What do you think?
Rate this book
Titanic Lives: Migrants and Millionaires, Conmen and Crew
It has been one hundred years since the sinking of the passenger liner Titanic in the North Atlantic, yet worldwide fascination with the epic tragedy remains as strong as ever. With Voyagers of the Titanic, Richard Davenport-Hines gives us a magnificent history of the people intimately connected with the infamous ship—from deal-makers and industry giants, like J.P. Morgan, who built and operated it; to Molly Brown, John Jacob Astor IV, and other glittering aristocrats who occupied its first class cabins; to the men and women traveling below decks hoping to find a better life in America. Commemorating the centennial anniversary of the great disaster, Voyagers of the Titanic offers a fascinating, uniquely original view of one of the most momentous catastrophes of the 20th century.
437 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2011
287 people are currently reading
2184 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 205 reviews
May 17, 2012
The overall effect of this book--or the 100 pages of it I read before deciding there were other books that needed reading and this one wasn't worth the effort--is a bit like reading one of those history articles in the UK's Daily Mail, or maybe our very own Chicago Tribune except that's being a bit unfair to the Trib. Davenport-Hines covers the Titanic passengers from the shipowners down to the lower classes in breezy, anecdotal swathes of purple prose larded with adjectives and sprinkled with facts that, although interesting in themselves, begin to resemble a box of chocolates - too many at a time and you start getting nauseous.
This is a great book for those who like to gasp, titter and goggle along with the author at the sheer variety of life represented on the Titanic. I might also grab it if I were researching for a little preliminary inspiration, because there are some interesting quotes from a huge range of sources including literary, but alas, the lack of a bibliography reduces its usefulness as a source.
I note that the front cover blurb is fulsome praise from Julian Fellowes of Downton Abbey fame, and there is some sort of family resemblance between this book and Fellowes' rather lame Titanic miniseries. They both lacked solidity.
This is a great book for those who like to gasp, titter and goggle along with the author at the sheer variety of life represented on the Titanic. I might also grab it if I were researching for a little preliminary inspiration, because there are some interesting quotes from a huge range of sources including literary, but alas, the lack of a bibliography reduces its usefulness as a source.
I note that the front cover blurb is fulsome praise from Julian Fellowes of Downton Abbey fame, and there is some sort of family resemblance between this book and Fellowes' rather lame Titanic miniseries. They both lacked solidity.
December 13, 2019
At least 4 survivors died on an anniversary of the disaster, the last in 1975.
And it still kills me that the lifeboats were not completely full!
This book tells some of the life stories of the passengers & crew of the Titanic, derived from letters sent before embarking, interviews after the fact, and other primary sources. It's not billed as an analysis of the disaster, but there is some of that, necessary to telling these stories.
In one of the inquiries afterwards, a US Senator asked why people didn't just go into one of the watertight compartments and wait to be rescued. Well, because that's not how that works. Those watertight compartments ended up 2 miles below the surface. Basic lack of common sense. Reminds me of certain politicians today.
And it still kills me that the lifeboats were not completely full!
This book tells some of the life stories of the passengers & crew of the Titanic, derived from letters sent before embarking, interviews after the fact, and other primary sources. It's not billed as an analysis of the disaster, but there is some of that, necessary to telling these stories.
In one of the inquiries afterwards, a US Senator asked why people didn't just go into one of the watertight compartments and wait to be rescued. Well, because that's not how that works. Those watertight compartments ended up 2 miles below the surface. Basic lack of common sense. Reminds me of certain politicians today.
December 14, 2025
First published in 2012, so cashing in on the centenary of the tragic sinking. Nevertheless it is, eventually, a very well written and emotive account concentrating on what is known of the lives of those on board and those behind the scenes: the captain, officers and crew; the 1st, 2nd and 3rd class passengers; and the owners, designers and builders.
As an idea it had one major shortcoming, so little is known about the 2nd and 3rd class passengers, the middle class and the migrants. For many in 3rd it is only a name, their ultimate destination and their place of origin. Even their destination may only be the name of a factory or an industrial city known for one industry. This shortage of shipboard information leads to a plethora of related factoids filling the gaps. As examples, the condescending and sometimes hostile attitude of Ellis Island staff, or the enterprising Blake family of Brooklyn who ran a boarding house for Cornish immigrants only.
