Boston Athenæum

June 2, 2016 at the Boston Athenæum. In this talk, Dolin will share with the audience excerpts from Brilliant Beacons, an extraordinary work of historical detection and originality, which vividly reframes America’s history through the development of its lighthouses. Set against the backdrop of an expanding nation, Brilliant Beacons traces the evolution of America’s lighthouse system, highlighting the political, military, and technological battles fought to illuminate the nation’s hardscrabble coastlines. In rollicking detail, Dolin will introduce audiences to a memorable cast of characters including the penny-pinching Treasury official Stephen Pleasonton, and share tales both humorous and harrowing of soldiers, saboteurs, ruthless egg collectors, and most importantly, the light-keepers themselves.