Wreck and Sinking of the Titanic: The Ocean's Greatest Disaster: A Graphic and Thrilling Account of the Sinking of the Greatest Floating Palace Ever ... Down to Watery Graves More Than 1,500 Souls

Titanic Landmark Series

by Marshall Everett

A graphic and thrilling account of the sinking of the greatest floating palace ever built, carrying down to watery graves more than 1,500 souls With newly commissioned artwork, Wreck and Sinking of the -Titanic’ is a deluxe reproduction of the 1912 memorial edition edited by the great descriptive writer Marshall Everett and published immediately after the event occurred. This collectible volume gives a sobering account of the disaster, detailing exciting escapes from death and acts of heroism not equaled in ancient or modern times.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Historical, American History

288 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1912

About the author

1863-1939

Reviews

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book skips around a bit, but I found it to be rather interesting. I felt there was quite a bit a of emphasis placed on religion, but I believe that sets the tone for the time. I found it to be a bit misogynistic at times. As a woman, it is a relief to see the progress made toward equality since the time this was written. However, overall, I feel this is an accurate piece of historic work. It was interesting to read the different accounts of the sinking from different passengers. It truly gives some insight to this tragedy. I also really enjoyed the photos and artwork included in here. The overall layout of the book is absolutely stunning.

[Charmaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a reprint of publication in 1912, so the writing reflects the time of Titanic sinking. The book was well put together and made me cry reading about eyewitnesses describing what happened.

I had learned about Titanic in middle school all because there was a documentary about the discovery of Titanic and how it sank. Mama loved history and decided we’d learn about Titanic for our history assignment (I was homeschooled) by making us (my brothers and I) watch the documentary and make reports about what we learned.

At the time the documentary was fascinating especially how a huge ship was able to be wounded by an unseen iceberg. Then I was told that the sinking of Titanic was the reason why all ships were equipped with safety life-vests and lifeboats equipped to carry ALL passengers.

But reading this book, it made Titanic real to me. How cold the water was. How calm everyone was as they helped women and children into the lifeboats. How no one really thought Titanic was gonna sink.

I had been on cruises before, so it wasn’t surprising when I fell asleep after reading the book that I dreamed I was on a cruise that was sinking. The only bizarre thing was while it was sinking I was busy giving my blood. That book really made me feel like I’m right there experiencing the horrors of a huge ship sinking.

[Nikki Ecker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a definite eye opener. We've all seen the movie (I happen to love the movie and will openly admit that), but we all also know that the movie is just a glorification. This book has stories told by the people that were actually on the ship and their experiences.

It honestly felt good to read about how chivalrous the men were when their life was also hanging on the line. This book made me want to cry several times for several different reasons. I felt happy by how kind men are capable of being in stressful times and how some of the women were so dedicated to their men that they absolutely refused to leave their husbands behind and stayed on the ship by choice. I also was really sad and sympathetic towards those who just absolutely lost everything they had in the world.

Another thing that was interesting was the stories about how the world reacted after the ship sank. There was a trial, there were fundraisers, etc. Things that the movie doesn't even touch on and I never thought to consider. Nowadays after a tragedy we have benefits, but I never considered that they would also do this in the 1900s.

An entertaining read definitely, but depressing at times.

[Sarah - All The Book Blog Names Are Taken · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting volume and beautifully designed. This edition is a reprint of the original, published in 1912. I'd say certainly it is a must for those still quite captivated by the ship of dreams. Keep in mind, it is NOT an updated version of the original, but a reprint. Journalism then vs now is very different and that must be taken into account.

[Debbie Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is still very eerie to think back to 1912 and the tragedy of The Titanic. This version is a reproduction of the 1912 memorial edition published soon after the event occurred. The time period is really prominent in this version.

Too few lifeboats. Too much confidence. Not enough spy glasses to the deck hands. Too much speed. Head on may have been better than the side glance the ship took. Not enough practice with the lifeboats. Some inexperienced staff. One operator relaying messages. We will never know if any of the circumstances would have changed the ending.

"For there was neither East nor West
Border nor breed nor birth
When these brave men stood face to face
Though they came from the ends of the earth."

"The Titanic, sinking, uncovered the universal heartbeat that can always be reached by life's noblest appeal. To protect the weak and to love your neighbor as yourself is the highest divine and human law condensed through a thousand years of living."

