Customer Reviews

Ghosts Of The Abyss: A Journey Into The Heart Of The Titanic

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Let me preface this review by stating that I have been studing the TITANIC for over 20 years and have just about every book imaginable on the subject in my personal library.

After watching the "Ghosts from the Abyss" DVD, I simply HAD to get a copy of this book. The photos are outstanding, the commentary is fresh and the way it ties into the DVD makes it even better.

This is the best TITANIC book since "Titanic: An Illustrated History", which coincidentally was also written by Don Lynch and Ken Marshall. It is simply a MUST HAVE for anyone interested in this fascinating story. I would highly recommend buying this AND the DVD for the full effect!

You WILL NOT be disappointed with this book. Buy it with 100% confidence!

It may be just me, but there is something intriguing about seeing a bowler hat that has survived nearly 100years on the ocean floor, or a cup standing upright on a dresser liked it had just been put there after plunging 2.5km to the ocean floor.

Ghosts of the Abyss will blow your mind with exactly how beautiful the inside of the Titanic still remains. Incredible pictures of inside staterooms, the reception room, wireless room, landing vestibules, the Dining Room, Cpt Smith's bathroom and other rooms deep withing the wreck of the broken ship.

Some sheer horror will also be met with pictures of the boat deck collapsing slowly into A deck; a testament to the power of age.

The only downside to the book is there is not enough photos of inside the wreck - you really just want MORE.

That Don Lynch and Ken Marschall have produced yet another great Titanic title is not a surprise but the beauty of this volume surpasses any book on the subject previously published and the sensitive approach the authors take is matchless. The incredible undersea photos, culled from James Cameron's 2001 expedition, are at once stunning and disturbing, revealing the unexpected, illuminating not only the life of this once proud vessel but the lives of the men, women and children who sailed on and were lost with her. Titanic has in fact never been seen in such an intimate, immediate way.

The text is Don Lynch at his story-telling finest. His comparison of the 1912 sinking to the disaster of September 11, which occured while the Cameron dive was in full swing, is especially powerful.

This book is likely the best that will ever be published on Titanic as she is today - alone, rusted and dead on a seabed, yet wonderfully alive, lost but fantastically found, inhabitated now only by ocean life and, yes, as one is convinced from the extraordinary images, by a great many ghosts.

Since its seabed location in 1985, the Titanic has been explored and photographed extensively, culminating in many books flooding the market. The Titanic community relishes these volumes, and yet these books offer little fresh material into the wreck whose untimely demise has fascinated millions around the work.
Enter James Cameron. In 2001, he and his expedition team, along with unequalled historians Don Lynch and Ken Marschall, sought to bring the story of Titanic to the reader in a way that had not been accomplished with satisfaction. With his high-tech 'bots', Cameron and his expedition explored the deepest caverns of the Titanic, creating an awesome photo record of the ship's interiors, as well a visual update of the sad decay that is consuming the once-great ship.
What the reader will discover is nothing short of awesome in this book - a combination of 'then-and-now' photos, computer-generated recreations of rooms based on the team's discoveries, and items explored and photographed that would not have been known to exist on Titanic otherwise. The talents of James Cameron, with his tenacity, Ken Marschall with his knowledge and artistic expertise, and Don Lynch, knowing the personal tales behind the death of White Star Line's legend, come together in this book that will be difficult to surpass.
The only way to improve upon this offering is to add more pages of the wreck's interior.

While not a very big book at just 143 pages this is one of the nicer Titanic books I've seen. Dedicated to both those who died during the sinking and those who died September 11, 2001 (while the film project was underway)the fist chapter gives a quick but detailed history of the Titanic folowed by several chapters devoted to the crew's exploration and filming of the shipwreck and it's aftermath.
I really liked the photos of the wreck as it is now, especially when compared with similar period photos, and the computer graphic reconstructions were amazing. Many of the photographs seemed very familiar, I was surprised to see so many of things that had somehow survive breaking and kind o depressed to see the signs of collapse that the wreck is now going through.
I sure wish I could've seen the movie, hope it comes out on video soon and I'd like to see much more work of this type doen before it's too late.

