on 0870 836 0885 or go to www.observer.co.uk/bookshop