Product Description
Describes the giant ocean liner Titanic, and the events that led up to its sinking in the spring of 1912, and the effects of the disaster on sea travel. ... Read more

Product Description
A biography which covers the life and professional work of the man whose numerous missions to study the ocean floor led to the discovery of the wreck of the Titanic. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Robert Ballard: Ocenaographer Who Discovered the Titanic
Nice brief chapters sum up important aspects of Ballards life.Starting the book out with the discovery of the Titanic gives it an exciting feel that most biographies dont't have. It contains good black and whiteillustrations andI will recommend it for 4th grade through the 9th grade. ... Read more

Product Description
An updated edition, with 8 new pages of material, of the 1987 title which recounts the author's discovery and exploration of the Titanic 75 years after it sank in the North Atlantic. Dr Robert Ballard is an oceanographer who has worked on over 50 deep sea expeditions. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

A most outstanding book.
Dr Robert Ballard will forever remain the man who found the Titanic. In so doing, he became the world's most famous ocean explorer who found the world's most famous ship.

It is not for me to inform readers of the story of the Titanic.Almost everyone grew up knowing something about that ship - even if the finer points of information they thought they knew were inaccurate.

Having then achieved the outstanding feat of finding this elusive shipwreck, Bob Ballard has put together the most complete - and yet again "outstanding," tale of search, discovery and finally success, coupled with an accurate portrayal of the life and death of the ship itself.All the facts and historic photographs are there - and, speaking as a professional shipwreck historian, he really has done the most thorough job of work here.

Finally, he has put together the most (and I deliberately use that word again) "outstanding" collection of artwork created by Ken Marschall.I may be wrong, but it seems to me nobody had heard of this artist until the first editions of this book appeared - now he is a household name amongst those in the know.

From thousands of photographic images taken far below the surface, Bob Ballard created montage after montage of the various sections and profiles of the wreck (i.e. big photographs made up of thousands of little photographs) so that Mr Marschall was able to provide us with paintings which look like single colour photographs of this and that section which go together to make up the entire wreck.

I congratulate Dr Ballard on an excellent and professional job of work. Altogether, the most outstanding book for which 5 stars are not enough.

NM

A most outstanding book.
Dr Robert Ballard will forever remain the man who found the Titanic. In so doing, he became the world's most famous ocean explorer who found the world's most famous ship.

It is not for me to inform readers of the story of the Titanic.Almost everyone grew up knowing something about that ship - even if the finer points of information they thought they knew were inaccurate.

Having then achieved the outstanding feat of finding this elusive shipwreck, Bob Ballard has put together the most complete - and yet again "outstanding," tale of search, discovery and finally success, coupled with an accurate portrayal of the life and death of the ship itself.All the facts and historic photographs are there - and, speaking as a professional shipwreck historian, he really has done the most thorough job of work here.

Finally, he has put together the most (and I deliberately use that word again) "outstanding" collection of artwork created by Ken Marschall.I may be wrong, but it seems to me nobody had heard of this artist until the first editions of this book appeared - now he is a household name amongst those in the know.

From thousands of photographic images taken far below the surface, Bob Ballard created montage after montage of the various sections and profiles of the wreck (i.e. big photographs made up of thousands of little photographs) so that Mr Marschall was able to provide us with paintings which look like single colour photographs of this and that section which go together to make up the entire wreck.

I congratulate Dr Ballard on an excellent and professional job of work. Altogether, the most outstanding book for which 5 stars are not enough.

NM

A most outstanding book.
Dr Robert Ballard will forever remain the man who found the Titanic. In so doing, he became the world's most famous ocean explorer who found the world's most famous ship.

It is not for me to inform readers of the story of the Titanic.Almost everyone grew up knowing something about that ship - even if the finer points of information they thought they knew were inaccurate.

Having then achieved the outstanding feat of finding this elusive shipwreck, Bob Ballard has put together the most complete - and yet again "outstanding," tale of search, discovery and finally success, coupled with an accurate portrayal of the life and death of the ship itself.All the facts and historic photographs are there - and, speaking as a professional shipwreck historian, he really has done the most thorough job of work here.

