How many candles would it take to give off the same amount of light as one 60 watt incandescent bulb?

Lumens are the unit of luminous flux in the International System, equal to the amount of light given out through a solid angle by a source of one candela intensity radiating equally in all directions.
One candela is the amount of light intensity generated by one ordinary candle.

Check the lumen rating on the light bulb sleeve or package. Make sure you are getting all the light you pay for. Given the choice between a 60-watt bulb producing 860 lumens, and a 60-watt bulb delivering 765 lumens, you'd be wise to select the 860 lumen bulb. It will shed more light, but use no more electricity.

Senior Moments, you clearly have an advantage over buyers in the UK where the only information on the packaging is the wattage and the type of fitting. I don't know if the life of the bulb is quoted, but it is very easy to increase the light output of a bulb by reducing its expected life. When I worked in the lighting industry I plotted graphs of life versus light output and a relatively small reduction in light output can double the life of the filament. This is the basis of so called 'long life' bulbs.

Incandescent bulbs are very inefficient, converting only 1 or 2 percent of the energy into light (the rest is wasted as heat). Energy saver lights are several times more efficient and last many times longer. They are based on fluorescent tube technology, though they fit into normal bulb holders, and are much more environmentally friendly.