The Lighthouse Preservation Society would like to thank Rick Tuers for the impressive research he has accomplished in his new book entitled “Lighthouses of New York.” This newly released publication by Schiffer Publishing is the most important lighthouse book to be printed in recent years. Recently, the author asked the Society’s president, James Hyland, who had encouraged him to tackle the subject of New York’s lighthouses, to write the Forward. Here is some of what he said:
The telling of the story of New York’s lighthouses has been a long-awaited event for many of us. Until now, the story has only been told piecemeal, at best. Because the state of New York is so large and diverse, having several distinct geographical areas, there has been a tendency to tackle this subject, if at all, on a regional basis. Until now, no one has pulled all this information together and presented it to the public in publication form. It has remained fractured and incomplete. We have never before seen a complete picture of the whole subject matter of lighthouses in the great State of New York. Tackling this subject, and bringing together all the loose strings, has been a monumental feat.
When I first met Rick Tuers at a lighthouse slide show lecture I delivered to the Schenectady Camera Club, he was looking for some direction in applying his considerable talents to tackling the subject of lighthouses. I encouraged him to focus on New York’s lighthouses, because, in terms of research, it was such a “black hole” for those of us who were trying to pull together the pieces of the story. With so many beacons out there, and so many “lost” lights that were no longer functional or had fallen into private hands, it was difficult for those of us in the lighthouse movement to comprehend the extent of what was out there and what kind of condition these New York lights were in.
Clearly, someone needed to take on this massive research project, and Rick seemed to have the ability and the resolve to take it on. This survey is a significant undertaking because, to my mind, it represents the largest single missing piece of the puzzle to understanding our nation’s lighthouse heritage. I applaud Rick for his efforts to bring together this important historical material in a comprehensive way for the first time. It is a remarkable achievement in the documentation of America’s lighthouse history.”
For a limited time, The Lighthouse Preservation Society will offer autographed copies of this beautiful glossy coffee table book as a fundraiser.
