The tragedy of the Titanic is chillingly present in the details: that the sea was calm and the night moonless; that the orchestra played "Songe d'Automne" as the icy water rose. Drawn from the archives of the Titanic Historical Society, The Titanic Collection uses real documents authentically reproduced to paint a riveting portrait of life on board. Reminiscent of a turn-of-the-century steamer trunk, this deluxe box contains more than 18 items, including the boarding pass of a man who missed the sailing, a brochure reviewing the amenities and civilities of the first class, deck maps, luggage stickers, postcards sent from the ship, and replicas of three tragic telegrams: the warning of icebergs ahead, the Titanic's distress call, and the heartrending announcement of the disaster. The Titanic Collection also includes a fact-filled booklet and timeline. Few will want to resist a closer look at the utterly compelling items in The Titanic Collection.
Eric Sauder has been interested in ocean liners for over three decades. Eric's first job was as a tour guide on board the RMS Queen Mary in Long Beach, California.
Because of his knowledge of passenger ships of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Eric was asked by Dr. Robert Ballard to act as Historian for his explorations of the remains of the Cunard liner Lusitania and White Star's Britannic (sister ship of Titanic). He has dived to the wrecks of both of these liners, and it was his close involvement with these expeditions and the analysis of the thousands of still images and hundreds of hours of footage that gave him a unique insight and knowledge of these two great lost ships. Among the other expeditions Eric has been involved with are those to the wrecks of Titanic, Republic, and Andrea Doria.
Counted among his credits are numerous documentaries which have appeared on the Arts & Entertainment Channel, The History Channel, The Discovery Channel, and The Learning Channel, as well as the best-selling books Exploring the Lusitania, The Discovery of the Titanic, Titanic: An Illustrated History, and Lost Liners. Eric has written numerous liner-related articles and has also worked on a number of projects with the National Geographic Society. Among his most enjoyable assignments was assisting James Cameron with the research for his 1997 blockbuster Titanic.
As Eric's interest in ocean liners increased so did his collection. Artifacts from his collection have been featured at the "Cunard Sesquicentennial: 150 Transatlantic Years" exhibit at the Forbes Galleries and the "Dazzle and Drab" exhibit at the Seamen's Church Institute, both in New York. For the 75th anniversary of Lusitania's loss, Eric curated an exhibit at the Los Angeles Maritime Museum, which included personal mementos of survivors and many artifacts raised from the liner.
In his spare time, Eric travels frequently and has spent well over 325 days at sea on various liners including the Queen Elizabeth 2, the Rotterdam (V), and the Regal Empress (ex-Olympia).
