Titanic: Destination Disaster : The Legends and the Reality (Transaction Large Print Books) [Large Print] [Hardcover]

John P. Eaton (Author), Charles A. Haas (Author)

Book Description

Series: Transaction Large Print Books | Publication Date: June 1989

Ninety years after the most famous sinking of all time, two of the world's foremost authorities on the Titanic present this popular account of the sea's best-known disaster.

No other ship, nor maritime tragedy, holds more fascination than RMS Titanic—at the time of her launch, the world's largest moving man-made object. Ninety years after the most famous sinking of all time, two of the world's foremost authorities present this popular account of the sea's best-known disaster. Myth and legend have long been part of the story. The authors explore many of the misconceptions that have developed over the years concerning the ship, the people and the sinking, and give the most likely explanations based on present-day research and knowledge.

The whole story is expertly summarized - from building and launching, to a fascinating account of the remarkable discovery of the wreck, two-and-a-half miles down, by unmanned submersible. New to this edition is coverage of the subsequent crewed dives including the authors' own photographic visit to the site, and the artifact recovery expeditions. It all adds up to a book that will appeal to general reader and dedicated Titanic expert alike.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The authors' opening chapters cover the Titanic's 1912 sinking after colliding with an iceberg. Then the narrative sails backward in time to log the ship's entire storyfrom construction and outfitting to trial runs, provisioning (with itemized lists of cutlery, foodstuffs and linen), booking of passengers, maiden voyage and the subsequent investigations and lawsuits. The final chapter elaborates on efforts to locate the Titanic, which were recently successful. While this tightly written, fact-filled account combines "new historical details" with past documentation and research, and succeeds on that level, the work is eclipsed by the 130 illustrations, which provide a step-by-step story in pictures of the liner's short life, including shots of the near-collision at Southampton with the New York, views of survivors in lifeboats approaching the Carpathia and pictures of the Woods Hole expedition.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

This is the definitive book on the transatlantic steamship Titanic . The authors, both of whom are collectors of Titanic memorabilia, have put together what must be the most complete collection of illustrations and photographs of the Titanic ever assembled in a book. One could say that this is two books in onelarge portions of text are followed by page after page of well-captioned pictures which tell differing aspects of the story from designing to building, to trials, to the ports of departure, the disaster, the rescue, legal inquiries and remembrances . . . right down to the Titanic 's cargo manifest. Above all, this is the story of the victims of the sinking individual anecdotes are accompanied by a picture of the narrator. A highly recommended purchase for all libraries having an interest in the Titanic . John Kenny, San Francisco P.L.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 196 pages
• Publisher: Isis Large Print Books; Lrg edition (June 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1850893055
• ISBN-13: 978-1850893059
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,448,836 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT BOOK., June 29, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Titanic: Destination Disaster (Paperback)

I have studied TITANIC most of life and before the movie, TITANIC, It was hard to find TITANIC books. This one and Don Lynch's TITANIC AN ILLUSTRATED history were the best out. This is like a dictonary. It has the most informaition of all TITANIC books. I would recomend this book to anyone. It is a great book for the begginer for its info and great price. BUY THIS BOOK!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Fact Book, April 24, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Titanic: Destination Disaster (Paperback)

This is one of my my personal favorite Titanic books. I am a Titanic buff and am hungry for facts, and, to say the least, am now full. This book has from the Titanic gross tonnage to how much money Col. John Jacob Astor had in his pocket when his body was found.

This is a must for any Titanic Library, and is a great companion to Titanic: Triumph and Tragedy. It has a timeline of the ship, the dimension, the WHOLE story (it was reprinted in 1998), and CRAMMED cover to cover with facts.
I was disappointed to see, however, that it did not include the complete names of many people. Anyway, the good eradicates the bad, so I think any one who is even mildly interested in the Titanic should waste no time and get this book. Now.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great read for readers hungry for facts, not speculation, January 10, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (San Anselmo, Ca.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Titanic: Destination Disaster (Paperback)

This volume is a cornerstone of any Titanic collection. Those who wish to explore the innumerable 'what ifs' of the disaster will be better off elsewhere, but there isn't a more dispassionate, detailed and vivid recounting of the Titanic's construction, voyage and demise. Crammed with facts, the text is brought alive by page after page of very evocative pictures. The authors tell the story very straight and avoid much of the lurid speculation common to others, but for a great read that puts you right on the great liner, this book serves well.