New Books on the Subject

[Ben Lemmon]

I have been wondering if there are more Titanic books that have come out recently. With the Titanic Book Site being shut down, the only list I have is from a year ago, courtesy of a fellow Titanic aficionado (thank you very much for that). I would think that with the Centenary coming around, there would be more books. Am I mistaken on this subject? Are there more books that have or will come out?

 

[Ernie Luck]

Hi Ben

Gary Cooper's new biography - been out about 5 months - 'E. J. The Story of Captain John Smith', comes to mind, the only comprehensive biography of the Captain. Soft cover, runs to 420 pages.

 

[Mark Baber]

Paul Lee's book has been issued as a paperback and has been generally well-received; details appear here.

Two very good non-Titanic White Star books have also come out in recent months: Richard de Kerbrech's Ships of the White Star Line and Greg Cochkanoff and Bob Chaulk's S.S. Atlantic. Both are excellent.

 

[Kendra Bell]

I am coming across the same problem. The Library in my town has a small Titanic selection that I completely depleted in less than a month.

lol Oh well.

Thanks,
Kendra

 

[Michael H. Standart]

>>The Library in my town has a small Titanic selection that I completely depleted in less than a month.<<

That's more then I can say about the library in my town. My collection is waaayyy better then theirs in that I have one. Amazon is a wonderful resource for finding these titles. That some of out own members have their own websites where you can buy what they publish as soon as they announce it is even better.

 

[Bill Wormstedt]

There is also J. Kent Layton's book, "The Atlantic Liners", which has a long chapter on the Titanic. See:
http://www.atlanticliners.com/atlantic_liners_book.htm

 

[Mark Baber]

How did I forget Kent's book, which is literally sitting right next to my computer? Another excellent one.

 

[Samuel Halpern]

Hi Mark,

I too have a copy of Kent's book, but I can't get it to sit. How did you do that?

 

[Mark Baber]

Obedience training, Sam. My books do what I tell them to do...or else!

;-)

 

[Fiona Nitschke]

Ben, another way to keep an eye out for new releases is to check titles by date of publication via major online bookshops. While there's a lot of reprints or new editions, there's always new titles. Always, seriously. Sometimes the titles are listed 12 months ahead of their availability which can be both annoying and exciting, depending on what the title is.

At the moment I'm so far behind with my fiction collection I don't think I'll ever catch up! Then there's the children's books... and 2012's not so far away. Aaagghhhh.

 

[Kendra Bell]

Just started a new thread on one that I believe to be new. The Titanic Experience by Beau Riffenburgh.

Thanks,
Kendra

 

[Marlene Dotterer]

In the fiction line: just try getting something published.

I am trying - urgently assuring agents that the approaching centenary is the perfect time to put out a new historical novel about the builder of the Titanic. So far, the response is underwhelming, but publishing is struggling these days, just like other industries.

I MIGHT... might... self-publish it, if no one picks it up. But I'd truly love to avoid that for all kinds of reasons.

Tell you what... if any of you know any publishers - tell them (over and over) that you are dying to see new books about Titanic. If they eventually express interest, tell them you heard about just the thing...

 

[Paul Lee]

My book is still avilable: http://www.paullee.com/book_details.php

Marlene, where are you based? If you're in England and within travelling distance of London, theres a cheap service you could use.

 

[Marlene Dotterer]

Thanks Paul. I'm in the U.S. - in California. I'm looking into publishers. CreateSpace, through Amazon, is a good possibility.

 

[Paul Lee]

Hi Marlene, see if there is an Espresso book machine near you. They will print your book at very reasonable rates!

 

[Deborah Hopkinson]

I am working on a nonfiction book for readers ages 9-12 based on survivor accounts and have found this site invaluable. I have been researching quietly for some time but will probably be popping up with questions as I start to write.

Anyway, I am just reading the new book (2010) by Nick Barratt "Lost Voices from the Titanic" and am confused about something that doesn't seem quite right to me - but wanted to ask the experts.

On page 105 Barratt includes George Rowe's letter to Walter Lord. On page 108 Rowe mentions in a PS about the Oceanic finding one of the Engelhardt boats (A?) with three dead people in it.

The author then states, on p 108: "The heart-breaking postscript shows that not all the casualties perished on the night of the sinking. Some unfortunate souls had managed to escape from the sinking ship and stayed alive long enough to clamber onto the Englehart (sic) rafts cast back adrift AFTER (my emphasis) their occupants had been brought on board the Carpathia. You can imagine the relief these three people must have felt slowly turning to despair as rescue failed to materialize and they were finally overcome with cold, fatigue, and starvation."

Surely this cannot be right...

 

[Michael H. Standart]

>>Surely this cannot be right...<<

I don't think it is. I recall that a boat was found with bodies in it, but they had all been dead since the night of the sinking. Captain Rostron didn't really put in any effort towards recovering bodies which is understandable since the Carpathia didn't have the means to deal with them short of placing them in the same cold storage with the victuals.

 

[Russell Friesen]

Hi Deborah, so far as anything I've ever read, the statement is incorrect, as survivors from Boat A were not transferred directly to the Carpathia. Boat A was floated off the Titanic minutes before she sank, and ended up in a partially swamped condition, with people in the water attempting to climb on board. According to "Titanic, Triumph and Tragedy" by Eaton and Haas, Fifth Officer Lowe found boat A after his return to the scene to search for survivors and took 13 people alive off of it and into Boat D, leaving three bodies, and opened the seacocks to let it sink. However, boat A didn't sink and was encountered some weeks later by the Oceanic; her crew recovered the boat and buried the three bodies at sea.

Hope that helps you out and I wish you all the best with your new book!

 

[Adam Went]

I think Michael and Russel have got it right....they were already dead when placed in the lifeboat.

In any case, if they were still alive, surely they would have been spotted by the Mackay-Bennett? Or had they floated too far off by that time?

 

[Michael H. Standart]

>>In any case, if they were still alive, surely they would have been spotted by the Mackay-Bennett? Or had they floated too far off by that time?<<

Probably the latter. The Mackay-Bennett had to literally search thousands of square miles of ocean to even so much as recover the bodies that they did. You would be astonished at just how easy is it to miss something like that even if you're practically on top of it.