Titanic Voices: Memories from the Fateful Voyage [Hardcover]

Alastair Forsyth (Author), Donald Hyslop (Editor), John Lawrence (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1997

Titanic Voices relives the fateful events of April 15, 1912 through the firsthand accounts of those who were actually there.

Using many previously unpublished photographs, letters, and oral histories, the book traces how the town of Southampton, its people and the Titanic have been inextricably linked from even before the ship was built up to the present day.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This work was written for the Southampton (England) City Council to document the sinking of the Titanic and the effect of the disaster on the town of Southampton, the vessel's home port. An astounding 550 of the 898 crew members listed their address in the town of Southampton, and only 212 survived the sinking. The entire community helped prepare the ship for its maiden voyage. The work features numerous photographs, letters, and personal stories from survivors, many previously unpublished, some reprinted from long out-of-print sources. Throughout, the editors, both local historians, let the survivors tell their own stories and then tie them together with short commentaries. Since the crew were out of jobs as soon as the vessel sank, they were fully dependent on the "relief fund" established by the community for their support. The editors have contributed a great deal to the literature on the Titanic. A good purchase for public and academic libraries.?John Kenny, San Francisco P.L.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Titanic mania is upon us this year, the eighty-fifth anniversary of the earth-shattering sinking of the giant British liner. As most know, on its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York, the Titanic struck an iceberg in the north Atlantic late on the night of 14 April 1912 and sank early the next morning with disastrous loss of life. Many books have sprung from the brow of this endlessly fascinating story, but the latest one has a difference: it is told not only in the voices of individuals involved but primarily from the perspective of the port of Southampton, where, of course, most of the Titanic crew members lived, and whose deaths had devastating effect on community spirit and livelihood. In large format with abundant illustrations, this absorbing account brings us a step closer to understanding what effect this event--when the "unsinkable" indeed sank--had not only on technology and national pride but also on personal lives. Brad Hooper

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 199 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; Reprint. edition (June 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312174284
• ISBN-13: 978-0312174286
• Product Dimensions: 11.8 x 8.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #619,613 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #50 in Books > Professional & Technical > Transportation > Ships > Pictorial

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Titanic Voices deserve to be heard, September 4, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Titanic Voices: Memories from the Fateful Voyage (Hardcover)

Titanic Voices presents vivid accounts of the construction, victualing, sailing, and sinking of this virtually unsinkable ocean liner. An exhibit in Southhampton, England spurred the creation of this book, which utilizes period newspaper articles, oral histories, and many previously unpublished photographs to help people understand the personal significance of the disaster. A highlight is the inclusion of accounts of many crew members, who are often ignored in other volumes on the disaster

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Have For Any Titanic Library, May 30, 1998

By 

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

This review is from: Titanic Voices: Memories from the Fateful Voyage (Hardcover)

This book is wonderful in it's originality with real original photos,and letters,and memories of survivors and relatives of this disaster.I started reading this book,and could not put it down until the last page-then it was time to start over!An errie book,with voices of the past one can almost hear.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating historical record, February 19, 2002

By 

Alan (England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Titanic Voices: Memories from the Fateful Voyage (Paperback)

... As the Introduction makes clear, this book was written to chronicle the associations between the Titanic and the town and people of Southampton. ... it is a fascinating and detailed record of considerable interest to any true Titanic historian, (as opposed to someone whose knowledge of the ship is based entirely on that dreadful movie). ... This is a fine collection of anecdotes, letters and photographs, many of them not found in other books, and a fitting tribute to the 686 crew members who were residents of Southampton who died in the disaster.
Also recommended - The Odyssey of C.H. Lightholler by Patrick Stenson - the astonishing life story of Titanic's Second Officer.