Customer Reviews

Lost to Time: Unforgettable Stories That History Forgot

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It may come as a shock, but with the explosion of the steamboat Sultana in 1865 on the Mississippi River, more lives were lost than with the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. Then there is Gustave Whitehead, the German immigrant who beat the Wright brothers by two years in being the first to experience powered flight. More? There was the rehearsal for the D-Day invasion of Europe that cost more lives than those killed in the landings at Utah Beach.

Lost to Time: Unforgettable Stories that History Forgot by Martin W. Sandler, is a buffet table full of historical events that for some reason have largely escaped the attention of most Americans. Actually, most Civil War buffs will know about the loss of the Sultana. World War II historians will know of the great loss of life experienced in Exercise Tiger in preparation for the invasion of Europe. Historians that have studied powered flight will have no doubt run across the name of Gustave Whitehead in their studies.

The fact is that most of the events that Mr. Sandler discusses are widely known in a very narrow range of scholars. However, it is probably safe to say that Lost to Time may be the first time all of these "forgotten" events have been brought together and placed under one cover. I must admit that some of this information was new to me and very interesting.

Lost to Time is a very interesting book that is sure to enlighten a generation of history students. Well written and well researched, Lost to Time is a great way to spend some time.

The stories were very interesting and many I had never heard about. A great read that is easy to put down and pick up again. I gave it as a gift to my 88 year old father, who loved it, and then read it myself.

I wanted to like this book; I'm usually a sucker for obscure history. But uneven writing, factual errors, and a lot of conspiracy-style thinking and unsupported speculation made it a disappointment.

As a voracious reader of books on history, I always thought that I knew, at least, a little about the history of our country and the famous people who did something significant. When I pick up and read a book of this type, it is a very humbling experience.

The author lays out tales of many people and events, almost all of them happening in the U.S., many of which were unknown to me. I did know about the Sultana disaster, and something about the botched practice landing in England as preparation for D-Day, but the bulk of the book taught me new things.

There were the folks, during the Revolution, who made much longer and more dangerous warning rides than Paul Revere, and there was the gentleman who, apparently, flew a powered airplane several years before the Wright brothers. Also, the great fire in a remote area of Wisconsin that caused much more devastation and death than the Chicago fire, which occurred at the same time. I could go on and on, but you get the point.

Books such as this always reveal that the learning of history is a continuing process, and the more you read, the more you know.

I think that most folks realize that while many ride the carousel magnificently, only a few get to grab the brass ring. And we know that the one who winds up with the ring isn't always the finest rider, either. So, what I was hoping for in this book is more than a compendium of also-ran stories. I was looking for an analysis of WHY? Why does happen? Are some stories simpler and easier to remember? Are some lucky in getting associated with important things? Is is a kind of parochialism? Is it about what can be summed up in two lines? This book certainly does a nice job of pointing out worthy folks and events that only got their fifteen minutes of fame and failed to make it to household name status. It's just not enough.