This incredibly comprehensive book is an absolute must-have for any serious railroad lantern collector or historian. Written by Richard C. Barrett with research by Joseph Gross, it is an intensive study of the American railroad manufacturing companies and the hand-held lighting devices they produced. Several Canadian companies are also included.

A gorgeous big hardcover, this is a stated First Printing (June 1994). Condition is like new. The dust jacket has some edge curling and a sticker from the Friends of the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, but otherwise this copy is PRISTINE.

Sadly, due to author Barrett's untimely passing, it is out of print and copies are extremely difficult to find. A second in this series, Volume 2 discusses Signal Lamps. A third volume was planned but never accomplished.

In addition to detailed company histories, Barrett delves into how many of them merged with and succeeded others. Early sales catalog pages are reproduced, with illustrations and photos of hundreds of models of hand held lanterns showing the evolution of safety and utilitarian features over more than 100 years, from pre-Civil War, fixed-globe models to electric battery operated types. In-depth descriptions explain the variations of individual models, their similarities and differences. Thirty-five pages are devoted to globes, a chapter discusses various fuels, and a chapter offers detailed information about burners -- all essential information for a collector to identify a lantern, or determine what type of globe and/or fount burner are correct.

SIZE is approximately 9 inches x 11-1/2 inches, with 389 inside pages; it weighs three pounds (before packing).