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Product Description
Product Description
Samuel Halpern has written many books and articles on Titanic and often used the 1912 wreck report as a source of reference. It occurred to him one day how fascinating it would be if a team of dedicated, passionate and expert authors were to issue a modern-day report, with the knowledge we have today - what would such a report look like? In this book we have the answer. Sam has gathered a team of experts of write the ultimate Titanic reference book, with all the benefits of hindsight. Following the basic layout of the report, this team provides fascinating insights into the ship herself, the American and British inquiries, the passengers and crew, the fateful journey and ice warnings received, the damage and sinking, protocol and process of rescue, the circumstances in connection with the SS Californian and SS Mount Temple, and the aftermath and ramifications around the world. These experts offer the last words on the subject, 100 years on.
About the Author
Samuel Halpern has written over 25 articles on Titanic and is a member of the Titanic Historical Society and Titanic International Society. He lives in Chicago. Cathy Akers-Jordan is a professor at University of Michigan-Flint who has presented at the Titanic Symposium at the Maine Maritime Academy. She lives in Davison, Michigan. George Behe is the author of Titanic: Safety, Speed and Sacrifice. He lives in Mt. Clemens, Michigan. Bruce Beveridge is a co-author of Titanic: The Ship Magnificent. He lives in Chicago. Mark Chirnside is the author of The Olympic Class Ships, RMS Aquitania, RMS Majestic, and RMS Olympic. Tad Fitch is a Titanic scholar who lives in Brook Park, Ohio. Dave Gittins is a Titanic scholar. He lives in Adelaide, South Australia. Steve Hall is a co-author of Titanic: The Ship Magnificent. Lester J. Mitcham is a Titanic scholar. Captain Charles Weeks is a professor of marine transportation and nautical science at the Maine Maritime Academy. He lives in Maine. Bill Wormstedt is a Titanic scholar. He lives in Washington. J. Kent Layton is the author of Lusitania. He lives in the Finger Lakes region of Central New York.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I bought and read this book soon after Fitch, Leyton & Wormstead's ON A SEA OF GLASS. After reading Halpern's REPORT INTO THE LOSS OF THE SS TITANIC, I felt that the two books perfectly complement each other and between them form a high quality source of information for the genuine Titanic enthusiast. In writing his book, Harpern has evidently researched deeply, collected all the available information and analysed the material deeply to provide us with a completely unbiased and very well presented core report. All the conjectures and controversies about the Titanic that have risen over the past century have been subjected to logical analysis and intelligent conclusions drawn thereof. From the debate about the quality of the steel used to build the great ship to the saga of the 'Californian incident', it is all here, making a cracking great read.
As with the other book, this is definitely not for a Titanic newcomer. Halpern's work is meant for the serious Titanic student prepared to work out the relevant details discussed in his or her mind. Get it today!
As with the other book, this is definitely not for a Titanic newcomer. Halpern's work is meant for the serious Titanic student prepared to work out the relevant details discussed in his or her mind. Get it today!
3 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
a thoughtfully prepared book by dedicated academic researchers who have a passion for the subject. They know how to research, and have investigated so many of the assumptions from this incident, and have shed new light into many. A good read.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3 reviews
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Ultimate Titanic buff's book
1 Mar 2012
Format:Hardcover
In the immediate aftermath of the sinking of the Titanic, almost a full century ago, both the British and American governments launched formal inquiries into the circumstances of the disaster. A couple of years ago,Titanic expert Samuel Halpern was browsing through the British Wreck Commission report when he began musing how that report would have differed had the investigators had access to the additional information (and improved analytical tools) developed over the past hundred years. So, Halpern recruited an All Star team of Titanic experts to, in essence, create a new "Report into the Loss of the SS Titanic".
The members of this Titanic superteam did more than simply contribute information relative to their own individual specialized areas of research. Instead, they reviewed, debated, and critically analyzed each other's work so that the best, most tested conclusions made it into this new "Centennial Reappraisl" (although of course sometimes this necessitated a "most likely" or "educated guess" solution to a difficult question, with the full knowledge that for some matters we never have any final answers.
This in not a book for a Titanic newbie. To appreciate or even understand the mass of information presented, the reader must bring a substantial previous Titanic knowledge to the table. Although the material is presented in chapters (and appendices) arranged in a fundamentally chronological order, the result is not a smooth, continuous narrative. Rather. the book is more like a collection of highly detailed, often technical, essays on various aspects of the Titanic's story. Centers of bouyancy and angles of heel and ships' bearings and headings do not make for light reading, but for a true Titanic buff, particularly one of the "rivet-counter" persuasion, "A Centennial Reappraisal" is a real treasure chest. I have never read so comprehensive (and comprehensible) discussion of the division of the ship into watertight compartments.
No single previous volume -- or, for that matter, any reasonable collection of previous volumes -- comes close to matching the worth of this book.
