Please I want some help

[Amber Elizabeth]

Im 13 years old.I just found out so much by reading this about the great Titanic.
I was hoping maybe one of you could give me extensive information on it.Im loooking to do a report on it.'
If you could just e-mail it to me at [email protected] it would be greatly apreciated.Or you may post reply here.

Thank you.
Sincerly,
Amber

 

[Michael H. Standart]

Hi Amber, it might help if you told us what specific area you wanted to do the report on. Is it technical? Passenger/crew related? Californian?

Either way, once you have your topic, you have to turn to basic down and dirty research which involves finding books, transcripts, etc.

Primary sources are a must and for that, I'll give you a real gem by way of the Titanic Inquiry Project website which is at http://www.titanicinquiry.org/

Here you will find the comlete transcripts of both the U.S. Senate investigation and the British Wreck Commission Inquiries which were conducted in 1912. Here, you will find the testimony of the people who were themselves involved.

The next step if you persue the inquiries is to locate books on the latest research to see what they got right back then and to see what has been corrected. Fair warning; it will take you awhile. Even the foremost experts here didn't learn what they did overnight. They've been at it for years, some even for a lifetime.

I'm willing to help with ideas and sources if I can, but you'll still have to do the bookwork yourself.

Good luck!

Cordially,
Michael H. Standart

 

[Parks Stephenson]

Amber,

I suggest you start by reading either "A Night to Remember" by Walter Lord and/or "Titanic: An Illustrated History" by Don Lynch & Ken Marschall. Both books should be readily available either by purchase or through your library.

You might find that the subject for your report will flow from your reading. At least, that's how it worked for many people in this forum.

Parks

 

[Teri Lynn Milch]

Amber,

There are a few children's books on Titanic as well, that you will be able to find at your local library. Just ask the clerk to help you find them. The children's books should be fairly easy reading for you, not having a lot of ship terms in them that can be hard to understand for people your age.

Teri

 

[Parks Stephenson]

Amber,

In light of Teri's post, I thought I might point out that I read "A Night to Remember" (often referred to in this forum as ANTR) when I was your age and found it a gripping account of the disaster. I can thank both the 1953 movie "Titanic" and ANTR for inspiring me to follow a decades-long interest in the ship (I also enjoyed "The Maiden Voyage" by Geoffrey Marcus, but that book is now out of print and not easy to come by these days; otherwise, I would also have recommended it). Unfortunately, "Titanic: An Illustrated History" was not published at that time, but I don't see it as being a difficult challenge.

Happy reading,
Parks

 

[Inger Sheil]

I suspect that Amber would be well able to tackle most of the mainstream pop-history titles which make up the bulk of published Titanic tomes - I know that I was around her age when I first delved into the newly-released 'Titanic: Triumph & Tragedy' and I don't recall having any problems grappling with technical terminology. Many of us were weaned on Lord and Marcus at an even earlier age - I found the former in my pre-teen years, but unfortunately not the latter (wish I had), so I agree with Parks on his suggestions. 'Titanic: An Illustrated History' would be a particularly good title to start with as it's so visually rich and the information is presented in an accessible, easily digested format.

 

[Kate Bortner]

Amber~ I agree with above suggestions (especially ANTR) but I would caution that there is some factual data in An Illustrated History that has since been proven incorrect (the Allison's maid story specifically) I would add Titanic Voices to your list of books to read and if your paper is on passengers I would try to find Senan Moloney's The Irish Aboard the Titanic. It is a very detailed account of the Irish passengers and crew.
Good luck with your paper and let us know how it turns out.

-kate-former-school-teacher-bortner

 

[Parks Stephenson]

There is some incorrect factual data in "Illustrated History," just as there is in ANTR. In fact, I can't think of one Titanic-related book that doesn't include an incorrect fact or assumption. It's the nature of the business and what makes the subject so endlessly fascinating.

Parks

 

[Joshua Gulch]

Amber,
By all means, read ANTR and the follow-up "The Night Lives On." "Illustrated History" is excellent too, though I have to admit I've yet to read it all the way through yet.

Parks,
"A Garbled Titantic" has all its facts straight, far as I know.

Josh.

 

[Parks Stephenson]

Josh,

In "A Garbled Titantic," the fatal flaw lies not in the work, but in the author himself, God bless his Irish soul.

Parks

 

[Kate Bortner]

And poor Senan not around to defend himself!

 

[Inger Sheil]

Lol! Smolony does a hatchet job on everyone in AGT - himself included.

It is, however, without question the most accurate history of the Titantic ever written...or not. It's certainly one of the few books that proudly proclaims on the cover the work's innacuracy!

For the uninitiated who are wondering what we're blithering about, here's a link to follow:

http://garbled.netfirms.com/

As with all Sen's work, I thoroughly recommend this title.

 

[Pat Winship]

Hi all!

While I wouldn't recomend it to a kid just beginning to learn about the Titanic, my 13-year-old son loved every single word of A Garbled Titantic. Amber, I'm a librarian, and would agree with the selections already mentioned of Walter Lord's A Night to Remember, Eaton and Haas's Titanic, an Illustrated History, and Geoffrey Marcus's The Maiden Voyage. as the best places to start your research.

Pat Winship

 

[Tracy Smith]

And don't forget Eaton and Haas' Titanic:Triumph and Tragedy, which is full of interesting photos.

So far as age and reading ability goes, I first read Padfield's Titanic and Californian in 1968, when I was ten years old. Still have that copy, now dog-eared and tattered from all my moves over the years.