Customer Reviews

Robert Ballard's Lusitania

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

 

 

Of course, Dr Robert Ballard will forever remain the man who found the Titanic, but in this book he also provides the reader with an extremely well documented account of the loss of the Lusitania.

Mysteries are mysteries and whilst there are those experts which insist such and such happened, there will also be those who assert the opposite. I shouldn't say this I know, but it the way in which Bob Ballard takes such a thorough approach to his subject, it leaves one feeling that the only book you need to read on the entire subject of the loss of the Lusitania is this one.

Exploring the Lusitania - yet another four-funnelled passenger liner built before WW1, is a large coffee-table book approx. A4 size. Just a glance at the pictures throughout the richly illustrated pages (227 altogether) reveals the extent of the research to which the author has gone on behalf of the reader. There are many historic pictures of the ship itself - including when she was no more than a keel. Others include paintings of the day, newspaper cuttings and postcards showing internal and external views. Then there are the photographs of the tragedy itself and the effect it had upon the people of Ireland. Photographs of seemingly unimportant people at the booking office and individuals such as the Captain. Dr Ballard has been equally thorough when it comes to detailing the U-Boat which sank the Lusitania and we are treated to almost the same level of coverage of vessel and individuals and their trade of war.

Once again, however, the author has put together the most outstanding collection of artwork created by Ken Marschall. From thousands of photographic images taken from the wreckage itself, Bob Ballard created a complete montage (i.e. a big photograph made up of thousands of little photographs) of the various sections of the wreck so that Mr Marschall was able to provide us with the most accurate paintings of various sections and even the entire wreck. The one painting I had to look at again and again was the painting of the sinking across pages 96/97. For a moment there I thought the world's greatest photographer had been on hand to capture the event.

I congratulate Dr Ballard on another excellent and professional job of work. Another outstanding book and yet again 5 stars are not enough.

NM

My aunt was a survivor of the sinking of the Lusitania. I have collected many resources pertaining to the Lusitania and its sinking, so as to better understand what my aunt endured. Aunt Sarah died in Chicago at the home of my Grandmother some years ago. This book is a prime resource for me as it is well researched, well written and brings to me information that I hadn't heard before. Thank you, Robert Ballard!

This book is a great resource if you do not know much about World War I or the sinking of the Lusitania. The history chapters are the bulk of the book. Ballard and team have really reproduced all kinds of materials related to the tragic event. They have also presented the material in a very readable format. That part of the book is terrific. I also loved the graphics that Ballard's team used to make the story even more understandable. Despite this great background material, the book stumbles on Ballards work with the wreck. The wreckage is not hard to find, so we really do not have too much drama in finding it, even though Ballard tries to write it this way. The big problem it seems is dark water and nets. The dark water prevents many big shops. Ballard sort of gets around that with some nice drawings, but the reader will not get any of the big Titanic shots. (Or any shots like good boat in clear water shots) The nets also really seemed to hamper work on this project. The boat is close enough to shore that local fishermen lose lots of long lasting nylon nets on that thing. Because of this and Ballard's well thought out rules of not treasure taking, you will not get a ton of pictures of the WW1 boat laying on the sea bed revealing her treasures. She also has been a victim of less scrupulous groups of explorers. Overall the book is great for history and setting, but a little weak on discovery and wonder.

I found this book to be in BRAND NEW condition. The price paid for the book was outstanding. The shipping charges were very reasonable. The book was received in suprisingly quick time. I've not yet had time to really get into the book, but I have scanned it. It will definitely be a great read. I highly recommend this seller to other buyers.