Finally, he has put together the most (and I deliberately use that word again) "outstanding" collection of artwork created by Ken Marschall.I may be wrong, but it seems to me nobody had heard of this artist until the first editions of this book appeared - now he is a household name amongst those in the know.

From thousands of photographic images taken far below the surface, Bob Ballard created montage after montage of the various sections and profiles of the wreck (i.e. big photographs made up of thousands of little photographs) so that Mr Marschall was able to provide us with paintings which look like single colour photographs of this and that section which go together to make up the entire wreck.

I congratulate Dr Ballard on an excellent and professional job of work. Altogether, the most outstanding book for which 5 stars are not enough.

NM

A most outstanding book.
Dr Robert Ballard will forever remain the man who found the Titanic. In so doing, he became the world's most famous ocean explorer who found the world's most famous ship.

It is not for me to inform readers of the story of the Titanic.Almost everyone grew up knowing something about that ship - even if the finer points of information they thought they knew were inaccurate.

Having then achieved the outstanding feat of finding this elusive shipwreck, Bob Ballard has put together the most complete - and yet again "outstanding," tale of search, discovery and finally success, coupled with an accurate portrayal of the life and death of the ship itself.All the facts and historic photographs are there - and, speaking as a professional shipwreck historian, he really has done the most thorough job of work here.

Finally, he has put together the most (and I deliberately use that word again) "outstanding" collection of artwork created by Ken Marschall.I may be wrong, but it seems to me nobody had heard of this artist until the first editions of this book appeared - now he is a household name amongst those in the know.

From thousands of photographic images taken far below the surface, Bob Ballard created montage after montage of the various sections and profiles of the wreck (i.e. big photographs made up of thousands of little photographs) so that Mr Marschall was able to provide us with paintings which look like single colour photographs of this and that section which go together to make up the entire wreck.

I congratulate Dr Ballard on an excellent and professional job of work. Altogether, the most outstanding book for which 5 stars are not enough.

NM

Excellent Book
This is a sensational book.I have read this one quite a bit.
I love the bit where they find the boiler on the bottom of the ocean.
It talks about the trials they went through trying to find the elusive Titanic.Nobody had seen that ship since it sunk in 1912.
I have always loved reading about that ship,something about the whole story has fascinated me.
I think the era it all happened in,as well as the beauty of the ship itself.It certainly had a mystique of its own.
To look at the pictures of the ship how it has deteriorated over time is very ghostly.To see objects such as dolls heads and boots realy shows you the tragedy that once happened on a very cold night.
The stupidity to push the ship full speed through an iceberg field maked the mind boggle.Playing dice with all those lives,and to top it all off the lack of life boats on board.
Dr.Robert D. Ballard became a legend himself after the discovery of the most famous ship to ever hit the waves. ... Read more

Product Description
An immensely readable, provocative, and entertaining exploration of the Titanic as cultural icon.

"I suggest, henceforth, when a woman talks women's rights, she be answered with the word Titanic, nothing more—just Titanic," wrote a St. Louis man to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He was not alone in mining the ship for a metaphor. Everyone found ammunition in the Titanic—suffragists and their opponents; radicals, reformers, and capitalists; critics of technology and modern life; racists and xenophobes and champions of racial and ethnic equality; editorial writers and folk singers, preachers and poets. Protestant sermons used the Titanic to condemn the budding consumer society ("We know the end of...the undisturbed sensualists. As they sail the sea of life we know absolutely that their ship will meet disaster."). African American toasts and working-class ballads made the ship emblematic of the foolishness of white people and the greed of the rich. A 1950s revival framed the disaster as an "older kind of disaster in which people had time to die." An ever-increasing number of Titanic buffs find heroism and order in the tale. Still in the headlines ("Titanic Baby Found Alive!" the Weekly World News declares) and a figure of everyday speech ("rearranging deck chairs..."), the Titanic disaster echoes within a richly diverse, paradoxical, and fascinating America. 22 illustrations.Amazon.com Review
The largest movable object ever constructed by man when it waslaunched, the supposedly unsinkable Titanic has inspired novels, songs,poetry, movies, and even a mysterious black stoker named Shine who neverexisted on the actual ship. Steven Biel traces all these avatars and exploresthe social and cultural myths that the disaster gave rise to--and destroyed.The recent attempts to raise the Titanic's wreckage have demonstrated thatthe myths have not lost their power. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