So sad. Unbelievable. Even after all of this time.

[Jelena Nemet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crossing the Bar

Sunset and evening star,
And one clear call for me.
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put out to sea.
But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
Too full for sound and foam,
When that which drew from out the boundless deep
Turns again home.
Twilight and evening bell,
And after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness of farewell,
When I embark.
For tho’ from out our Bourne of Time and Place
The flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
When I have crost the bar.
—Alfred Lord Tennyson

[Donna Alward · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got this for research and it was really interesting. The book was written shortly after the disaster and then republished, so the first-hand accounts are truly first hand. At times they conflict, which is to be expected, and sometimes conflict with things we already accept as truth about the disaster. Well worth a read.

[Jose Vazquez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thrilling to read what are the earliest works written about the great Titanic disaster, to hear first hand accounts when the Titanic event was scarcely a few months old. The 100th anniversary edition is also very beautiful.

[Lauren Sapp · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite book written about the Titanic, but isn't that cover gorgeous?

[Nancy Ferguson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This subject has fascinated me for years. Started this book years ago then set aside since nonfiction is not my favorite genre. Glad I finished it and learned some things I did not know.

[Jud Tabor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an excellent collection of obituaries, testaments and newspaper clippings from the time of the disaster. I only wish that they included more!

[Abbey · Rating 3 out of 5]

POPSUGAR 2024: A book that takes place over the course of 24 hours

[Lynn · Rating 1 out of 5]

While this book is very interesting because it was written in 1912, shortly after the, well, wreck and sinking of "Titanic," it's also... Not very good.

The "great descriptive writer" Marshall Everett has passages so long and so over the top, I nearly dropped the book several times I was laughing so hard. And WOW did he not only sanitize but heavily romanticize a lot of what happened on April 14/15, 1912. Above all, we must remember, THERE WAS NO PANIC. I wish I had a buck for every time that phrase was used in the book. Plus he had some rather weird terms for those aboard ("human freight," while somewhat literal, isn't exactly a flattering term for people, and rather coldly minimalizes the fact that they were living, breathing beings), and there were several instances where what he was writing directly conflicted with the testimony/news articles included in the book.

For example? On one page, he's talking about "...o'erburdened lifeboats being lowered with their cargo of women and children, and the cheers of those left on decks echoed off the icebergs around." (Or some ridiculous drivel like that.) A few pages later, he's talking about how many boats were launched pitifully empty, because everyone felt so safe aboard "Titanic" that they didn't want to leave her warmth and lights and music for a tiny boat out on the cold, dark, ice-laden ocean. In another portion, he talks about how organized everything was, and how even though crewmembers had guns, they never had to use them. In at least two other portions of the book, there are passages and testimonies of how gunfire was heard several times.

I suppose some of these errors can be somewhat excused by the fact that this book was written and published in such a rush. Other portions read as if the author was attempting to lessen the impact of just how terrible the disaster was, an attempt not to overdramatize it for the public (even in 1912, there was plenty of that going on, and of course in modern times it's ALL ABOUT THE DRAMA). It's also quite clear how several myths (some of which, sadly, persist to this day) about "Titanic" were born... ("Be British, men, be British" being one of the most noteworthy. And the most important of which is, more lifeboats would NOT have helped the situation. Through a combination of incompetence and lack of cooperation from passengers early on, they didn't even have time to load/launch all they had. Any further lifeboats on board would have gone down with "Titanic.") Some of the "testimony" included runs from the rather sensational to downright unbelievable. (According to one survivor, "Titanic" basically levitated before she sank. Oh boy. Another stated that it was 2 hours before the boats were uncovered and the passengers told to put on their lifebelts. Because yes, it's apparently possible to load and launch all those lifeboats in a mere 20 minutes... [See above point on lifeboats])

And how in the WORLD can you include an entire chapter on W. T. Stead, and NOT talk about the article in which he depicted a White Star Line ship sinking in the Atlantic, and a massive loss of life due to carelessness and lack of lifeboats, years before he sailed and died on "Titanic"? Talk about a missed opportunity... (I mean, it was no "'Futility,' or 'The Wreck of the Titan,'" but it is rather creepy and prescient in its own way, particularly since it was written by a man involved with the ship.)