Once the reader gets through the opening four chapters describing the Atlantic trade in passenger and migrant crossings, the idea, design and building of ever larger and more luxurious ships leading to the Titanic, and its owners and financiers, then the book becomes more personal and interesting. When faced with the extravagantly wealthy and their lifestyles the temptation of voyeurism becomes overwhelming and the author feeds it well. Money and fashion, jewellery and servants, annoying toy dogs and class conscious attitudes are all there, as is the knowledge that at the end 97% of 1st class women survived as did 32% of the men. The figures for 3rd class were 47% of the women and 16% of the men. The author sometimes shows a little anger at the inequalities of the times, particularly when it comes to the chances of survival from a disaster, however, overall this is a book of emotion and sympathy and not a critique of the social order.
I felt the ending was a little inappropriate. Was there any need to be poetic about the fate of the iceberg? It melted as most lumps of ice do eventually. Whether it did that in the Sargasso Sea or elsewhere is of no importance. As I read about the berg's slow demise I could not help myself from pushing all of the fear and pain and loss to one side and join in the frivolous atmosphere by bringing to mind the great Bill Tidy's famous cartoon Any News of the Iceberg? I did feel a little ashamed that I could allow humour in but then I thought, other people have had plans to go treasure hunting and desecrate the wreck, so perhaps a smile after all the trauma was not so bad.
I don't think there is much that is new in the book but it is worth reading.
As an idea it had one major shortcoming, so little is known about the 2nd and 3rd class passengers, the middle class and the migrants. For many in 3rd it is only a name, their ultimate destination and their place of origin. Even their destination may only be the name of a factory or an industrial city known for one industry. This shortage of shipboard information leads to a plethora of related factoids filling the gaps. As examples, the condescending and sometimes hostile attitude of Ellis Island staff, or the enterprising Blake family of Brooklyn who ran a boarding house for Cornish immigrants only.
Once the reader gets through the opening four chapters describing the Atlantic trade in passenger and migrant crossings, the idea, design and building of ever larger and more luxurious ships leading to the Titanic, and its owners and financiers, then the book becomes more personal and interesting. When faced with the extravagantly wealthy and their lifestyles the temptation of voyeurism becomes overwhelming and the author feeds it well. Money and fashion, jewellery and servants, annoying toy dogs and class conscious attitudes are all there, as is the knowledge that at the end 97% of 1st class women survived as did 32% of the men. The figures for 3rd class were 47% of the women and 16% of the men. The author sometimes shows a little anger at the inequalities of the times, particularly when it comes to the chances of survival from a disaster, however, overall this is a book of emotion and sympathy and not a critique of the social order.
I felt the ending was a little inappropriate. Was there any need to be poetic about the fate of the iceberg? It melted as most lumps of ice do eventually. Whether it did that in the Sargasso Sea or elsewhere is of no importance. As I read about the berg's slow demise I could not help myself from pushing all of the fear and pain and loss to one side and join in the frivolous atmosphere by bringing to mind the great Bill Tidy's famous cartoon Any News of the Iceberg? I did feel a little ashamed that I could allow humour in but then I thought, other people have had plans to go treasure hunting and desecrate the wreck, so perhaps a smile after all the trauma was not so bad.
I don't think there is much that is new in the book but it is worth reading.
Read
April 10, 2015This is a wonderful addition to the many books about Titanic and its fateful maiden voyage. The emphasis is on the passangers and crew which sailed on it and what their experiences would have been and how they differed. There is a lot of information on the stratified and class conscious society at that time. I was interested to learn that US immigration laws stipulated passengers of different classes must be separated on liners by locked metal barriers to stop the spread of contagion. Also, that it was considered very bad manners to go and look round lower class decks onboard liners ("slumming expeditions"), which many first class passengers did when crossing the Atlantic as though studying another form of life. Information on the experience which greeted third class and steerage passengers at Ellis Island was also very illuminating and stories of those emigrating to America to find a better life often extremely touching.