An original approach to a classic subject
Plenty of books recount what happened the night the Titanic sank, but this one does something different.It traces how people have understood that night, mostly in the United States, in the decades since.For example, the Titanic figured into the arguments of both opponents and supporters of women's suffrage in 1912.It entered into African American culture in the form of folk songs and spoken-word poetry (the precursor to rap).It's been the subject of poems, novels, songs, musicals, and (of course) movies.James Cameron's 1997 film--the highest grossing movie of all time--is just one attempt to make the disaster speak to contemporary concerns.

With intelligence and wit, Biel shows that many meanings can come from an event.If you want to read a narrative account of the Titanic disaster, try "A Night To Remember."But for the hows and whys of remembrance, read this wonderfully researched book, which is gracefully written and often funny.

Thoroughly boring
If by "academic" some of the previous reviewers meant hopelessly dry and equally trite, I'll add a resounding "you bet." Biel represents a reprehensible trend making its way through the academy, one which chooses to focus exclusively on how events are interpreted instead of what they are. It's a convenient excuse to study pop culture and enforce fashionable academic relativism for most, and Mr. Biel is no exception.

Still, all of this I could excuse if the book offered anything resembling relevance. Instead, it's entirely composed of trivia: a virtual catalogue (and not much better written) of anything ever said about the "Titanic" disaster, which leaves one with no impression of what this was all about. I've given Mr. Biel two stars for managing to avoid the unreadable jargon that characterizes much of the work done in his field today, but potential readers should be aware that this book, despite its excessive and anal documenting, offers no thesis worth mentioning.

Historical context (and then some) for the "Old Canoe"
Steven Biel writes with a detail and depth of knowledge of his subject.The disaster becomes a touchstone for aspects of popular American culture, a prism through which various 20th century concerns are seen, even asTitanic-as-metaphor becomes increasingly mythic and removed from the actualevent.

Interesting, but a heavy-going piece of academic work
This is very interesting and poses some interesting questions.However, British readers should note that it is very US-centric.This is not a book for those who are not already enthusiasts about the Titanic.

A clever look at society's reaction to Titanic's sinking
This is one of the few Titanic books currently in print which does more than rehash the same old sinking story.Instead, it looks at the reaction of society to the greatest marine tragedy of all time.

The success of Biel's book hinges on his meticulous research and thorough reporting of his findings.One chapter examines how the New York press reported the tragedy in the days following the sinking.Many authors are content to re-state what the New York Times said (accurately reporting that the ship had sunk), and what the New York Sun said (inaccurately reporting "All Saved From Titanic After Collision").Biel digs deeper, and presents a range of reactions that vary from honest, dedicated journalism to wild speculation.

Biel's also examines how the Titanic affects us to this day.His analysis of Titanic movies such as "A Night to Remember", "Titanic" (1953), and "Raise the Titanic" give the reader a new perspective on these often-overlooked films.More than cinematic re-tellings of the sinking, they reveal the feelings and values of the people who made them.

Although it is not the most exciting of novels, it is a brave work that, like prospectors looking for gold, successfully finds new material in a world of tired, re-hashed, and looked-over facts. ... Read more

Product Description
The sinking of the ocean liner Titanic in 1912 was one of the most famous events of the twentieth century. The ship was the largest and most luxurious passenger liner of the age. While she was being built, Titanic was described as "practically unsinkable." Yet she went down on her maiden voyage after striking an iceberg.