And on that note, I have a feeling White Star somehow managed to meddle in portions of this book. It skews a little too favorably towards them at times, and of course the second officer's enduring (yet ridiculously untrue) "everything was against us" attitude is echoed here. Quite often, as a matter of fact.

Just remember, kiddies. THERE WAS NO PANIC.

(Except by my blood pressure, as I read this book.)

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Wreck and Sinking of the Titanic: the Ocean's Greatest Disaster" was an interesting look at both the Titanic disaster itself and the world of 1912. It was an interesting reprinting of a 1912 book dealing with the disaster published not too long after the event itself. It contains individual essays on various topics, reprinting of statements and articles from several different newspapers, testimony given during the Smith Committee, details of the sinking from multiples persons and numerous other personal accounts.

It was highly repetitive and was overly sentimental regarding the "heroic" deaths of men that could have and should have been saved, but for a useless sense of honor that dictated to them that it was better to leave a seat on a lifeboat empty than to fill it himself. Also, many of the facts contained with in were erroneous, with some even known to be so in 1912. For example, the statement "the entire length of the great ship on the starboard side was ripped" (p. 26) was ludicrous, if that had occurred Titanic would have sunk in 20 minutes, not 2 1/2 hours. Even back in 1912, the evidence did bore out this assessment. Another example would be the assertion that "the fact that the awful loss of life was avoidable by the simple provision of sufficient lifeboats" (p. 9). This was patently false, as the officers of Titanic didn't even have enough time to launch the 20 boats she did have, before her list was too great to effectively launch them, let alone the 20+ that would have been needed to removing all passengers and crew.

Though the first hand accounts are quite interesting, as is the details included from the Smith Committee, there was far too much repetition and an excess of sentimentality to make this book an easy read; instead it is one that must be taken in small sections, spread out over days. Also, any data contained within its pages must be suspect, even the first person accounts, and thus would need to be cross-checked before being used in any sort of research paper or book. In fact, I would shy away from using it in this context, instead it might be useful when writing about the public's reaction to the disaster.

Finally, unfortunately, though I strove to "love" "Wreck and Sinking of the Titanic: the Ocean's Greatest Disaster", I was unable to accomplish anything higher than merely "liking" it.

[Andy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually bought another Titanic book and this one was sitting next to it. I love the period design, size and tidy hardcover so couldn't really resist. It's a curiosity, a reprint of the original book published shortly after the event and detailing eye witness accounts, sermons, newspaper articles and other 'facts'. The facts are somewhat suspect at times but expected given the speed of publication.

It's not the greatest read in the world but it does have an appeal. Sure, there's a lot of repetition and it's woefully sentimental but it does stand as an artefact of a different era. Partly it's the sense of another time: the moral duty to die like a man or act like a Brit (sampled with fantastic quotes: 'as soon as so and so's friends heard that some women had died they automatically knew that George/Bertie/Richard etc was dead - there's not a chance he would have got onto a boat otherwise...'. I paraphrase); the attitude towards those brave women (imagine - some of them even tried to row the lifeboats!); the complete lack of interest in anyone below second class (the only mention of people losing their cool relate to those in steerage or 'foreigners').

Almost more interestingly, it was also a time where global communication didn't really exist (and certainly not to the levels today). The telegraph was opening doors and arguably was the only reason anyone survived, but watching it play out though radio broadcasts, word of mouth and newspaper editorials adds a different spin. In some-ways it's very much like modern day journalism/news broadcasting, the way we devour breaking news and social gossip of the rich and famous. It's just back then, the means of sharing this had a time delay. You could imagine devouring anything to do with the disaster at the time and this book would have been gold. A record of a different era.

Given the world we live in now, the disaster just couldn't happen. I'm not saying a ship couldn't sink or a plane crash etc, but the universal documentation and connection would completely change the perception of it.

So, not a great read as such but interesting content with a different perspective. Aesthetically it's delightful to read, hold and stick on your shelves.

