Titanic: Memories of a Maiden Voyage by George Behe

[Arun Vajpey]

Hes anyone read Titanic: Memories of a Maiden Voyage by George Behe? It sounds interesting and if good, I'll try to get the hardcover copy.

 

[Seumas]

A very good book. I certainly enjoyed it greatly.

Behe's concept is so simple and yet brilliant. The reader "gets to know" the people who were on board the ship entirely through their own personal papers.

Crucially it's not one of these books that just fawns solely over the first class passengers either. Second class, third class and the ship's crew are all included and their stories treated with equal importance.

George Behe has also included for every person who had their letters, postcards and diary entries featured in the book a mini-biography at the end.

You'll love it, especially if your interested in the "social history" of the disaster.

 

[Arun Vajpey]

Thanks. I always thought that Second Class passengers were the most interesting of the lot. As you say, a well weighted coverage is what I am after. Will order the hardcover.

 

[Seumas]

Thanks. I always thought that Second Class passengers were the most interesting of the lot. As you say, a well weighted coverage is what I am after. Will order the hardcover.

Although it's the ship's crew I'm more interested in I do very much agree that of the passengers, the second class lot definitely have the most interesting (and even mysterious) characters among them.

The Becker family, Lawrence Beesley, Father Thomas Byles, William H. Harbeck & Henriette Yvois, the Hart family, Masabumi Hosono, the Navratil's to name but a few. All very curious, intriguing people.

 

[Arun Vajpey]

Likewise, I am interested in Martta Hiltunen and by proxy her travelling companion Anna Hamalainen.

Also Rosa Pinsky, although I only heard of her recently.

Lawrence Beesley came across as someone with a good survival instinct and I can easily find myself in his shoes.

Kate Buss is also interesting; she probably was bored with the prim and proper life in Sittingbourne and enjoyed the social life on board the Titanic.