Customer Reviews

Titanic at Two A.M.: An Illustrated Narrative with Survivor Accounts

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As I have read over 135 books on Titanic, this one is very high on my list of great Titanic books. Paul Quinn brings an immediacy to the disaster. If you have ever wanted to know what it was like in the last 20 minutes of the great ships life, this book is a 'must read'. Paul also does the great ship justice as far as his illustrations go. Check this one out!

This is a really interesting book. There are paintings in it that I never saw before that show all kinds of intersting scenes from that night. It is mainly about the time period between 2:00 and 2:20 a.m. when the ship was going down.

I was really drawn into the paintings of people rushing up the boat deck during the ship's final demise.

This book is definitely a thumbs up!

I have read about 10 books so far on the Titanic and this is one of the best. I originally bought the book for its artwork (Titanic - An Illustrated History is a good one for that as well) but I was surprised to find out that the text was outstanding. Quinn creates an immediacy and a "you are there" feel that makes it a real page turner. Although the book is only about 120+ pages, the author does a good job of focusing on his task: telling the gripping story of the last 20 minutes of the life of the liner. Fully half of the book is devoted to the loading and launching of the four collapsible boats, one of the most exciting and controvertial aspects of the entire sinking. Many of the great players appear in this book including Lightoller, Gracie, Thayer, Beesley, Murdoch and Bride. One of my favorite chapters concerns the sinking of the ship between 2:15 and 2:20 A.M. This chapter is roughly 25 pages long and gives a good idea of what it would have been like to have been on a ship with no remaining lifeboats and quickly tilting on end.

Although I had read much of the information in this book in other places, Quinn put it all together in a way that added new insight into the sinking. Quinn's side discussions on the Californian were also interesting. The only flaw with the book is its heavy price. If you want a more comprehensive account of the sinking, get Titanic - an Illustrated History, Walter Lord's books, or survivor accounts (Archibald Gracies' book for instance or the Titanic Disaster Hearing Transcripts). If, though, you want a good account of those final exciting minutes on the liner and can afford the book, you can't go wrong with this purchase.

The book discusses and shows by way of drawings and using actual first person accounts how it must have been like to be aboard the great ship as she went down, compartment by compartment. In addition, the book also discusses the issue of the ship off in the horizon, and whether the steel in the Titanic was too brittle. Also, the book discusses Bruce Ismay and Callapsible Boat C. The book was very well written and keeps the reader's interest,following the progress of the water through the halls,staterooms, the grand staircase, and how the rising water may have appeared to those desperate people aboard. This is a book for all those interested in the final moments of the real Titanic. Those who read this book will find that it answers questions left opened in other books on the subject.

I wondered across this book in the search and got it. The illustrations and the story are great. I recommend it to everyone. It is one of my favorite Titanic books. The paintings are so great!

This book primarily focuses on the last 20 minutes of the Titanic before she went under, and I have to say I am very impressed. The account switches between survivor quotations and the author's own narrative with a pace that left me unable to put the book down. The paintings (which Quinn did in addition to writing the text) are great. And there lots of photos and diagrams of the ship too. I definitely recommend this book!

A good, interesting story of the last 20 minutes. There are illustrations, including paintings, alongside the text that accent the story being told. Recommended.

The author chose a great topic--the last few minutes of the Titanic. His illustrations are wonderful, the quotations from primary sources are well chosen, and he has a thorough grasp of his subject. Unfortunately, he did NOT have an editor, and he certainly could have used one. The dozens and dozens of grammatical errors and punctuation mistakes (it's vs. its, for example), as well as the numerous cases of nouns not agreeing with their antecedents--it all jars on one's nerves after awhile (like fingernails on a blackboard). Still, it's a vastly entertaining book).

Those taken by the final moments of Titanic will find plenty to like in Quinn's book. It all starts at two am, with many believing the ship will stay afloat and the worst avoided. Minute by minute the situation worsens and becomes more desperate, until the final plunge we all know is coming.

This is not a very long book, and each chapter covers a five minute period extending to 2:20. But it is supplemented with insets discussing questions about the sinking. The author's illustrations add considerably as well.

I really like this book. It has great paintings and diagrams and the story is really interesting.