[Julie Bihn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very much worth reading. This is a mix of first-person accounts of the wreck and its aftermath, and opinion pieces, all from the months following the sinking. I'm not sure there's much here that couldn't be found in other sources, but I hadn't seen any other source provide detailed accounts of the church services after the wreck. And while they got Lowe's testimony from one of the inquiries, this is the first time it sunk in that he didn't load the boats to capacity because they were rated for 65 people on the water, so they feared the boats would buckle as they were being lowered. That makes the actions of the crew seem a lot more reasonable. (Though ideally, they would have all agreed to let a certain number of men jump out and swim to the boats once they were on the water, but obviously in hindsight they would have done a lot of things differently.)

The book itself is very attractive and looks more or less like it could be from 1912, though I believe they updated the illustrations for this reprint.

A researcher must keep in mind that quite a few of the "facts" set out in this book don't exactly mesh with other accounts. I know there was reference to "concert halls" on Titanic, but while the band/s played concert, the deck plans don't contain anything we'd consider a concert hall. There were no tennis courts that I know of (though there was a squash court). And so forth. I feel like a kid using this as their main source for a paper on Titanic wouldn't have the most factual account. Still, worth reading for the immediacy of the accounts and a window into public opinion directly following the sinking.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, for an account of a shipwreck that carried "down to watery graves more than 1500 souls," this was quite an uplifting book.

I am not kidding.

The firsthand accounts were all shaded with the bravery and nobility of the first-class men (Astor, Strauss, Thayer, Widener and, to a much lesser extent, Guggenheim) "being men" and behaving themselves. Also, all accounts mentioned how calm it was, even at the very end. This reader has a problem with that. I understand this account was written almost directly after the sinking, in a post-Victorian but pre-Great War world, where dignity and restraint still ruled the day, but when that moment arrives and the death knell sounds, humanity fights to survive. We are, at our core, animals. So, I'm sorry but when that ship started to plunge into the sea, the instinct to survive kicked in and the scene was far from calm.

I digress. As usual. The prose in this book was lovely and grand as were the period illustrations. There were a few photographs. The two most interesting things for me, someone who is a history geek and has read a lot about the Titanic, were at the very end of the book. The first was King George's condolence message to President Taft and the American people and Taft's response back. I had never seen or read these before. The other was that, unlike almost every other Titanic book I have read, the list of passengers at the end of the book WERE NOT the survivors.

The list was a list of the dead.

Recommended, but only if you are a history buff of the early 20th century, pre-Great War variety.

[Gigi Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This month being the 101 year anniversary of this disaster I thought I would read a book to commemorate the tragedy. I don't know that this would be a book for everyone, but I found it interesting in that it was not a novel, but actual accounts of what survivors remembered of that catastrophic night. Here is one example....

Emile Portaluppi of Aricgabo, Italy escaped death when the Titanic went down. Portaluppi, a second-class passenger, was awakened by the explosion of one of the boilers of the ship. He hurried to the deck, strapped a life preserver around him and leaped into the sea.

With the aid of the preserver and by holding to a cake of ice he managed to keep afloat until one of the lifeboats picked him up. There were thirty-five other people in the boat when he was hauled aboard. (pg. 206.)

This book was so interesting to me as a piece of history, it being written right after the disaster in 1912. After all these years much more has been found out about the Titanic. In 1985 the ship was found on the bottom of the ocean floor and they were able to piece together more information about why the Ship sank.

If you are a history buff and like reading things about the Titanic, and haven't read this account, I think you would like it.

This book is part of my personal library.

[Jennifer Gelert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was first written in 1912, while the tragedy was still in everyone's mind. There is personal accounts of what happened and the theme through out the book was the heroism of the men to make sure women and children were taken to the life boats. It seems only a very few really knew the danger that was apparent and all we sure they would make it back to the boat. Hearing how the band played "Nearer My God To Thee" while the water was rising to their knees was most moving. Reading how Captain Smith got knocked off the board, managed to rescue a drowning baby and then went back to his ship to die. Just one story in many how people acted out the scripture "Greater man has no love than this, to be willing to lay down his life for another"

Once those who made it back to NY, stories of the Senate hearings to determine what actually happened that awful night. Testimony after testimony on what happened. Could it have be prevented? Was it chance their distress signal would be heard?

And here we are over 100 years later and still questions, debates and studies are still being done to try and understand what happened that fateful night.

