- Hardcover: 256 pages
- Publisher: Casemate (1 Jun 2009)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1935149024
- ISBN-13: 978-1935149026
- Product Dimensions: 22.4 x 14.8 x 2.6 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
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- #58 in Books > History > Maritime History > Shipwrecks
Other Side of Night
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Product Description
Review
A bold and powerful account of the most incredible disaster in the annals of maritime history. Daniel Allen Butler s in depth narrative is exactingly researched, admirably written and forcefully presented. He has revealed the true controversy between the Titanic, the Carpathia and the Californian, and laid to rest the enigma behind that fateful drama of April 14, 1912. Very, very well done. --Clive Cussler
…finds a happy medium between that for the professional historian and the general public. …not only never strays from his central theme, what happened that night, but also, more helpfully, offers sustained analysis of why it happened and suggests how things might have turned out differently. --The Northern Mariner, October 2009
...careful attention to detail and thorough analysis of the evidence makes this an excellent addition to Titanic historiography. --Internet Modeller, June 2009
…A very much alive, gripping and well-written book. --F Gavard-Perret, French Titanic Society, Spring 2009
… a must for maritime enthusiast or for anyone who wants to know the truth about the events leading up to and after the sinking of the most famous vessel in history…RMS Titantic! --White Star Memories, May 2009
…impeccable, even handed research… This is a book anyone (even landlubbers) can read, comprehend and learn from. I heartily recommend this book even if you think you know all about the tragedy --IPMS, May 2009
…informative…and (most importantly) entertaining…fast paced…will keep the reader… on the edge of their seat, eager to learn what happens next. --Encyclopedia Titanica, June 2009
…finds a happy medium between that for the professional historian and the general public. …not only never strays from his central theme, what happened that night, but also, more helpfully, offers sustained analysis of why it happened and suggests how things might have turned out differently. --The Northern Mariner, October 2009
...careful attention to detail and thorough analysis of the evidence makes this an excellent addition to Titanic historiography. --Internet Modeller, June 2009
…A very much alive, gripping and well-written book. --F Gavard-Perret, French Titanic Society, Spring 2009
… a must for maritime enthusiast or for anyone who wants to know the truth about the events leading up to and after the sinking of the most famous vessel in history…RMS Titantic! --White Star Memories, May 2009
…impeccable, even handed research… This is a book anyone (even landlubbers) can read, comprehend and learn from. I heartily recommend this book even if you think you know all about the tragedy --IPMS, May 2009
…informative…and (most importantly) entertaining…fast paced…will keep the reader… on the edge of their seat, eager to learn what happens next. --Encyclopedia Titanica, June 2009
Product Description
Captain Arthur Rostron and Captain Stanley Lord, were informed within minutes of each other that their vessels had picked up the distress signals of a sinking ship. Their actions in the hours and days that followed would become the stuff of legend, as one would choose to answer the call for help, while the other would decide the risk too great.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
20 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Some may say the enormous tragedy of Titanic has been done quite literally to death. Films. Books. Museums. Yet Daniel Allen Butler has approached the subject from a unique angle - the story of two vessels which were in the freezing ocean the night that Titanic sank. One, the Carpathian, flew to her aid at its own risk - the other, the Californian, saw her signals of distress but kept its distance.
What was the background of Titanic and similar passenger liners? Who was responsible for making the hugely different, difficult decisions and why? How did the disaster of Titanic affect the shipping industry and how was it dealt with legally? What happened to those who managed to survive? All these questions and many more are answered in this carefully-researched, immensely readable book.
Butler deals with the history of steam liners and the individuals including Stanley Lord and Arthur Rostron who were the masters of the two steamships; he takes us from the fiery depths of the boiler room, into the elegance of the First Class suites. He plunges into the freezing waters of the North Atlantic, detailing the Titanic's demise and also the behaviour of the ships around her - and then travels to both the US Senate Investigation and the British Board of Trade Inquiry where the whole story of April 14 1912 is finally revealed. No fact is glossed over, no small voice is ignored - he listens to the newspaper reporter, the passenger, the judge, the crewman, the captain, and takes note.
While the author keeps closely to the facts he writes with great humanity and empathy. He is careful not to initially judge, in a story where hero and villain could be easily, and lazily, cast. He represents both sides of each character in the story unil its shocking denouement when he gives his verdict. While not given to hyperbole, he handles his material with such delicacy and humanity that you forget you've heard the story a thousand times before. It's fresh, raw, and heart-breaking. It strikes the perfect balance between being a valuable historical resource and a fascinating read. This book deserves to be hailed as a great achievement.
