Advice on best Titanic book?

[sally1976]

Hi Im just wondering what books you guys have read ? and any advice on which you think are the best titanic books to buy as im interested in purchasing a few.I have just read a night ANTR after being told it was a good book but didnt find it detailed enough and very short.Any guidance would be appreciated many thanks xx

 

[Adam Went]

Hi Sally,

It really depends on what you're interested in! Most Titanic books specialise in a particular area. So it depends on whether you're interested in the construction of the ship, survivor testimonies, the sinking itself, the discovery of the wreck, etc etc. "Titanic: An Illustrated History" is great from an overall visual aspect.

Cheers,
Adam.

 

[Ioannis Georgiou]

As Adam already stated it depends on what you are interested. Regarding survivor accounts, I would recommend the book "On Board RMS Titanic" by George Behe which contains many accounts from newspapers and private letters.
Beside the book Adam mentioned "On A Sea of Glass" is also good from what I have heard and would be more up to date as ANTR. Report into the loss of the SS Titanic by Samuel Halpern and others is also great but did not go very much in detail regarding survivor accounts.

If you are interested in the construction I would recommend "Titanic The Ship Magnificent" by Steve Hall, Bruce Beverbridge, Scott Andrews, Daniel Klistorner & Art Braunschweiger. Volume 1 is about the Technical Details and Volume 2 about the interior.

If you also like something of the kind photo book then I would recommend "Titanic in Photographs" by Steve Hall and Daniel Klistorner. If you like the story of the Olympic Class Ships then the books of Mark Chirnside will be of great help!

 

[sally1976]

awww thanks very much for your reply guys much appreciated.Was looking for something pretty much covering everything ??

 

[Adam Went]

I know i'll get flamed for this but I really enjoyed Charles Pellegrino's "Her Name Titanic" - brings the whole story to life. ANTR is very outdated now but it's worth reading, Sally, and you should be able to pick it up cheap. If you haven't already, be sure to get yourself "Ghosts Of The Abyss" - the book and the docco movie.

As far as construction and design of the ship goes, aside from the books Ioannis mentioned, "Anatomy Of The Titanic" by Tom McCluskie would be a worthy addition to any Titanic collection as well.

Cheers,
Adam.

 

[Ioannis Georgiou]

Even I enjoy the book "Ghosts of the Titanic" by Charles Pellegrino his books are nothing I would recommend! Most of the stuff is made up. Regarding the book "Anatomy of the Titanic" by Tom McCluskie honestly I am not impressed. He did not go into detail and many pictures there are actually from Olympic or even Britannic and if I remember right some are also wrong captioned. I think both volumes of Titanic - The Ship Magnificent are the best about her construction.

The Titanic books by Eaton and Haas like Titanic - Triumph and Tragedy are also worth to read!

 

[trev]

Each book Ioannis mentions in his post on the 18th are in my collection, and fully worthy of mention.

But again, as Adam has stated, it depends on your area of interest.

I would also include the transcripts of the hearings into the disaster.

 

[sally1976]

I would like to read about all of it,the only part that doesnt really interest me is the construction side of it.That many titanic books have been wrote by different authors that it confuses me as to which ones are accurate,they all seem to contradict each other.I would like to read FACT not FICTION.I certainly agree trev I would also like to read the transcripts of the inquiry then we would get the facts.It would also be interesting to see how different if any were the inquiries being 2 in seperate countries x

 

[Mark Baber]

I would also like to read the transcripts of the inquiry

Those are online at TIP | United States Senate Inquiry.

 

[sally1976]

Thanks very much mark much appreciated x

 

[Adam Went]

Hi all,

Ioannis, I know that a lot of what Pellegrino says is made up but as I mentioned, so long as you take that into account it does bring the story to life - Pellegrino has an excellent imagination and a great way of telling the tale.

As for McCluskie, it has great visual representation but it's been a long time since I looked at it and so wasn't aware that many of the images were of the Olympic.

Sally I would also add that anything on the subject of the Titanic or other maritime history by Robert Ballard is worthwhile reading - just bear in mind that some of his older stuff like "Discovery of the Titanic" is pretty outdated now and a lot more information has come to light since it was published (1986/7).

Cheers,
Adam.

 

[Ioannis Georgiou]

Hi Adam,

as I said I really enjoy his book "Ghosts of the Titanic" but it is nothing I would recommend to everyone.

Regarding Ballard, I am not quite sure. I would say "Discovery of the Titanic" is the better one as there are no much of those false claims Ballard did (about damage to the wreck etc.) as he did in "Return to Titanic". Much better are the books "Ghost of the Abyss" and "Exploring the deep" which have much more stuff about the wreck and more pictures and information as the books by Ballard.

 

[Adam Went]

Hi Ioannis,

The trouble is that when Ballard was exploring and writing heavily about the wreck of the Titanic from 1985 - 1987, there was very little known about the ship and the only photographs and film which could be taken were from Ballard's submersibles which were only equipped with (now) primitive 1980's technology. James Cameron had a much better opportunity by the early 2000's.

His books are definitely worth reading as the man behind the discovery of the wreck, but his motives behind discovering the wreck - as in his work with the US Navy - must also be kept in mind.

Cheers,
Adam.

 

[Jesse D O'Neill]

Sally

Here is what consider to be the best books available on the subject:

D.E. Bristow, Titanic: Sinking the Myths
David G Brown, The Last Log of the Titanic
William H. Garzke & John Woodward, Titanic Ships Titanic Disasters
Don Lynch, Titanic an Illustrated History
John P. Eaton & Charles Haas, Titanic Triumph & Tragedy
Geoffrey Marcus, The Maiden Voyage
Lee W. Merideth, 1912 Facts About Titanic

 

[Ioannis Georgiou]

Here is what consider to be the best books available on the subject:

D.E. Bristow, Titanic: Sinking the Myths
David G Brown, The Last Log of the Titanic

Last Log is ok but mainly presenting theories.

Sinking the Myths is bad, a lot of made up claims and untruths.

 

[Jim Currie]

You might want to try "The Scapegoat" by James Currie. A novel about Californian which uses all available evidence about that ship and winds it round events in history of the times.

Jim C.

 

[Jesse D O'Neill]

Sinking the Myths is bad, a lot of made up claims and untruths.

I disagree. While I don't agree with everything in the book, overall I think the book was very well researched and very detailed. From conversations with the author years ago I believe she was giving her honest opinion based on years of research conducted all over the world.

 

[fanofvgandtitanic]

Hey guys: Titanic Triumph and Tragedy is a good one. But quite different is the one called The other side of the night: the Carpathia, the Californian and the night the Titanic was lost, by Daniel Allen Butler. I recommend it very much, for it brings a new point of view towards it, from the POV of Californian and Carpathia. I'm looking forward to read "Lights'" Titanic and other ships, hopefully I find it somewhere. Has anyone out of you read it?

 

[Arun Vajpey]

On A Sea Of Glass by Leyton et al is by some distance the best book as far as the disaster itself is concerned.

D E Bristow's Titanic: Sinking The Myths is undoubtedly the worst Titanic book that I have ever read. Pretentious, badly written and misleading. Not worth the paper that it is printed on.

 

[mueller]

hello i have a few books to suggest first i would read the discovery of the titanic by Dr Robert Ballard, and i would read Titanic: an illustrated history, with text by don lynch, paintings by ken marschall, and featuring an introduction by robert ballard i would read as said by other people in this thread, ghosts of the abyss by james cameron i hope these suggestions will help you find the titanic book you're hoping to read