Anyone who walks the grounds of the Naval Academy cannot help but stumble upon monument after monument and memorial after memorial that has defined the history and heritage of the U.S. Navy.

Dr. Nancy Prothro Arbuthnot, United States Naval Academy English instructor for nearly three decades, has written a book of total immersion into these very grounds and monuments. For my visit to the Naval Academy as a guest lecturer, I intend to bring this volume along and take advantage of the opportunity to have Dr. Arbuthnot bring to life the grounds and buildings of the Naval Academy as a national treasure.

Dr. Arbuthnot’s tour opens with the Administration Building. In a rush to keep an appointment with the Superintendent or Dean, you could easily miss two flanking cannons. One, a 12-pounder Ottoman cannonade, was cast in 1686; the other, an 18-pounder cast in 1789, was captured during the Mexican-American War of 1847.

Next stop on the tour, Bancroft Hall is the home of midshipmen. Designed in the French style, this building contains many niches and trims that exalt the maritime services, and is home to flags, plaques, and paintings commemorating various aspects of America’s naval history. Take some time to linger at the paintings of the battle of 1812 with the USS Constitution in battle with the HMS Java and other historic paintings depicting the Battle of Lake Erie. Be sure not to miss the replica of the James Lawrence battle flag, ‘‘Don’t Give up the Ship” (the original standard resides at the Naval Academy Museum).

A chapter on Bill the Goat, the infamous Navy football mascot, will enlighten the reader on the origin of this central figure of Navy sports. From naval cadets commandeering a goat for a mascot on their way to an Army game to the goat being a feature of naval warships because they provided meat, milk, and garbage disposal onboard, Arbuthnot relates many legends of the goat.

The next important but solemn stop on Arbuthnot’s tour is the Naval Academy cemetery. A host of the Navy’s best and brightest are interred there including Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Arleigh Burke whose epitaph read simply and appropriately: Sailor. Another inspired epitaph reads: Reformer stands over the grave of Admiral Elmo Zumwalt who died in 2000.

Fleet Admiral Ernest King, one of only four individuals who attained the rank of five-star admiral and the namesake of the Academy’s mess hall, is also buried there. And finally, Charles Zimmerman, known for composing ‘‘Anchors Aweigh!” was interred at the Naval Academy cemetery in 1916.

No visit to the Naval Academy would be complete without the Chapel and the crypt of John Paul Jones, often referred to as the father of the American Navy, who died in 1792 but was not interred at the Naval Academy until 1906. The crypt is similar in design to Napoleon’s at Les Invalides in Paris.

This delightful book is special not only for its hundreds of facts about the Naval Academy but particularly for the writings, poems, prose, and descriptions contributed by midshipmen from the classes of 2002 to 2010. Arbuthnot’s ‘‘Guiding Lights” is a must for every self-guided tour of the U.S. Naval Academy.

Editor’s Note: Cmdr. Aboul-Enein is the author of ‘‘Militant Islamist Ideology: Understanding the Global Threat,” which will be published in June 2010 by Naval Institute Press. He lectures occasionally on the topic at the Naval Academy. Cmdr. Aboul-Enein wishes to thank Jean Hodges for her edits and discussion of this book column. He maintains a regular book review column in the Naval District Washington military newspaper Waterline.