Titanic Paperback – April 8, 2012

What I received was a CreateSpace, independently published, 96 page booklet of the account. This is an ostensible reproduction of the text of the first book ever published about the Titanic. Written by a respected journalist and author of the time, it was originally published in May of 1912, a mere 37 days after the sinking of the Titanic. The expediency with which this was done was remarkable for its time.Written in the rather florid style associated with the era, it does give a yeoman’s contemporaneous account of what was known at the time. While I applaud the expediency of its then publication, the booklet lacks any information as to the source of the material. The stats at the back of the book are also a bit askew, no doubt due to the inexperience of the CreateSpace, independent publisher. There are also no illustrations or photographs.As a contemporaneous curiosity, it is of historical interest, and the expediency with which it was originally published was no mean feat for its time. Still, though informative, I found reading it to be a bit of a tedious slog, suitable for only the most ardent fans of the Titanic. Moreover, the way this edition was put together serves as a warning not to buy any CreateSpace, independently published works.

Mr. Filson Young is, by all evidence, an accomplished author and he has produced in this book a gripping account of the fatal voyage of the Titanic. How extraordinary that the book came out in May 1912, barely one month after the Titanic's sinking. Considering this was in the pre-computer age, what a prodigious feat this must have been! One supposes it was likely updated shortly thereafter in subsequent printings, and then the War and the 1915 sinking of the Lusitania - also, for a time, the world's biggest ship - would have drawn the public's attention to other horizons.On the basis of testimony of several survivors - for instance, by citing the telegraph operator (culled, presumably, from newspaper reports) - he gives the reader a perceptive inkling of what the final hours and even the final moments of the ill-fated ship might very well have been. In doing so he puts to rest, incidentally, the persistent yarn about the alleged arrogance of the Titanic's telegraph signals on that ill-fated night, which had reportedly admonished other ships not to bother them with their chatter. This was manifestly not the case. Until her very last moments, the ship was signalling SOS to all who would hear.One finds at the end of the book an interesting table listing souls lost by category of accommodation. Thus we see that 37% of the passengers in first class lost their lives; 58% of the passengers in second class, 75% of the passengers in third class, and 77% of the crew. It is a pity that the author does not suggest possible explanations for the wide spread in those statistics. He does affirm, however, that there had been no discrimination for allowing access to what lifeboats there were, other than the "women and children first" proviso. Hm.Undisputably brave as the ship's captain had been, the hubris underlying his acceptance of the command knowing full well the ship's deficiency in lifeboats (and then skipping the standard on-board lifeboat drill once she was under way!) remains inexplicable, analogous to a modern airline pilot's proceeding without first having completed a pre-flight check and certifying nevertheless that all was well. With consummate delicacy, however, the author forsakes judgemental comment on this issue. Presumably, subsequent Commissions of Inquiry would have dealt with the matter.The entire story is of enduring interest and I highly recommend this very readable account.

I highly recommend this book because it made me feel as if I were onboard the Titanic, being lead here and there by a tour guide. It talks directly to you, the reader, taking you to the dining saloons, libaries, lounges, staterooms, smoking rooms, bathrooms, etc. For example, on the first day of the voyage, right after the Titanic set sail after a gala "bon voyage", the book lets you get settled down to shipboard life, as you would naturally, and explore what will be in store for you during the next seven days. Since the Titanic sailed around mid-day on the first day of its voyage, the book leads you down to the 1st class dining saloon to let you decide what you would like to eat for your first meal on Titanic, and goes on to tell you what is on the menu. It then takes you to the 2nd and 3rd class dining areas too, to give you an idea of what you would have eaten for your first meal, if you were to have been traveling in those classes. I felt this was unlike other non-fiction titanic books, which tell the story but don't include you in it.This is the first book, among those which I have read about the Titanic, that actually gave me a nauseating sense of the horror of what it must have been like hearing the cries of victims who were conscious of the fact that they were helplessly being frozen to death in the icy water.It was interesting to read the author's ideas about what types of conversations might have taken place onboard. For example, he tells of the sequence of events and possible conversations on the bridge right after the ship hit the iceburg. It provides very good descriptions; and gives interesting bits of information, some of which were new to me.A few things to note:1. The fist pages, describing Belfast Harbor and the building of the Titanic, were extremely boring.I was ready to give up, but skipped to where the Titanic's voyage starts, and that is where the "journey began", so to speak, in this book. From there, I was enthralled until it ended.2. The book isn't very long, so you can finish it in a day or two.3. The words and writing style are rather outdated, written about 100 years ago. In spite of this, it is still an easy, enjoyable, and highly recommended read.

