Return to Titanic: A New Look At The World’s Most Famous Lost Ship

Return to Titanic: A New Look At The World’s Most Famous Lost Ship
Almost twenty years after making the world's most famous underwater discovery, Robert Ballard returns to Titanic with hi-tech cameras and robots to provide the clearest, most dramatic images ever seen.

Have you read this book? What did you think of it?

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I called the local bookstore, and Nov 1 is the release date for the new Ballard book..

I will take the text within and Ballard's conclusions with a grain of salt-
what will interest me are the pictures of the wreck- and if there is an over abundance of forepeak images, ill scream!!
A new wreck mosaic would be nice..
regards

Tarn Stephanos

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Tarn, when it comes to the Titanic wreck, I would say that Ballard is the authority. After all, he is the one who actually found the wreck in 1985 and studied it thoroughly before anyone else had. As for the excess of forepeak images, I do tend to agree, although he has taken some very good photos of other parts of the ship. I would like to see a full wreck mosaic, but I'm not sure if or why he would have a new one constructed, unless newly discovered details warranted it.

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>>Tarn, when it comes to the Titanic wreck, I would say that Ballard is the authority.<<

I wouldn't go that far. The most thorough internal survey of the wreck was accomplished by a team led by James Cameron. I would think that RMSTI has emmassed quite a bit of information too whereas Dr. Ballard's visit was his first in nearly 18 years. Apparently, it wasn't much of a priority with him until recently. Have to agree on taking any conclusions Dr. Ballard comes to with a grain of salt, but then I treat anything with caution these days. I'll buy a copy when it hits the shelves and give him a fair hearing.

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Just received word that this book is now in-print and available for purchase. It was due out in November - beat that deadline by several days! It is showing as available on all the usual new book sites, and is probably at a major bookstore near you now, or will be very shortly.

all the best, Michael (TheManInBlack) T

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Thanks for posting that Michael. I'll purchase a copy, the next time I'm in a bookstore.

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I'll be doing my grocery shopping tomorrow and part of the rounds includes a visit to Barnes & Noble. I'll definately be looking for it.

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next week the book will be in the stores..
poste your impressions here..
Ill bet anything there will be a plethora of forepeak images, just what we need......

Tarn Stephanos

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I just checked Barnes & Nobles here in Seattle, no book yet.

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I got mine today. Found it buried in the Barnes & Noble history section. You might have to ask for it specifically in order to find it.

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In history, Michael? I checked "Transportation", where Titanic material usually is - around here anyway. My son works at a different Barnes & Nobles, he's gonna check for me tomorrow.

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Yep...in the History section. From the looks of it, the booksellers aren't making much of a fuss about it.

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Michael - the way they categorize books is somewhat illogical in general. I can see why Titanic could fit under both history and transportation.

Heck, I have a series of fiction books I buy - post nuclear war stuff. Some stores have it under science fiction, some under general fiction. And some under "Men's Adventure"! (you know the kind!) Harder than heck to find!

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What are your views on the book????

Any breathtaking photos of parts of the wreck we might not have seen up close (like the hole above the alcove of the Reading and Writing Room); or is just the same old forepeak footage all over again?
Any new mosaics of the wreck? Truth be told the text will not interest me, as I already know where Ballard is coming from..

Tarn Stephanos

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I don't think there's going to be much dsispute over what Dr. Ballard's position is and to be very honest, I don't begrudge him that in the least. I may not buy into it in toto but he's as entitled to his opinion as the rest of us. I'll still read over it so I have a good understanding of it however. At least I'll be getting it strieght from the source.

While I can't say that I'm pushing ahead very much save to scope out a few of the pics,there are some interesting photos that have never really been seen befor. The mosiacs are at the very end of the book...bow section only I'm afraid...one from 1986 and one from June of this year. You may be able to dispute claims of cause and effect, but you can't dispute the fact that the condition of the bow section has deteriorated over the years.

I've gotten through the usual summary of the disaster itself and the one disappointment I'd note is the claim that the ship displaced 45,000 tonnes. In fact, that figure is her GRT (Actually 46,328 tons gross and 21,831 net register tons.) The Titanic's full load displacement is 52,310 tonnes at a navigation draft of 34 feet 7 inches as per the information transcribed.

One really bizzaar error I caught was the statement that Bruce Ismay was the managing director of Harland & Wolff...which I haven't seen elsewhere.

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