Customer Reviews

Dusk to Dawn: Survivor Accounts of the Last Night on the Titanic

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. There were some real treats in it like the analysis of Captain Smith, who was portrayed by piecing together a whole bunch of survivor statements, which ended up showing a captain who remained involved and on the ball after the collision. I also liked the treatment of a potential third boat (besides the Californian)in the area during and after the Titanic's sinking. This is the first book I read that also showed the captain leaving the bridge only minutes before the impact (instead of the more common portrayal of a little after 9 p.m.) Very interesting.

There are a lot of Titanic books out there, and this is one of several of them that is both informative and entertaining (there are some enjoyable new illustrations in this book as well).

Paul Quinn really does his homework - and follows through with the hard but necessary research that is not evident in so many other Titanic books. He goes through all the court transcripts with a fine-tooth comb, apparently with no particular ax to grind, and simply lets the facts lead where they may. For example, we learn that First Officer Murdoch, who was evidently involved in the final panic and shooting near the bridge, was also much more involved in both port and starboard boat launchings than has been suggested in earlier works. Up to the moment of the rush(s) on the last boat(s), Murdoch was the one officer who kept his head and launched the boats properly. Quinn is also a good painter, and is the first artist to actually portray what survivors saw (and could not see) under real lighting conditions.

Paul Quinn has an ability to look at what everyone else has seen (chiefly the British and American Inquiries into the loss of the Titanic) and to think what no one else has thought. This ability defines genius. In his latest book, for example, he follows First Officer William Murdoch throughout the sinking and reveals that it was Murdoch's competence that saved MOST of the people who got off in the lifeboats that night, revealing that there was much more to this man than would be suggested by those of us who have spent what now appears to be too much time focusing on the last ten minutes of his life. One may not always agree with Quin's conclusions (for example, some fine details of the flooding sequence); but agree or disagree, he always makes you think, and rethink, what you thought you already knew. I'll continue to buy all of his books on this subject, just to see what breath of fresh air he next blows on to a tale from the good old, old, old days.

Liked this book a lot. Strings survivor statements together in an hour by hour timeline that made me feel like I was right there on the ship. Good color illustrations and b&w photos too. Had to special order this book but worth it.

I loved this book because the survivors are quoted a lot. Their comments are linked together in a series, from dinner on Sunday night to the rescue on Monday morning. I got this book for Christmas and just finished it. It was 288 pages but an easy read.

I think there is a higher concentration of artwork in Paul Quinn's other book (Titanic at Two) compared to this one, but the ones here are just as pleasing. My favorite is on page 24 and shows Bruce Ismay dining in the A la Carte restaurant on Sunday night, with Captain Smith in the background at another dinner party. There is another one in the Chapter at 9 pm that shows first class passengers relaxing in the lounge that I also really like. And the third one that I like shows a lifeboat almost being lowered on another one with the Titanic looming in the background.

There is a mind-boggling amount of detail in the text from the string of survivor comments, but I think I liked a few of the side boxes best, especially the one about Captain Smith's behaviour at the end of the 1 am chapter.

I think I liked Titanic at Two better than this one, but Dusk to Dawn is still an excellent read.

A wonderfully illustrated book with an arrangement of survivor accounts that makes you feel like you were there.

Very good. Couldn't put this book down once I got into it. The artwork was very interesting. Between the authors narrative, the survivor accounts, and the illustrations, I really got into this book, which is about the last night.

This book is typical of new Titanic books. It has no new info to offer ( ... ). ALso there are many mistakes that could have been cross checked. All in all this book deserves one star for originality. And one star for presenting the facts correctly.