Titanic was supposed to bring a new era to Atlantic crossing and passengers often claimed, "You would never imagine you were on board a ship." On board the largest ship in the world it was easy to forget the power of the ocean. This fascinating book looks at the people who were responsible for building Titanic and where it was built. The general idea was to build ships which replicated the amenities the rich expected of luxury hotels. Lifeboats were, apparently, discussed for "five or ten minutes" during a meeting, but it is worth pointing out that Titanic was no worse than other liners and that they fulfilled all the regulations of the day. For passengers, steam travel was both quicker and safer.
On board Titanic were a huge number of rich and influential passengers, including John Jacob Astor IV and Benjamin Guggenheim. First class passengers often cancelled and booked last minute in their constant "breathless rush across continents", which is likened to, "the same scene in a new setting". Once on board, the author discusses all the pleasures and activities they could have indulged in. There is also detailed information on both Second class, with its clergymen, shopkeepers, chauffeurs, teachers and engineers. Third class is also looked at in depth, as are the officers and crew on board. The stories about the passengers are often unbearably sad. On Titanic were professional gamblers, missionaries, adulterers, a child kidnapper, millionaires, farmers and economic migrants from many parts of the world, all with a story to tell.
As the book nears its conclusion you almost hope for another ending, but obviously that is not to be. The collision and the sinking of Titanic are recounted with emphasis on the personal stories. Titanic's doom aroused malicious satisfaction as well as horror. It was packed with millionaires,who aroused envy and migrants,who aroused contempt. Not everyone wished to "die like English gentlemen" or "treat death like an awfully big adventure". Captain Smith (whose grandson was my old geography teacher at school and who so resembled his grandfather it was like seeing him appear in the pictures of this book!) was anxious to avoid panic and shaken by the knowledge that there were insufficient lifeboats. Therefore passengers were often given mixed messages about how dangerous the situation was, with passengers often being told to return to their cabins, until water actually seeped under the doors.
There are stories of immense bravery in this book and of men refusing places in the lifeboats - "No woman shall be left aboard this ship because Ben Guggenheim was a coward!" proclaimed the millionaire and certainly Guggenheim, Astor and Strauss were three prominent men who were proclaimed heroes, as was the ships band who courageously played on to stem panic, their story is told in "The Band that Played On: The Extraordinary Story of the 8 Musicians Who Went Down with the Titanic". It is certainly true that men were allowed to board on one side of the ship and not the other and that men were excluded needlessly, even if there were spare places in the boats (of which there were many not full to anything near capacity). Young boys especially were considered as men - I mentally cheered when Astor plunked a girls hat on an eleven year old boys head and thrust him into a boat. The true tragedy were the tales of tiny bodies recovered from the sea and nearly half the children on board lost, although gender was statistically more important than class in surviving the disaster.
Lastly, the book looks at the aftermath of the tragedy. How some were called heroes and others, including Bruce Ismay and the Duff Coopers, made scapegoats - read "How to Survive the Titanic or The Sinking of J. Bruce Ismay" for the hapless Ismay's story. There was "a thrill at the heroism and self sacrifice", but undoubtedly men had survived and women had died, along with children. National mourning ensued, especially in New York, Paris, London and Southampton, where many of the crew lived. Overall, this is an extremely interesting and very moving read, which gives great detail on how people lived and travelled during the time of Titanic and of the lust for speed which caused ships to take risks, as well as the mistaken belief that the liners were so huge and powerful they were invulnerable to nature. If anything good came from this terrible tragedy, it was a change to safer sea routes and laws demanding every ship had enough life boats for all passengers and crew. Excellent read and highly recommended.
Titanic was supposed to bring a new era to Atlantic crossing and passengers often claimed, "You would never imagine you were on board a ship." On board the largest ship in the world it was easy to forget the power of the ocean. This fascinating book looks at the people who were responsible for building Titanic and where it was built. The general idea was to build ships which replicated the amenities the rich expected of luxury hotels. Lifeboats were, apparently, discussed for "five or ten minutes" during a meeting, but it is worth pointing out that Titanic was no worse than other liners and that they fulfilled all the regulations of the day. For passengers, steam travel was both quicker and safer.