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was not really sure what this book was ro was trying to be. The hard cover edition is wonderful to hold, in an era when everything is going digital, this book is substantial. Hardcover, thick, sepia toned paper with gilt edges, and woodcut illustrations. It was fun to pick up, like a piece of history in itself.

Reading it though, it was hard to determine what it was trying to say or accomplish. It seems like a compilation of accounts of the sinking and the aftermath from sources all over the place. From newspapers, government officials, contemporaries of the time, the folks who held the hearings. And yet, there are no citations, no index, no footnotes. The "chapters" are loosely arranged by a subject or commonality, but they seem to be random, the timeline is not chronological, and the info just seems to go on and on without shedding any new light on anything. It just feels like a bunch of stuff that got collected into a folder under the heading "Titanic" that someone wanted to publish with little curating. I was confused.

[Kirsti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Now I devour anything written on the Titanic- the event that shown no mercy to class, money and privilege. I've read every book I can get my hands on, so when I found this one (at the whopping price of $32.00!) I was willing enough to spend the money if it proved worth it. Honestly, I kind of regret it. I did hear new information, but the sections are sloppy, and the Reverend speeches were boring and I kept skipping any part that wasn't by a Titanic survivor or someone on board the Carpathia.

It was alright, but I wouldn't recommend it for first time Titanic readers, and don't expect much if you follow books on the subject either.

[Sophie Cimon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it. The book itself is beautiful, the paper is amazing and the design is a wonder for the eye.

I was really interested by the first hand reviews on the incident but since it was, most of all, first class passengers they got a curious opinion on it. Most of them were just stunned by the experience and now traumatized as we would have thought (thoughts based on the movie). But again is a réédition of an old book so it might just be the writing style of that period. And sometimes, the chronological order didn't make any sense so was kinda hard to follow.

But after all, it was a good book and very interesting, debunked a lot of myths created by the movie.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've grown up hearing about the Titanic with the advantage of having years worth of information. That time served to sort out the facts and the myth, and to take a more scientific look at what happened. All of that background made this book even more interesting as the text was originally published within a year of the sinking. This proximity to the event provided insight into what the information was that was deemed important, and gave a glimpse into what was valued by the people living at the time.

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was...boring.

Sorry, but there it is.

It was first hand accounts of the survivors, testimony before congress, and sermons about it (fyi: they were very surprised how well the steerage acted!).

I think because I checked out the e-version from the library, I lost a lot of the beauty of the book, which may have allowed me to give another star. I've seen this book in the stores, and it is beyond gorgeous. It would no doubt make a fine addition to someone's bookshelf--but not mine.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a reproduction of the 1912 book published shortly after the sinking of the Titanic. First hand accounts, testimony at the investigation of wrong doing, quotes from the many religious services following the disaster are included. I found out many things I did not know. Striking for me was the fact that not much was made over the large number of steerage passengers that were lost. Interesting.

[Phoebe · Rating 3 out of 5]

A reprinting/replication of a book that was published in 1912, this is a must read for all Titanic buffs. A beautiful edition with some interesting first-person accounts, press and news releases of the day, and political cartoons, among other things. Gives a sense of immediacy that books published today just can't provide.

[Shanelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wreck and Sinking of the Titanic is a book fully dedicated to providing the reader with facts about the Titanic and its sinking. As well, it includes survivors' recounts of their journey on the Titanic and how they escaped, some narrowly, and docked in New York on the Carpathia. This book will leave readers with a new perspective about the Titanic and new knowledge to recount to others.

[Matt Astin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of writings from the time if the disaster. Sometimes hard to read due to the verbosity if the writers. It is easy to see the social prejudices of the time. It is also easily noted how people long to be seen as important and be associated with important people. If you believe everything you read, the Astors parted ways of multiple occasions in multiple ways.

[Alexis Armstrong · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was definitively informative. I'm interested in the Titanic and the era in which it sank, so can appreciate the artistry of the cover and illustrations within the text. However, from time to time the dark tone of the piece - as fitting as it is - makes it a book you have to read alongside many others in order to not get annoyed with the monotony of such a depressing tone.

[Alvin · Rating 5 out of 5]

To read a book that was published so close to the actual event is amazing. The fact that this book has first hand accounts and some of the transcriptions from the Senate inquiry is great to read as well.