The Bainbridge Island bookshop Eagle Harbor, will be a beacon for ingenuity and creativity Thursday night, as it welcomes the creators of a pop-up book that documents and displays lighthouses from around the country.

Inside the pages, five architecturally correct 9-inch by 5-inch pop-up recreations have been folded and forged by Bainbridge Island resident and professional paper engineer Linda Costello, while author Al Mitchell explains the important roles played by each beacon in history.

Costello and illustrator Wendy Edelson will be at Eagle Harbor — 157 Winslow Way on Bainbridge — at 7:30 p.m. June 14 to present, discuss and sign copies of “Lighthouses! A Pop-Up Gallery of America’s Most Beloved Beacons.”

The event is free and open to the public, and organizers are quick to note, that pop-up books aren’t just for kids.

“I hope people bring their kids, but this ‘Lighthouses!’ book is kind of more for big people. It’s full of facts and photos and history,” Costello said, noting that through the research for the project, “We came across lots of shipwreck stories, ghost stories and technical oddities and miscellanea.”

Costello said it was somewhat difficult getting the basic dimensions of the structures since she wasn’t able to visit, nor get the architectural drawings for each lighthouse. However, as an architectural major in college, Costello’s deft use of the X-acto knife aided in the reconstruction of the icons.

“Lighthouses!” includes famous beacons like North Carolina’s distinctive black-and-white barber pole Light at Cape Hatteras, Florida’s prominent Ponce de Leon Inlet Light and Old Point Loma Light — the beacon for California gold rush traffic — among others.

In addition to an overview on the facts, figures and historical relevance of these and other iconic lighthouses, the June 14 Eagle Harbor event will also be offering a look into the intricacies of paper engineering from an expert.

“I just love doing this … I am obsessed with collecting pop-up books,” Costello said. “I have over 6,000 pop-up books in my little log house.”

“Lighthouses!” is the 24th pop-up book Costello has had published.

Through the art form she has developed a deeper appreciation for artists in general she said, as she experiences what its like to have her work appreciated. However, she added one of the biggest benefits that has come through paper engineering is passing on the trade on to kids and grown-ups alike.

“Nowadays there are lots of really good books out that teach one how to make pop-ups, but you really just have to start doing it,” Costello said.