On board Titanic were a huge number of rich and influential passengers, including John Jacob Astor IV and Benjamin Guggenheim. First class passengers often cancelled and booked last minute in their constant "breathless rush across continents", which is likened to, "the same scene in a new setting". Once on board, the author discusses all the pleasures and activities they could have indulged in. There is also detailed information on both Second class, with its clergymen, shopkeepers, chauffeurs, teachers and engineers. Third class is also looked at in depth, as are the officers and crew on board. The stories about the passengers are often unbearably sad. On Titanic were professional gamblers, missionaries, adulterers, a child kidnapper, millionaires, farmers and economic migrants from many parts of the world, all with a story to tell.
As the book nears its conclusion you almost hope for another ending, but obviously that is not to be. The collision and the sinking of Titanic are recounted with emphasis on the personal stories. Titanic's doom aroused malicious satisfaction as well as horror. It was packed with millionaires,who aroused envy and migrants,who aroused contempt. Not everyone wished to "die like English gentlemen" or "treat death like an awfully big adventure". Captain Smith (whose grandson was my old geography teacher at school and who so resembled his grandfather it was like seeing him appear in the pictures of this book!) was anxious to avoid panic and shaken by the knowledge that there were insufficient lifeboats. Therefore passengers were often given mixed messages about how dangerous the situation was, with passengers often being told to return to their cabins, until water actually seeped under the doors.
There are stories of immense bravery in this book and of men refusing places in the lifeboats - "No woman shall be left aboard this ship because Ben Guggenheim was a coward!" proclaimed the millionaire and certainly Guggenheim, Astor and Strauss were three prominent men who were proclaimed heroes, as was the ships band who courageously played on to stem panic, their story is told in "The Band that Played On: The Extraordinary Story of the 8 Musicians Who Went Down with the Titanic". It is certainly true that men were allowed to board on one side of the ship and not the other and that men were excluded needlessly, even if there were spare places in the boats (of which there were many not full to anything near capacity). Young boys especially were considered as men - I mentally cheered when Astor plunked a girls hat on an eleven year old boys head and thrust him into a boat. The true tragedy were the tales of tiny bodies recovered from the sea and nearly half the children on board lost, although gender was statistically more important than class in surviving the disaster.
Lastly, the book looks at the aftermath of the tragedy. How some were called heroes and others, including Bruce Ismay and the Duff Coopers, made scapegoats - read "How to Survive the Titanic or The Sinking of J. Bruce Ismay" for the hapless Ismay's story. There was "a thrill at the heroism and self sacrifice", but undoubtedly men had survived and women had died, along with children. National mourning ensued, especially in New York, Paris, London and Southampton, where many of the crew lived. Overall, this is an extremely interesting and very moving read, which gives great detail on how people lived and travelled during the time of Titanic and of the lust for speed which caused ships to take risks, as well as the mistaken belief that the liners were so huge and powerful they were invulnerable to nature. If anything good came from this terrible tragedy, it was a change to safer sea routes and laws demanding every ship had enough life boats for all passengers and crew. Excellent read and highly recommended.
May 2, 2018
2.5 stars. For me, this book just didn't live up to its title. I was under the impression I would be getting to know some of these travelers a little more intimately - know them and the details of their stories and lives better. However, the author chose to focus more on facts and numbers (even though he said in the beginning it wasn't that type of book!) and gave a mere gloss to the many, many names in the traveling classes and from White Star and Belfast. I understand: this ship held over 2,000 people. One cannot expect to know them all. But the author would just begin to touch on one person before jumping right to the next and I felt very little context or connection. Oh well, there's always another Titanic book out there.
Favorite quotes: "Officers and crew deceived the passengers in order to avoid panic - and perhaps to protect themselves from full realization of their predicament."
"Journalists everywhere transmuted the dead - the captain, the bandsmen, Ida Straus, Phillips the Marconi operator - into legendary creatures. They ended up duped by their own sentimental inventions and weepy over sob stories that they had concocted."