What was the background of Titanic and similar passenger liners? Who was responsible for making the hugely different, difficult decisions and why? How did the disaster of Titanic affect the shipping industry and how was it dealt with legally? What happened to those who managed to survive? All these questions and many more are answered in this carefully-researched, immensely readable book.
Butler deals with the history of steam liners and the individuals including Stanley Lord and Arthur Rostron who were the masters of the two steamships; he takes us from the fiery depths of the boiler room, into the elegance of the First Class suites. He plunges into the freezing waters of the North Atlantic, detailing the Titanic's demise and also the behaviour of the ships around her - and then travels to both the US Senate Investigation and the British Board of Trade Inquiry where the whole story of April 14 1912 is finally revealed. No fact is glossed over, no small voice is ignored - he listens to the newspaper reporter, the passenger, the judge, the crewman, the captain, and takes note.
While the author keeps closely to the facts he writes with great humanity and empathy. He is careful not to initially judge, in a story where hero and villain could be easily, and lazily, cast. He represents both sides of each character in the story unil its shocking denouement when he gives his verdict. While not given to hyperbole, he handles his material with such delicacy and humanity that you forget you've heard the story a thousand times before. It's fresh, raw, and heart-breaking. It strikes the perfect balance between being a valuable historical resource and a fascinating read. This book deserves to be hailed as a great achievement.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I endorse the other two reviews, whilst I found it perhaps more opinionated than some, it is without doubt extremely well researched. I too feel this book would make for an outstanding film or mini-series, offering a new perspective on the events of 14th/15th April 1912 and its aftermath. It is rare for me to read a book in one sitting but this was one of them.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
While Capt. Rostron's gallant and courageous behaviour is beyond criticism, Captain Lord's activities, or rather inactivities, that fateful night the Titanic hit an iceberg, have been a stone of contention ever since. Many have sought to excuse Lord's not coming to the aid of the foundering leviathan by pointing at inconsistencies in chart positions, relative distances, other ships that may or may not have lain between Lord's Californian and the Titanic, and many books have been written to defend him, despite the overwhelming weight of evidence against him. In this book, D.A. Butler gathers all the threads, puts them on the loom and, strand after strand, inexorably weaves them into the carpet of Lord's guilt. But then, Lord's guilt had already been painfully obvious since the first book by a non-survivor appeared, "A Night to Remember" by Walter Lord, an account which mostly contented itself with describing what happened that night. Butler carefully looks at all the evidence at hand and draws the inescapable conclusion, refutes the arguments Captain Lord's defenders have been brandishing to prove his innocence and applaud his prudence and, more importantly, dissects and indicts the defender's lopsided and devious ways of neglecting certain unwelcome evidence. Butler also finds an answer to the mystery as to why Lord acted the way he did during the night, explains his erratic behaviour after the disaster and why he issued so many conflicting statements during the subsequent inquiries (which I will not give away here, of course). And last but not least, Butler compares the relative merits of the American and the British inquiries into the disaster and, surprisingly for an American, gives the British one more credit than many others have done (such as Wynn Craig Wade, who revelled in calling it a whitewash on almost every page).
I couldn't put the book down and was sorry to have finished it, which, considering the fact that the outcome of the disaster is not unknown, is quite a feat. Well done!
I couldn't put the book down and was sorry to have finished it, which, considering the fact that the outcome of the disaster is not unknown, is quite a feat. Well done!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Brilliant, in depth, story of the Carpathia and the Californian.
I've long wanted to know more of the Carpathia and her own extraordinary story that fateful night. This book succeeds brilliantly with that. Read more
Published 26 days ago by Libby Hall
Excellence spoilt by malice?
First of all, could I say that I agree with most of the other reviews. This is an excellent work, superbly researched and very readable, with an interesting and original... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Mr. Trevor K. Killen
Justice at last! Nearly 100 years after the event.
I remember vividly, as a child, the night I watched the film "A Night to Remember".
Kenneth More assumed the character of Second Officer Lightoller, portrayed as a hero in the... Read more
Kenneth More assumed the character of Second Officer Lightoller, portrayed as a hero in the... Read more
Published on 10 Oct 2009 by Christopher Arnfield
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