More than 1,500 passengers and crew members perished in the frigid waters of the North Atlantic. Nearly all died because the ship didn’t carry enough lifeboats. Yet according to the shipping regulations at the time, Titanic actually carried more lifeboats than she was legally required to. Many people also believe that the ship was traveling too fast. Yet her captain wasn’t doing anything different than nearly every other liner at that time. The sinking attracted worldwide media interest. This interest has never lessened. The loss of the Titanic is just as fascinating today as it was on the day it occurred. ... Read more

Product Description
The RMS Titanic struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic at 11.40pm on 14 April 1912. By 2.20am on 15 April, the last visible section of the Titanic sank below the waters. More than 1500 people lost their lives. This text attempts to separate fiction from fact, reporting on what actually happened. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

For a true Titanic scholar
As a Titanic historian for 16 years, I understand your disappointment. For those of you who did not enjoy reading "Total Titanic," I would suggest purchasing a copy of the book I wrote, "Titanic Trivia,"published by Premium Press. After reading through these comments, I believeyou would be much more interested in my literary effort. "TitanicTrivia" includes 424 facts about the construction of Titanic, theactual sinking, rescue, passengers and crew, survivors, and very fewentertainment facts (several from the James Cameron movie but many areabout movies, theater productions, films, and the like before Leo capturedeveryone's Titanic imagination). Every fact in "Titanic Trivia"is verified by at least two noteworthy sources (Lord, Titanic HistoricSociety, Haas and Eates) if not more. My suggestion is to check it out. Thebook also includes, on the front, a never before published photograph ofTitanic. If you end up reading "Titanic Trivia", e-mail myselfand let me know how you liked it.

It dosen't even deserve 1 star
It was 5 bucks that could have gone toa better place,Half baked theories - myths believed to be fact and horrible obvious inaccuracies that are a definite embarresment to this author.If he was expecting praise hisexpectations were to high.Don't waste your time, it contains somewebsites and is mainly for teeny boppers who are obsessed with a movie anddon't really care whats fact or fiction as long as they know LeonardoDiCaprios' name is in it somewhere

well it would be good if i could find what i was looking for
i was looking for one subject and had to go all over the place to find it it would be nice to go to one place to get this info and if you come across it please send it to me. its the Titanic passanger list. im looking for oneperson really Rose Abbot. thank you...

A Great Book
I think the book Total Titanic was a very well written book.This book was the best Titaic book I have read to this Day. I reccomend this book for readers of any age.

Poorly researched
This is one of the worst books I've seen on the Titanic.Appears as though the author knew very little about his subject, picked up many bits and pieces from browsing the Internet and had no idea what information wasright or wrong (some of the information can be directly tracked back tovarious web-sites). Most of the 'text' is bullet points of information,not a document to be read. ... Read more

Product Description
This illustrated volume was published in 1913.


A short excerpt from the book:

I think those of my readers who are accus-
tomed to tales of thrilling adventure will be glad
to learn first-hand of the heroism displayed on
the Titanic by those to whom it is my privilege
and sad duty to pay this tribute. I will confine
the details of my narrative for the most part to
what I personally saw, and did, and heard dur-
ing that never-to-be-forgotten maiden trip of the
Titanic, which ended with shipwreck and her
foundering about 2.22 a. m., Monday, April 15,
1912, after striking an Iceberg "in or near lati-
tude 41 degrees, 46 minutes N,, longitude 50 de-
grees, 14 minutes W., North Atlantic Ocean,"
whereby the loss of 1490 lives ensued.


Contents:
I. The Last Day Aboard Ship
II. Struck By an Iceberg
III. The Foundering of the "Titanic"
IV. Struggling in the Water for Life
V. All Night on Bottom of Half-Submerged Upturned Boat
VI. The Port Side: Women and Children First
VII. Starboard Side: Women First, But Men When There
Were No Women
- Concluding Note ... Read more

Product Description
For the first time, the complete story of the sinking and discovery of the "Titanic" is available to young readers, written by the author of the bestseller "The Discovery of the Titanic". "Captures the drama of both the night of the sinking as well as . . . the discovery of the great ship. . . . Stunning".--"School Library Journal", starred review. Full-color illustrations. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (26)

Titanic
Do you like old ships? Well, I know the right one for you. It is the Titanic. It is about a ship that hit an ice berg and went down. So go under water with Dr.Robert Ballard and explore the Titanic. Good Luck! This book is recommended for 8 and up.