Favorite quotes: "Officers and crew deceived the passengers in order to avoid panic - and perhaps to protect themselves from full realization of their predicament."
"Journalists everywhere transmuted the dead - the captain, the bandsmen, Ida Straus, Phillips the Marconi operator - into legendary creatures. They ended up duped by their own sentimental inventions and weepy over sob stories that they had concocted."
May 31, 2012
Voyagers of the Titanic starts slow, but the deliberateness of the author in telling his story thoroughly is worth the wait, until the build-up to the actual sinking of the Titanic. Davenport-Hines chose to profile passengers from First, Second, and Third class, and along with biographic information, he included interesting trivia about each person, such as the various breeds of dogs they had on board. Suffice it to say that First Class passengers possessed wealth and privilege beyond belief, Second Class were also well-to-do(but more down to earth), and Third class contended with destitute poverty and unimaginable personal tragedies. There was also an immense amount of talent assembled on the ship, and who is to say what the world lost with the deaths of these 1,517 people? What effected me most profoundly was the description of the sinking, and how the passengers and crew reacted on all three levels of the ship, before and after the ship went down, and after the rescue. I was actually on the edge of my seat reading the amazing depiction of the sinking, almost as if I had never heard about the Titanic's sad story.
May 24, 2015
This book is all-around enriching, enlightening and bursting with Titanic information. Of all the books I've read on the subject, this one ranks #2 right under Walter Lord's classic account(s). The author of "Voyagers of the Titanic" has outlined the chapters by subjects. In one chapter, you can read about the about the lives of the ship owners, in another, read about the ship builders. Then comes an entire chapter devoted to the First Class passengers, then everything you want to know about Second Class and Third.
The quality of the imagination is amazing and it keeps a person intrigued for more. Oh, the little things I learned about Bruce Ismay & Lord Pirrie! Before, they were just names in the Titanic story, but now I understand much more about them, what their personalities were like, etc. And who knew that Milton Hershey ("aka the creator of Hershey chocolate ") was planning to travel on the Titanic – but canceled!
Seriously, this book is now a favorite of mine. I would greatly encourage any maritime enthusiast to read it, because these pages have volumes packed into them!
The quality of the imagination is amazing and it keeps a person intrigued for more. Oh, the little things I learned about Bruce Ismay & Lord Pirrie! Before, they were just names in the Titanic story, but now I understand much more about them, what their personalities were like, etc. And who knew that Milton Hershey ("aka the creator of Hershey chocolate ") was planning to travel on the Titanic – but canceled!
Seriously, this book is now a favorite of mine. I would greatly encourage any maritime enthusiast to read it, because these pages have volumes packed into them!
February 13, 2018
La nave affonda
Mi è stato proposto da un amico che fa lo storico e mi aspettavo un saggio sull'immigrazione negli USA. Mi ha sempre affascinato la complessità etnica e culturale che in tre secoli si è trasformata nell'attuale popolazione degli Stati Uniti. In realtà la lettura non ha soddisfatto le mie aspettative e dopo essermi annoiata nel leggere le storie degli armatori ho deciso di rinunciare. Un libro che parlava di emigrazione negli USA con toni molto più interessanti e attenti alle vite della gente minuta è La vista da Castle Rock, di Alice Munro: splendida lettura.
Mi è stato proposto da un amico che fa lo storico e mi aspettavo un saggio sull'immigrazione negli USA. Mi ha sempre affascinato la complessità etnica e culturale che in tre secoli si è trasformata nell'attuale popolazione degli Stati Uniti. In realtà la lettura non ha soddisfatto le mie aspettative e dopo essermi annoiata nel leggere le storie degli armatori ho deciso di rinunciare. Un libro che parlava di emigrazione negli USA con toni molto più interessanti e attenti alle vite della gente minuta è La vista da Castle Rock, di Alice Munro: splendida lettura.
April 19, 2018
Even though I've been reading and learning about Titanic for more than a decade, there is still a lot of information that I have yet to discover. Therefore I am very happy I read this book.
