Titanic: Triumph and Tragedy [Hardcover]

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

Book Description

Publication Date: April 17, 1995

First published in 1986, revised and expanded in 1995, this book has been called "the definitive history" of the Titanic.

Continuing interest in the ill-fated vessel has been heightened in recent years by the dramatic events including the discovery of the wreck, new speculation on the Californian's failure to rescue the Titanic, and the recovery of artifacts from the disaster site. All are chronicled in a new chapter which, with a section of completely up-to-date color photographs, makes this edition a must.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Originally written in 1986 in anticipation of the 75th anniversary of the Titanic disaster, Titanic: Triumph and Tragedy was issued in a second edition in 1994, after the authors got a chance to explore the wreckage. They added some haunting color photographs and extra text in which they muse on the emotional impact of what they call the "artefacts" retrieved: an ivory hairbrush with hair caught in its bristles, a legible newspaper, and a business card with a phone number scribbled in pencil on the back. In its boxy photographic layout and sober prose, the book feels like a historic artifact itself. The authors scrupulously avoid any trace of modern hype, letting the quietly stated facts speak for themselves: the ship was the largest moving manmade object of its day; on the proud clock in the grand first-class entryway, the allegorical figure of Time was flanked by Honour and Glory; one intrepid old lady saved fellow passengers by locating them in the waves with the flashlight built into her cane. "With more than 1500 still on board," the authors write, "and just 47 available spaces in collapsible [lifeboat] D, [Officer] Lightoller instructs the crew to lock arms and form a circle around the boat. Only women and children are permitted to pass through that circle." This book gives a sense of what it might have been like to enter that circle--or be excluded.

About the Author

John P. Eaton has written and lectured extensively on the Titanic. He and Charles A. Haas are founders of the Titanic International, a shipping history and research organization with members worldwide, and are authors of the most comprehensive book on the subject, Titanic: Triumph and Tragedy. Eaton lives in Cold Spring, New York.

Charles A. Haas has written and lectured extensively on the Titanic. He and John P. Eaton are founders of the Titanic International, a shipping history and research organization with members worldwide, and are authors of the most comprehensive book on the subject, Titanic: Triumph and Tragedy. Haas lives in Randolph, New Jersey.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; 2 Sub edition (April 17, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393036979
• ISBN-13: 978-0393036978
• Product Dimensions: 12.1 x 8.9 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #256,847 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive in the Extreme, November 20, 2003

By 

Severin Olson (Hyattsville, Maryland United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Titanic: Triumph and Tragedy (Hardcover)

I must say this is the most comprehensive book on the Titanic I have yet seen. Every facet of the liner's history from its origins to the wreck exploration is covered. Each chapter includes pictures of everything connected to the ship. Anyone with any interest in Titanic at all should have a copy.

I did think the authors could have done better with their chapter on the sinking itself though. As it is they wrote little text and tell the story through picture captions! It is as if a book on the Kennedy assassination covered details of the flight to Dallas and then said little about the shooting itself. I also feel the authors were a bit too soft on Lord of the Californian.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely a MUST BE READ if you suffer from TITANIC-MANIA!!, March 20, 1998

By 

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

This review is from: Titanic: Triumph and Tragedy (Hardcover)

I absolutely love the book. The pictures are great, the information is so detailed it is amazing, the way the chapters are layed out and written makes you want to continue on to the next pages. I was afraid the book would be somewhat like an Encyclopedia-like lecture... Boy was I wrong! It's writing is so good it makes you feel you are actually talking with the author in person. The pictures are great: there are even pictures of cabins and the author specifies the cabin number! I rated the book 9 and not 10 though because I do think that they could have done a little better job at the "Disaster" Chapter, which is where the authors narrate the last 2 hours and 40 min. of the greatest and most tragic voyage of all times, and also I think it would had being better to have a couple more pictures of the wreckage. Anyway, You MUST read this book because even if it is not a perfect 10 (for me) it is the closest to it, and maybe for you it can be a 10 rate. Congratulations to the authors on such a fantastic book, and thanks a million for publishing it!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars By far, the absolute BEST Titanic book written., June 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Titanic: Triumph and Tragedy (Hardcover)

I have spent around $200 on Titanic documentary videos and books about the lost luxury liner. When I bought Titanic, Triumph & Tragedy, I was astounded at the amount of information given, especially about the initial sea trials of Titanic in March 1912. If I could tell you to buy only one Titanic book, this one would be it!