A Sad, Yet True Look at the TITANIC
Exploring the TITANIC is a very profound read. Robert Ballard (author of this book) is an avid diver, with the dream of finding and exploring the TITANIC. He joined a bunch of French explorers, and traveled far into the deep of the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 400 miles off the coast of Newfoundland where the TITANIC sank in 1912. Ballard used Argo (an advanced water-safe camera) to take pictures of the TITANIC until he found that he could not use Argo anymore because the rough waves were pounding against it. Minute after minute, hour after hour, the Knorr (the submarine Ballard was traveling on) floated in a sea of darkness because the only light they had was the light from Argo. About ten hours went by before Ballard decided to use Angus. Angus was an older camera that Ballard had used in previous explorations. In an hour or two, Ballard had found the TITANIC. Somehow he was not satisfied. He wanted to take clear pictures but did not know how to get them with the technology that he had with him. He pondered this for days. He knew that he was about 13 feet above the TITANIC. Then it came to him that he just needed to go down 13 feet more to get his pictures. Ballard convinced the Captain to go down the 13 feet. When they reached their target, they were able to get their pictures.
Ballard's dream was still not fulfilled because he had not yet explored the TITANIC. About a year later, Ballard and two other divers went underwater to explore the TITANIC. They had traveled down four or five times to complete their mission of exploring the TITANIC. Ballard's dream was fulfilled.
I would recommend this book to any reader that is NOT sensitive. This book told about people on the TITANIC who died. I think the author told us too much about people's lives and made us care about them too much.It was sad when you found out the person died. If they weren't killed, then one of the person's loved ones was killed. For example, Jack Thayer was talked about very much in the beginning. I became fond of him because the author gave so much detail about his life. When Ballard told us that Thayer had survived the crash, he did not stop there. He went on to tell us that Jack's father and his friend did not make it. This made me very emotional. If you would like to learn about Robert Ballard and his exploration of the TITANIC, then by all means, read this book.If the sad parts about the people who died bother you, just skip those pages and you'll still learn a lot about exploring the TITANIC.

If you like reading about the Titanic you will love this book!!
It's a true story about the Titanic and what things Robert Ballard and his team find in the Titanic.

A fabulous read
I first read this book almost 15 years ago, at age 5 : I loved it, and read it uncountable times. Today it is still just as fascinating. Beautifully illustrated and clearly written, it was the first of many Ballard books that I read. I would also recommend the Discovery of the Bismark and The Wreck of the Isis, just as interesting but less well known. A great way to start reading about the great ships of the past.

Read about the Hole thing from the Beginning
Goes behind the Titanic. Why did the Titanic sank, why it was built, how they came up with the name Titanic etc. It has everything you need to know about the Titanic. Even has real actual pictures taken of the Titanic in the water and above. ... Read more

Product Description
A narrative of the actions of the crew aboard the Californian, the ship that failed to come to the assistance of the sinking Titanic, uses official documents and testimony and interviews with survivors to find the truth. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

A must have book for Titanic Enthusiast
I have about 20 books on the Titanic and had lost hope that I would find anything new about this sea disaster.This book tells everything about the Californian's role and uses facts to back up every example. I loved this book!!!!!!

Could be said to be "the final word" on the subject
The only reason this book got 4 starts instead of 5 is the slight anti-American tone at times (for example, the US inquiries are treated as a almost a joke) and something in this much detail could not help but be tedious at points (the discussion of "port" and "starboard" lights comes to mind),but it is extremely well-done, leaves no point untouched, examines minutely any evidence in Lord's favor, and comes to the point of the matter- he saw what he knew "might have been" distress rockets and did nothing- and really, that is the end of it.

good read
I think you should not only read this book, but the other side of the story to get a full picture - A titantic Myth. I think Lord is given too much blame. He was the scapegoat, and he was not given his full rights when the US interviewed him. That is without a doubt a fact. However, I can't help but believe he could have done more. However, he wasn't the one who hit an iceberg, nor the one who lost members on his ship.

Nothing Else Comes Close
No matter what your view is on this particular aspect of the Titanic tragedy, you cannot help but be impressed by this book.This is, without question, one of the best-researched Titanic books ever written.If you happen to come across this rare gem don't hesitate to pick it up, because it's likely that you won't see it anywhere else!