In 'Ghosts of the Abyss', Ken Marschall and Don Lynch have done what the Titanic community has invisioned for years and compiled a photographic record of views from inside the Titanic wreck. The images of the Titanic's interiors are truly amazing and lay reference to the beauty of the ship's former glory. Views of the Reception and Dining Room, as well as several first class staterooms give a truly passionate and humane view of the Titanic. Never before has the ship been reached on such a personal level. Nothing like this has ever been seen before, it is truly an incredible achievement of a book and a must have. My congragulations go out to the authors, Mr. Marschall and Mr. Lynch, with thanks to James Cameron. Well done!

This book is a must for any TITANIC collector. You can spend hours looking at the pictures and never get bored. Awsome Book. Just watch you don't leave finger prints on the pages, they will show on the glossy paper.

While it seems there is no end to the TITANIC franchise, James Cameron's breathtaking 3D documentary/recreation and this companion book are definitely among the "Must-See's." His expedition, enhanced by Ken Marschall's always perfect art work and Don Lynch's sensitive observations and extensive knowledge combine to enlighten/inspire even the most casual TITANIC student or enthusiast. Their obvious love and dedication for the subject matter shines through on every page. The publishers are also to be commended for the fine job of assembling this lovely book. While there may be less and less to see of the TITANIC with every passing year, it's apparent that her lessons and legacy will go on forever.

I just finished reading my copy of Ghosts of the Abyss, and as I expected, this book did not disappoint. the book is a tie in to the cinamatic release of the James Cameron documentary Ghosts of the Abyss which showcases the August to Septemeber 2001 expedition to the Titanic. As it happens, this is the most thorough internal survey of the wreck of the Titanic accomplished by anyone, and the wealth of information recovered has had the community of Titanic researchers...particularly the "techies"...talking ever since.

Anyone who picks up this book will soon see why.

This is not just another recounting of the Titanic saga, but a photographic documentation of what the saw inside the broken wreckage of the ship. From the present condition of the light fixture dangling above the Grand Staircase stairwell first seen by Dr. Ballard's expedition in 1986 (It's still there.) to the photos of spaces seen by no living human since 1912. This work also documents the on going decay of the ship which is clearly accelerating and has been for some time.

The vivid and sharp photography includes, to name a few, the Marconi Room, the Reception Room on D deck, and crews quarters, the collapsing shell of the gymnasium, the promanade deck, and is accompanied by period photographs which show how these and other rooms would have looked like in happier times. There are also some CGI recreations of the Grand Staircase and the Marconi room. It also explores spaces that were far from the public eye even in 1912. Page 126 for example has the only photograph I've ever seen of the circular staircase which led down to the Firemen's Tunnel, and which made it possible for the firemen to get to and from the boiler rooms without having to transit through passenger and crew spaces. A feature unique to the three Olympic class liners.

To go along with all of this are the expert commentaries of the authors, both of whom are well known and respected authorities on the Titanic. With hundreds of books out on the subject, there are few that I would ever call a "must have"

Ghosts of the Abyss are one of those few that anyone serious about the Titanic needs to have on available on their bookshelves. There's information to be had here that simply cannot be has anywhere else.

"Ghosts of the Abyss" features a collection of the greatest Titanic Wreck images to date. Cameron has wandered into areas of the ship inquiring minds like my own have often wondered about. The contrast of the Titanic then to what she is now reveals the tragic aspects of this signifciant historical disaster. What was by far catching were several 3-D models present here and there such as the Grand Staircase among other locations within the ship. The angles of the images taken and lighting of the wreck were brilliant. If anything, the rare images of the D-Deck vestibules make the book worth the price. A must have for anyone who is captivated by the former elegance of the ship of dreams.