Titanic Tragedy: A New Look at the Lost Liner

by John Maxtone-Graham

Overview

"Catnip to the ship’s dedicated buffs." —Publishers Weekly

In Titanic Tragedy maritime historian John Maxtone-Graham documents the vessel’s design, construction, and departure from Southampton, her passengers’ lifeboat ordeal, their Carpathia rescue, the role of new technologies, and memorials to her crew. He describes poignantly the performance of her eight gallant bandsmen who played on deck to the very end; none survived. Added historical bonuses include seven letters, ostensibly from a Titanic passenger. In fact, they were written by one of America’s most eminent historians, Walter Lord, author of the seminal A Night to Remember of 1955. His devastating parodies about life aboard the doomed ship appear here in print for the first time.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780393083392
Publisher:	Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc.
Publication date:	03/25/2013
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

John Maxtone-Graham (1929–2015) wrote many books on trans-Atlantic ocean travel, among them Titanic Tragedy: A New Look at the Lost Liner, Normandie: France's Legendary Art Deco Ocean Liner, and The Only Way to Cross.

Table of Contents

Preface xi

Acknowledgements xv

1 The Wireless Miracle 1

2 Glittering Night 25

3 Hornblow at Queens Island 45

4 The Ocean Dock 71

5 Into the Boats 95

6 Survival Sagas 121

7 "Safe Carpathia" 151

8 Crew Memoria 177

9 Walter at Play 201

Bibliography 219

Index 221

Editorial Reviews

So much has been written about this dreadful event…that it is difficult to imagine there is much more to be said, yet John Maxtone-Graham says it. He is an octogenarian who has been sailing ocean liners for ages and writing about them for four decades in about two dozen books, the first of which, The Only Way to Cross (1972), remains his best known and is still in print…Titanic Tragedy may join it in popularity, not merely because the public's thirst for anything about the Titanic seems to be unslaked but because Maxtone-Graham puts some interesting twists on a much-told story.
—The Washington Post

Jonathan Yardley

With the century mark nearing for the Titanic’s sinking into the frigid Atlantic waters, Maxton-Graham (The Only Way to Cross), a leading authority on maritime matters, dissects the underlying elements of the mythic ocean disaster in this richly detailed new book. Rather than rehashing the already well-known events of the Titanic’s doomed maiden voyage on April 14, 1912, he chooses to sort through the essential pieces of the grim puzzle, pointing out the building of the liner at the renowned Harland and Wolff shipyard and the important role of wireless communication after the ship’s fatal collision with a huge iceberg. The carefully choreographed narrative includes the national coal strike that began that spring and almost delayed the Titanic’s voyage, and Capt. Stanley Lord, piloting the Californian, which stopped near the sinking ship but ignored its distress rockets. Bolstered by survivor tales, Maxton-Graham’s take on the Titanic will be catnip to the ship’s dedicated buffs. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

"An honorable, scholarly, and fascinating contribution to the often degraded Titanic saga, from the undisputed laureate of the North Atlantic."

Jan Morris

Maxtone-Graham puts some interesting twists on a much-told story.

Jonathan Yardley - Washington Post

...this is a well-written work that will appeal especially to Titanic buffs, who will appreciate a different perspective.

Jay Freeman - Booklist

...this is a well-written work that will appeal especially to Titanic buffs, who will appreciate a different perspective.

Booklist - Jay Freeman

...this is a well-written work that will appeal especially to Titanic buffs, who will appreciate a different perspective.— Jay Freeman

Booklist

This subject is familiar to Maxtone-Graham, who edited and annotated Violet Jessop's posthumously published Titanic Survivor. He's an expert on ocean liners and frequently lectures on cruise ships. He says the Titanic story has captivated him from his earliest research, and he makes his passion for it clear in elegant and engaging prose. He discusses some infrequently examined aspects of the sinking, such as the role Morse code and wireless telegraphy played in the rescue of survivors and how the victims were memorialized. The final chapter is a treat for fans of the author's friend Walter Lord (A Night To Remember); it includes several letters Lord composed as if he were a Titanic passenger, offering a clever departure from his usual seriousness about the topic. VERDICT Maxtone-Graham's command of sources is indisputable, but endnotes would have been welcome. Aficionados might be familiar with some of the information here, but should still want this book.

Library Journal

One of the deans of maritime history returns with some sidebars to enlarge the hefty history of the Titanic. One of the most appealing features of Maxtone-Graham's (Normandie: France's Legendary Art Deco Ocean Liner, 2007, etc.) approach is his generous gratitude and affection for his mentor, Walter Lord (1917–2002), whose A Night to Remember (1955) was a bestseller that ignited one of the first firestorms of interest in the disaster. The author looks closely at a number of aspects of the case, beginning with the developments of Morse code and the Marconi wireless, techniques and inventions that lowered the loss of life that night. He also examines the design and construction and departure of the ship and talks of recent visits to the sites, where, he notes sadly, "there is less and less to preserve." He recalls the near-collision at departure with the nearby New York; a passenger filmed the episode, but the footage sank with the ship. Maxtone-Graham also writes about the chaos and human tragedy associated with the loading and lowering of the too-few lifeboats, and adds some grimly humorous details about how people managed without chamber pots. He revisits the case of the nearby Californian, which sat still and did not respond; he takes us aboard the crowded Carpathia, the ship that rescued the hundreds of survivors. The author also reminds us of the musicians who played--and died--that night and is saddened by the vandalism that has damaged a number of Titanic memorials. Small details enriched with deep emotion and dramatic irony.

Kirkus Reviews