The Sinking of the SS Titanic

£5.00

“To my mind the world of today awoke April 15th, 1912.”

On 14 April 1912, John B. ‘Jack’ Thayer III, the 17-year-old heir to a Pennsylvania railroad fortune, was traveling first class with his mother, father and their maid on the most spectacular ship of the era – the TITANIC.

Jack was one of only a handful of survivors who escaped by jumping into the freezing Atlantic as the TITANIC sank and spent the next five hours clinging onto collapsible lifeboat B, the last lifeboat swept off the ship’s boat deck. He barely survived the disaster, and his detailed and shocking account of that fateful night riveted those he recounted it to in the following decades.

Finally, in 1940, he wrote down what happened for his family, privately printing 500 copies.

Five years later, after the tragic loss of his son in the Second World War, Jack Thayer committed suicide, and his story was mostly forgotten.

This new edition, published in 2019, includes the historically important series of six drawings by Lewis Skidmore a young art teacher aboard the CARPATHIA, the liner that came to the aid of the TITANIC survivors.

Jack described to Lewis the stages of the TITANIC’S demise, which Skidmore faithfully drew.

Critically it shows the ship breaking in two as she sank. Many survivors refuted this assessment but seventy years later Jack was proved correct when the wreck was discovered resting on the seabed – in two halves.

This edition also includes further bonus material, Jack’s earlier, much shorter accounts of his amazing escape published in 1912 and 1913.

Description

‘A vivid account of how the TITANIC sank by survivor Jack Thayer’ — Daily Telegraph

‘A dramatic first-hand account… TITANIC survivor reveals the horrifying cries of the luxury liner’s dying victims’ — Daily Mail

About the Author

John ‘Jack’ B. Thayer III, was born in Philadelphia on 24 December 1894 into the wealthy and aristocratic Thayer family. His father was John Thayer II who ran the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, his mother, socialite Marian Thayer. After surviving the disaster he graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, served as an artillery officer in the First World War, went into banking and was later financial vice president of the University of Pennsylvania. He committed suicide on September 20, 1945 following several years of depression, he was found in a car in Philadelphia his throat and wrists cut. He was survived by his wife Lois Cassatt, son John, and three daughters, Lois, Julie and Pauline.

Additional information

Author

Publisher ‏

Spitfire Publishers LTD (18 Aug. 2018)

Language ‏

Print length ‏

35 pages

Publication date ‏

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V
Victoire DeFranc

Member

15 messages 0 likes

I understand these are rare, and quite expensive, but I was wondering if anyone here, had a copy they were looking to sell. I doubt it though, Thayer's book is one to hold fast too! But if you are, please respond!

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D
Darren Honeycutt

Active Member

711 messages 4 likes

Hi Victoire, every blue moon, you can find on on Ebay, expect to pay anywhere from 500.00 to 1000.00.

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Avatar of clofback
clofback

Member

5 messages 0 likes

Sheesh, 8 years ago, huh? If you are still looking, let me know. I have a copy I'm selling.

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