This book caught my attention from the start, nothing like the film, this was just about the boat it's crew and something of the passengers who where separated on the boat as they were in the in life, people who could afford the best they got what they paid for, down to the fellows in the bowels of the boat, the class system didn't allow people to mix, each having their own decks, dining and stewards to keep everyone content.Only one problem it didn't go into what happened in landing in any great detail, maybe I just enjoyed it so much I didn't want it to end

After all the Titanic material that has been published recently there is only so much more that can be said on the subject.This book was published at the time of the disaster and written by a journalist who had visited Belfast and interviewed some of the survivors. I read it after Violet Jessop's book "Titanic Survivor" and they complemented each other very well.The book opens with an interesting description of what it was like to arrive in Belfast at that time when the shipyards were at their peak. If you are thinking of visiting the new Titanic Centre then I would recommend reading this before you go.There is also a contemporary description of a tour of the ship from top to bottom as seen through the eyes of a passenger on board. The author seems to have taken a trip on the sister ship Olympic at some point shortly after so the description is both original and contemporary.Finally, I was interested to read that Captain Smith was actually on the bridge still trying to direct operations when the ship sank abruptly and without warning underneath him (rather than being in the wheelhouse awaiting the end as we have since been led to believe). Bearing in mind that we now know that the ship's keel had been broken in the collision (which Captain Smith may not have known) and that, as a result, the ship split in two just before sinking one wonders whether, in fact, the Captain thought that the ship might be kept afloat for a little longer? Perhaps that was why so much effort was put into keeping pumps and lights working and who knows, if the keel had not been broken, could this plan have succeeded?

This is a quick, easy read, setting out the action of the maiden (and final as it turned out) voyage of the Titanic. I got the free Kindle edition but the paperback edition is so much better as it includes lots of lovely photographs. This is an interesting read - it's an old book and there's a lot in here that isn't strictly politically correct (Young's attitude to the loss of life in third-class and amongst the stokers of the ship is revelatory about class attitudes of the time). The statistics about how many died from each class are also quite revealing. However, it's interesting and if you are a fan of the Poseidon Adventure (or, like my husband, like to watch the film "Titanic" "from when it sinks"), you'll like this book.

Being a devoted fan of the Titanic since Bob Ballard found her in 1985, I have read just about all the books of interest on her short life and the terrible tragedy that is still held in so many people hearts and imaginations. So on seeing this one that I had not read, and with it being free, I downloaded it.I own up to being a person who has to be grabbed by the first few pages, or at least the first chapter, if not I put it down. As sadly I did with this. The writing style simply got in the way, I could not get into the flow of the text as I should have.Others may find this an excellent book, for me, simply the style made it uninteresting for me. Who knows, I may give it another go.

free kindle book that was the first one i downloaded and what a super read it is. Written just 30 odd days after the tragedy it is an informative and immotive read. full of detail and facts that are beautifully written. The book begins as the mighty ship is in production and follows through with the accounts of the tragedy from suvivors. The fact this is written so shortly after the fact is incredible. The writers research and depth of knowledge in such a short time is the stuff of wonder.Get ,read it and do not bother with the much trumpeted , but deficient cammeron movie. Enjoy!