The Lightkeepers' Menagerie: Stories of Animals at Lighthouses

By Elinor Dewire and Elinor De Wire

Book Overview

Elinor De Wire has been writing about lighthouses and their keepers since 1972. During that time she found that hundreds of lighthouse animals wandered into her research notes and photo collection. This book is the story of all these cold-nosed, whiskered, wooly, hoofed, horned, slithery, buzzing, feathered, and finned keepers of the lights. Where else would a dog learn to ring a fogbell, a cat go swimming and catch a fish for its supper, or a parrot cuss the storm winds rattling its cage? Who other than a lightkeeper would swim a cow home, tame a baby seal, adopt an orphan alligator, send messages via carrier pigeons, or imagine mermaids coming to visit? The Lightkeepers' Menagerie gathers together animal stories from lighthouses all around the world, tales of happiness and sadness, courage and cowardice, tragedy and comedy, even absurdity. Sometimes, fur, feathers, and fins tell the best tales.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1561643912
• ISBN13: 9781561643912
• Release Date: March 2007
• Publisher: Pineapple Press
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.7" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

The Lightkeepers' Menagerie: Stories of Animals at Lighthouses

I haven't read this book yet, but I will and I'm sure I will enjoy it over and over again, as I'm a Lighhouse buff. Actually, my husband is giving me this book for Christmas this year, so I have to wait until after Christmas before I can start it. Not much longer now, before I can read it. I love nonfiction stories about Lighthouses and am sure this book about Lighthouse animals will be very good.

Lives enriched by a bond with animals

I thought this was an extremely interesting, informative, historically well-researched, and entertaining account of one group of people whose lives are enriched by their bond with animals, and who value the animals with whom we share this planet enough to help them when they can.