Customer Reviews

Story of the Titanic As Told by It's Survivors

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This Titanic book is different from most others in being told entirely from the perspective of survivors. Two of the surviving passengers and crew tell of the ship's last hours. The first story is told by passenger Lawrence Beesley, a science prof. on his way to America. His account details the trip from Southhampton to New York. Beesley was a level headed individual who tells the story in an almost detached fashion, without fear or hysteria. His detail and objectivity make this my favorite eyewitness account. The writings of Lightoller and Bride are excellent as well. They do a good job of conveying the approaching terror people must have felt as the ship went down. One realizes that they knew what would happen, while many passengers did not. Archibald Gracie's chapter was less good. It begins alright, but he ends up giving us a detailed review of the lowering of each lifeboat, something any later researcher could have done. And unless Gracie was taking notes at the time, I find it hard to believe this was his experience! But all in all, this book is a must for Titanic buffs. It gives us a look into the tragedy that few other books can.

This book gives four informative, exciting, compelling accounts of the Titanic tragedy. The Lightholler report, being the only survivor amongst the senior officers & quite liberally mentioned by the other authors, is particularly interesting. The stoic response by the vast majority of obviously doomed male passengers to the prospect of drowning in sub-zero temperature water, as they stood orderly by, or assisted in the loading of women & children in the life-boats, is quite staggering. One of the storytellers has a sad, old-fashioned tendency to describe many of the non-English speaking survivors in very disparaging terms. Indeed, Gracie quite often comes across as annoyingly pompous in his descriptions. On the other hand the short report of the surviving wirelessman is totally unstuffy & hugely readable. The inquiries' treatment of Ismay, the President of Titanic's Company & a survivor against all the odds for single males, is particularly interesting . The book also highlights some of the movie's mistakes, especially the breaking off of the stern section prior to sinking. On the whole a good book & worth buying.

Overall, this book was virtually impossible to put down. To hear the story of the Titanic as told by some of its survivors, puts you right there in the water with them. There are only two drawbacks to this book. The first one is that the English written in 1912's vernacular is sometimes a bit cumbersome. The second one is that Archibald Gracie's book, while interesting, sometimes gets bogged down in details. However, despite some minor drawbacks for the 90's reader, I would recommend this book for anyone with even a slight interest in the story of the Titanic beyond what we got to see in James Cameron's movie.

This is truly a must for all who want to read more about the REAL story of the night the Titanic went down, as told by several who were there, and survived. Once you start reading this it's impossible to put down. The book is a compilation of other books, and newspaper stories printed at the time this happened, and there has been no editing or other changes made to make it more for this era. It is as it should be....with the true feelings and experiences of the survivors, as well some exerpts from the official hearings that were held to determine who or where the responsibility for this tragedy should fall upon. I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to know more of the actual events that occured this very tragic night that so many lives were lost.

The Story of the Titanic as told by its survivors is a beautifully written and accurate account of the foundering of the Titanic. The book is a compilation of four previously pubished books by actual survivors. The four authors will transport the reader to a different time and place. Lawrence Beesley's 'The Loss of the SS. Titanic' provides terrific insight into the life and attititudes aboard the Titanic. Archibald Garcies's 'The Truth About the Titanic' offers an incredible story of survival since he actually went down with the ship and was able to swim to safety, only to die a few months later. Finally, Commander Lightoller, one of the only surviving officers, provides a more technical assessment of this epic disaster. Though the story is repeated in each volume I never got bored because each perspective gives the reader greater insights into the people, the ship, and the ensuing disaster. The details in each volume are fascinating. I'm convinced that James Cameron read this book prior to filming the movie since so many of the details in the movie are found in these pages. The writing, reflecting the earlier part of this century, is formal, but beautifully clear. Overall, this is one of the best shipwreck books that I've read. A Must Read.

"That cold green water, crawling its ghostly way up the staircase, was a sight that stamped itself indelibly in my memory. Step, by step, it made its way up, covering the electric lights, which for a short time shone under the suface with a horribly weird effect." This, tetsimony from an officer of the ship, named Lightoller, matches any description for effect that any fiction writer could create. It is the fact that this book is taken from the testimony of four of Titanic's survivors that makes this book so excellent. One gets a real sense of the times---Edwardian England---where duty was paramount and the supposed superiorty of the English race, which colors the survivor's accounts, hints at the very pride that contributed to the disaster---a fascinating paradox. Not only do you get the testimoney from four survivors--each several chapters---but also a boat by boat testimonial from the survivors of those boats. Another reviewer here found this testimony mundane, but I found it fascinating and objectively complete. It seems that the most famous account of the disaster in book form, A Night to Remember, took much of its information from this book, and what makes this book so much more appealing is that the accounts are unfiltered. Captain Lightoller's account is particularly illuminating in that it shines a critical light on the Titanic hearings before the U.S. and English governments, which he calls a "farce." Another fascinating thing about this book is that despite the differing experiences related here by the survivors you begin to pick up bits and pieces of testimony that weave a common thread of experience among all---like a great puzzle.

I thought that this book was very good. It was the first book about the Titanic that i could actually read and understand(not to mention stay awake). It was exactly what it was exactly what I was looking for...survivor stories! I really enjoyed this book and I would recomend it to anyone who is interested in the "Titanic".

Vivid, chilling, extremely well written accounts of the Titanic disaster from passengers who survived. As if Joseph Conrad had been on board and lived to tell the tale. No hype. No melodrama. Just several horrific, suspenseful accounts from a few of the officers who remained until the bitter end. I started reading this book one night and couldn't put it down until 6 in the morning.

I was not prepared for the poignancy and vivid details that the survivors provided. I, too, am convinced that James Cameron did a thorough job in researching his topic before the movie. Every book I read, while it repeats some of the known details provides new insights from new perspectives. The compilation of the four survivors has had me on the edge of my seat in realizing how utterly calm the passengers were and how much times have changed. Anyone interested in continuing their reading on the many faces of Titanic should not skip this one.

Beesly, Gracie, Lightoller, and Bride have given us the invaluable and passionate perspective only survivors can share. While they can be faulted on some counts, their stories are incredibly poignant and instructive for us even today. Thank you for offering this collection. The perfect companion to the recent film, the reader is effortlessly transported back to 1912, and glimpses a reality most of us shall thankfully never know. A 'must read', if you want to better understand the reality of this event.