The emphasis in "A Centennial Reappraisal" is upon what happened to the ship itself (and the rescue efforts); the chapters upon damage to the ship and the sequence of sinking and upon the activities of the Californian and the Mount Temple are masterpieces of detail and thoughtful analysis. There is, however, little attention paid to the personal experiences of passengers, their accounts being pretty much limited to observations of particular events or in regard to the question of whether locked gates kept Third Class passengers from accessing the lifeboats.
"A Centennial Reappraisal" would not be the very best place to research the human drama in which the passengers (and crew) were caught up in (although there are enough first-hand account excerpts to give some flavor of that), but for any commited Titanic buff who is focused upon the technical details of what occured on that April night in the North Atlantic, than can scarcely be imagined a better book. I have read very many Titanic volumes, and this one has immediately secured a permanent place on my bookshelves, handy for quick reference and thoughtful browsing.
The members of this Titanic superteam did more than simply contribute information relative to their own individual specialized areas of research. Instead, they reviewed, debated, and critically analyzed each other's work so that the best, most tested conclusions made it into this new "Centennial Reappraisl" (although of course sometimes this necessitated a "most likely" or "educated guess" solution to a difficult question, with the full knowledge that for some matters we never have any final answers.
This in not a book for a Titanic newbie. To appreciate or even understand the mass of information presented, the reader must bring a substantial previous Titanic knowledge to the table. Although the material is presented in chapters (and appendices) arranged in a fundamentally chronological order, the result is not a smooth, continuous narrative. Rather. the book is more like a collection of highly detailed, often technical, essays on various aspects of the Titanic's story. Centers of bouyancy and angles of heel and ships' bearings and headings do not make for light reading, but for a true Titanic buff, particularly one of the "rivet-counter" persuasion, "A Centennial Reappraisal" is a real treasure chest. I have never read so comprehensive (and comprehensible) discussion of the division of the ship into watertight compartments.
No single previous volume -- or, for that matter, any reasonable collection of previous volumes -- comes close to matching the worth of this book.
The emphasis in "A Centennial Reappraisal" is upon what happened to the ship itself (and the rescue efforts); the chapters upon damage to the ship and the sequence of sinking and upon the activities of the Californian and the Mount Temple are masterpieces of detail and thoughtful analysis. There is, however, little attention paid to the personal experiences of passengers, their accounts being pretty much limited to observations of particular events or in regard to the question of whether locked gates kept Third Class passengers from accessing the lifeboats.
"A Centennial Reappraisal" would not be the very best place to research the human drama in which the passengers (and crew) were caught up in (although there are enough first-hand account excerpts to give some flavor of that), but for any commited Titanic buff who is focused upon the technical details of what occured on that April night in the North Atlantic, than can scarcely be imagined a better book. I have read very many Titanic volumes, and this one has immediately secured a permanent place on my bookshelves, handy for quick reference and thoughtful browsing.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
A Nearly Perfect Titanic Reference Book
18 Mar 2012
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book is a nearly perfect reference book for hard-core Titanic fans/researchers like myself. Packed from cover to cover with intricate details on everything from what course the Titanic sailed to how many people escaped in each specific lifeboat and everything in between makes this book a winner. Especially valuable is the technical analysis of the event. We learn for instance that since the collision happened such a short time after spotting the iceberg, reversing the engines played no role since the ship hit the berg at nearly full speed and did not come to a stop until a minute or two later. Also, the book forever demolishes the fantasies of supporters of Captain Lord of the Californian, the ship that stood still and did nothing while watching Titanic's distress rockets.
My only complaint with this book is how it argues somewhat on behalf of Captain Smith. By saying that "It was standard practice at the time to go at full speed toward ice in clear weather" is like saying
since most other Captains were risking their passengers lives, it was okay for Captain Smith to do so. Just try defending yourself in a courtroom by saying that "everybody cheats on their taxes" or "everybody plays with matches and dynamite" and see where that gets you.
That one complaint aside, this is the best over-all analysis of the Titanic I have yet seen.
My only complaint with this book is how it argues somewhat on behalf of Captain Smith. By saying that "It was standard practice at the time to go at full speed toward ice in clear weather" is like saying
since most other Captains were risking their passengers lives, it was okay for Captain Smith to do so. Just try defending yourself in a courtroom by saying that "everybody cheats on their taxes" or "everybody plays with matches and dynamite" and see where that gets you.
That one complaint aside, this is the best over-all analysis of the Titanic I have yet seen.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Excellent Book, Wonderful Detail
13 April 2012
Format:Hardcover
I have read a lot of material about the Titanic. This is the best Titanic book I have seen. It fills in gaps in my knowledge I didn't know I had, e.g. the connections among the different parts of the boilers, two different engines, the electrical power system , the three propellers etc. This helps clarify many aspects of how/why the well-known aspects of the tragedy happened. I strongly recommend this book for people who like to know the details of things.
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