Tells It Like It Is!
One may wonder why a book like this should have to be written.ClearlyLord is guilty as sin!On that cold April night he just didn't want to bebothered with a strange ship firing rockets in the distance.It was easierto do nothing, hoping everything would go away.But it wasn't so easy orcomforting to deal with the blame that fell on him.How dare we blame sucha responsible captain?But the facts are there.Reade goes through themstep by step like a first class lawyer.This must be done because manystill feel that Lord did nothing wrong.Like OJ Simpson's defenders, theybelieve what they want to believe.My only fault with this book was thatit was not the thriller other Titanic books have been.It tended to bogdown in jargon and nautical language. ... Read more

Product Description
This is the tragic story of the Titanic, the biggest and most luxurious ocean liner the world had ever seen, which sank on her maiden voyage in April 1912. Beautiful, double-page illustrations with amazing cross-sections and cutaway details explain the construction and mechanical details of this gigantic ship and reveal life on board for passengers and crew. Each new illustration reveals different aspects of life in the early 20th century, and the text highlights hidden details for you to spot. As you follow the pictorial story of this world-famous liner, you will discover how she was built and equipped, what kind of passengers and crew she carried, and what facilities she offered on board. You will also find out how she struck an iceberg and met with disaster, why she sank so quickly, how many people were saved, and how many lives were lost. You can compare the differences between the Titanic's passengers -- from the first-class millionaires to the third-class emigrants -- and find out how they dressed, where they ate and slept, and what they did to amuse themselves during the voyage. You can also take a closer look at some of the passengers and crew, and follow their different fates from the exciting start of the voyage to its tragic end. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Great book for kids
The illustrations in this book are incredibly detailed - my 5-year-old Titanic fan had a blast looking for every little person, room, etc.The text is written to coincide with the elaborate cut-away views of the interior of the ship and encourages the reader to find fun little details, like two steel workers who are sneaking a break during the construction of the giant liner.So it is akin to a Titanic version of "Where's Waldo."We had a blast reading and looking at this great book!

A GREAT BOOK!
I GOT THIS BOOK LAST WEEK AND THE FIRST TIME I READ IT I THOUGT IT WAS REAL GOOD!I`M A BIG TITANIC FAN!I COLLECT TITANIC STUFF!

A Clever Approach to the Titanic Story
If you are into wonderfully illustrated books, you need to check this one out. Noon is one of the best illustrators to paint the subject in quite a while.

Story of the Titanic is a slender, but oversized 11 by 14 volume. Through out most of the book every two pages open out to a great double page painting; that's (for the mathematically challenged) 11 by 28! These illustrations tell the story with wonderful cutaway drawings of the interior of the ship. The result is a strong sense of what was happening where during the Titanic'sfateful voyage. The amount of detail in each image is amazing, so much so that your eyes can just wander over the page, spotting one neat little artistic touch after another.

There is a minor downside to the book, in that the artist's renditions of the ship's interiors are not as accurate as they should be. Not that Noon has placed rooms on the wrong deck, or anything like that, but he has taken liberties with how many of the cabins looked. Apparently this is most extensive in the first class cabins depicted.

I am not an expert on the ship interiors, but an acquaintance of mine who has made this area his specialty stated that Noon makes it look like every first class cabin was a period suite, while in reality only some of the cabins on B and C decks were this elaborate.

There are some other minor transgressions with how the ship is depicted, but none of these glitches are a fatal flaw. Another issue to consider is that the amount of text is very limited. You are definitely buying this book for the art, not the words. Still, I think most kids (and adults, for that matter) would get a kick out of how the story is depicted in these cutaway paintings. Noon's book has catapulted right onto the list of my five favorite children's books on the subject. ... Read more

Product Description
On the night of 14 April, 1912, the ship Titanic hit an iceberg and sank. It was on its first voyage across the Atlantic and many people died. But what really happened? Why did the ship hit an iceberg? Why didn't another ship save the passengers? Although the disaster happened over 80 years ago, there are still people who can remember it and it still has the power to capture the imagination. ... Read more

Product Description
This lavishly illustrated narrative of human interest stories from the Titanic recounts the building of the ship, its launching, its departure for the ill-fated voyage, and individual stories on notable personalities who were on the Titanic. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

surprize enjoyable read
the pictures of the ship is lavish,narrative of human interest stories are really heartbreaking.the notable personalities aboard the doomed ship is explored.

A readable book marred by more than a few errors.
This book is billed as a collection of human interest stories, and insights into the doomed ship. The book delivers on this promise, but narrowly, as it focuses primarily on the `important' people on board, i.e.the wealthy, first class passengers.

There are chapters about Gracie,Butt, Astor, the Strauses, Widener, Guggenheim, Brown, Ismay,Morgan, anda few others from the first cabin.

Prominent members of the crew also getsome attention, like the wireless operators and the bridge officers, butthe rest of the crew and passengers are pretty much ignored.

The storiesthat are here are interesting and readable, but they suffer from a fairnumber of errors. What is surprising is that most of these errors are`amateur mistakes', and by that I mean errors that even people who haveonly moderate knowledge about the Titanicdisaster should not havemade.

To site just one glaring example, the author states that Titanic was carrying slightly more than a full load of passengers (p49), when it iscommon knowledge that the ship was barely half full.

Despite the errors,the book is a pleasant read. Readers who know their Titanic history wellcan gloss over the mistakes and enjoy the focus on the ship's wealthypassengers. Those less knowledgeable though, should not depend on thistitle as a source for the facts. ... Read more

Product Description
Drawn from primary sources and contemporary accounts, this new narrative, rather than providing a simple revisionist view, allows readers to come to their own conclusions about the "Titanic" and the people intertwined with her fate.Amazon.com Review
The familiar story of the RMS Titanic--from her tragic 10-second encounter with an iceberg to her descent to the bottom of the ocean some three hours later, taking with her more than 1,500 lives--still looms large in the popular imagination. Daniel Butler, a researcher and archivist, worked on this book for 30 years, intensively compiling facts not only about the event, but also about the characters who played an important role, from the actions of Captain Smith and his crew to the inescapable fate of the third-class passengers. He also offers the startling revelation of a nearby ship which ignored the Titanic's distress call because the shipmates were afraid to awaken their captain.

Unsinkable explores every facet of the Titanic's history, from its conception to a modern-day researcher's attempts to salvage the ship. The author presents a contemporary view of the crew and the passengers aboard, creating a better understanding of the time and the social psyche that played a role in the disaster. Also of note is Butler's enlistment of a clinical psychologist to analyze Captain Smith's mental state as the drama unfolded before him. Butler's passionate yet balanced narrative permits readers to conclude for themselves who or what was ultimately responsible for sinking the unsinkable ship. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (48)

Entertaining, but not very accurate.
Since I have not yet read "A Night to Remember", I cannot compare the two books, although I will admit that this author holds Walter Lord in high esteem and often refers to his work in glowing terms.

Some problems I have with this book are:
1) The author mistakenly claims (on page 99) that the Titanic was the first ship in history to send S.O.S.. Many say the honor belongs to either the Arapahoe or the Slavonia, both sent the S.O.S. call in 1909.

2) The author misquotes Boxhall's position for the Titanic (41.46N, 50.14W) not just once, but twice. (p. 209, 41.46N, 50.15W), (p. 234, 41.40N, 50.14W).

3) The author often states his own opinion as fact without offering any proof or reference.

4) The Index is extremely skimpy. It does not include such obvious entries as "Titanic, position of".

5) The author claims that thousands of pictures were taken, but includes only 18 pictures in his book. I admit he was not obligated to include any, but it would have been nice in a book that is supposed to be "The Full Story" for him to include more pictures.

6) The author also seems to fall prey to his own criticism; that "they have much to say that is useful or intriguing, but usually one hears in the background some particular axe being ground--social, political, moral--as they deliver their judgments on the deeds done that night; at times, it seems that the "Titanic" is of almost secondary importance to whatever grievance they are airing". (page x in the Introduction)

One instance of this is when the author expresses a "blame the victim" attitude toward the Third Class, even claiming that "undoubtedly, the worst barriers were the ones within the steerage passengers themselves" (p 224), completely ignoring the impact of his next statement, that "years of conditioning led a great many of them to give up hope as soon as the crisis became evident".

It seems reasonable that anyone reading this would assume that for someone to be conditioned for years, they would need repeated exposure to that belief. They didn't reach the conclusion on their own, it was held and ingrained by "their betters", until the Steerage Passengers believed it themselves. Even the ship was designed to reflect this attitude, an extreme separatism between the Classes that was rarely breached and maintained even after death, as the author himself admits.

The author goes so far as to claim that the Steerage Passengers were not locked below in E Deck Aft as many have stated over the years, but that instead, some of the crew were (p 139). Again the author offers no proof, but continues to grind his own axe, claiming that the Crew, which he admits had a relief fund amounting to over $2 million (p 174), suffered far greater and received far less recognition (p 174-176). Then the author dwells on the many memorials erected for "Titanic" crew (p 176-177), while ignoring the possibility that perhaps, just perhaps, the Third Class were equally heroic.

So while I believe this book is worth reading, I'll say that it does not live up to its claim, that it presents the full story of the RMS Titanic without any bias or prejudices. Instead, this book is a springboard for the author air his views and to follow his predecessors who wrote similar accounts about the Titanic.

Lots of mistakes, but reads well enough
I liked this author's other book, The other side of the night, a lot better. This book does take things from a Night to Remember, but that didn't bother me. It reads like a novel and if you read it that way, it's pretty interesting. I've read about 30 books on the Titanic so far and this book has a lot of factual errors, some minor but they add up. For instance, Benjamin Guggenheim was in Paris and boarded the Titanic at Cherbourg. He couldn't have been on the boat train from London to Southampton. Leading Fireman Barrett, an important witness at both the American and British investigations, was named Frederick, while the author consistently referred to him as James. In the transcripts of testimony he was listed as Frederick. Mrs. Ryerson's maid's name was Victorine Chandanson, not Chansdowson. Harold Lowe was the Fifth Officer, sometimes referred to in the book as the Fourth Officer. There are many such errors. Also, how could the officer possibly know what certain persons were thinking who did not survive the disaster? He also seems to know exactly how the ship sank and broke up, giving a minute by minute account. By the time this book was written the wreck had been found, but if one wasn't there while it was happening, there is still a certain amount of guesswork to it. I'd read this book as a good story, but encourage people to read other books as well if they really want a factual account of the sinking.

Good Book
Nearly a century after its sinking, the Titanic seems but a legend. We know it happened, we know of the players in the tragedy, but it's like looking at something from very far away, there's a sort of detachment. This book humanizes the experience of the sinking and made me realize that it wasn't just some event that happened all those years ago and has been sensationalized for decades. It makes a person realize that it actually DID happen, and brings to light just how much it effected everyone involved, both directly and indirectly. I read reviews saying it was like Walter Lord's "A Night To Remember", I wouldn't know because I never read it (though that will change when it's available for Kindle). I felt it was well written, decisive, informative and awakening. The story was told without being droll and made me feel more for the story and a part of it.

strong historical telling that is well-written and put in great context
The best nonfiction account of the infamous sinking of the majestic Edwardian ocean liner, the Titanic (along with the Illustrated History). From the creation of the icebergs millions of years ago to the salvage operations in the late 90s, this book is incredibly detailed and well-researched, and most admirably notable for its strict adherence to fact and not speculation. Puts the tragedy in a very human (psychologically, positive, negative, and all in-between) context, as well as a historical one (discussing the values and culture of the time). Amazingly researched and wonderfully written account. Grade: A

Is this research, or a review article of other books?
This guys owes quite a bit to A Night To Remember, reading both books side by side.No original research, certainly not "30 years" worth, and to judge by the number of errors he has managed to transfer from other books to his, he didn't do much fact checking on his own.He seems to have just skimmed what was out there, and did an overview.Too bad for him that computer software that can pick up this sort of "authorship" has come on line.

I've also looked over his venom-filled reviews of other books that I have to think he regards as competitors.He accuses other of profiting off of the disaster, but he pops this book out to coincide with the movie, and puts out another (shortly) to coincide with the 100th anniversary?Must be hard to speak out of both sides of one's mouth so loudly.

Stick with spinning tall tales to elderly passengers on cruise ships, Dan. ... Read more