August 6, 2025
Not much new (to me, anyway) information here, but a solid, engaging read concentrating more on the passengers and crew of the Titanic than a highly detailed account of her sinking. Worth the read if you're interested in the topic.
April 15, 2012
This book was a great disappointment as I had seen reviews praising his research. Those reviews were correct his research is extensive but that is where things end. It apparently, that he didn't know how to pare down his research to write a compelling. This book is more an laundry list of the people on board with snippets of their lives before and sometimes after Titanic. He has divided the book into chapters by classes. The chapter on the first class is the most fleshed out as of we know the most of about these individuals. The remaining chapters about the passengers become more and more list like and less information. By the time, I read the steerage section of the book, my mind was reeling with information and I could no longer keep track of who was who as he lists the names of individuals, where they came from, and sometimes if they survived. The names all begin to flow together. This is the same with the loading of the lifeboats. It is a list of who ends up where. There are some interesting information about why the life boats where launched half full that I had never read. Overall, this book needed a very good editor that could have helped the author pare down his research to make compiling stores of the different classes.
March 27, 2024
Much ink has been spilled in exploring every possible angle of the terrible loss of the supposedly unsinkable Titanic on its maiden transatlantic voyage in spring 1912. Richard Davenport-Hines’s Titanic Lives is an exceptional work of social history; exhaustively researched and related in lucid prose with an eye for the telling detail, it focuses on passengers of all classes, officers and crew, taking the long view of what had brought them to be on board the largest ship the world had ever seen on its fateful first trip. The many lives painstakingly rediscovered in Titanic Lives form a fascinating and immensely moving kaleidoscope of the early twentieth century, from New York plutocrats (Astors, Guggenheims, Wideners) through the often-overlooked second class passengers to those in third class (Cornish miners, Armenians fleeing Ottoman persecution, Irish labourers, Jews escaping from Russian pogroms and many, many more). All human life is here, and Richard Davenport-Hines has many surprising, moving and revealing stories to tell.
May 24, 2012
The book read like my high school history text. After 100 pages, I began skimming and then searching for a passage or chapter that might make me want to continue. I could hear the pile of books waiting to be read calling to me. I heard the call of my vacuum begging to be run and the toilets awaiting to be cleaned. Davenport-Hines is a historian but lacks compelling writing skills.
October 4, 2013
This an excellent work, with some fascinating stories about those who sailed and worked on Titanic. It's a book to refer to again and again, because of the numerous facts and anecdotal details which litter its pages. The chapters on migrants and imported Americans were a little dry but overall, I'd definitely recommend it.
September 12, 2025
This was good and I enjoyed it to a certain point, but I felt as the book went along it became quite repetitive. It falls into the trap of listing people, giving a short bio on them and moving on to the next person, which after a while really gets repetitive. I found the first few chapters, specifically "Owners," "Builders," and "First Class" to be the most interesting and the chapters describing the sinking of the Titanic were good as well. The book really lost me in the chapters after the Titanic is gone. Just more and more repetition and it got stale to me.
This book really reminded me of two books, also about the sinking of two famous ships. If you enjoyed this book, check out Lusitania: Triumph, Tragedy, and the End of the Edwardian Age and The Last Voyage of the Andrea Doria: The Sinking of the World's Most Glamorous Ship
This book really reminded me of two books, also about the sinking of two famous ships. If you enjoyed this book, check out Lusitania: Triumph, Tragedy, and the End of the Edwardian Age and The Last Voyage of the Andrea Doria: The Sinking of the World's Most Glamorous Ship
April 24, 2017
Far from being the definitive Titanic account, but a fascinating volume of stories and lives surrounding the famous ship, particularly the less celebrated but equally interesting denizens of second and third class.
I appreciate that the author focused heavily on the stories of those on the Titanic, as the human element of this tragedy - and others - has also been the most engaging and interesting for me. However, I found the opening section, which provides interesting but excessive context, overly long and meandering; I would've preferred more time and pages spent zeroing in on the many specific and fascinating people that filled out its passengers, crew, and ownership.
I'd give the book 3.5/5 but rounding up to a 4-star review (for Goodreads' system) due to the stirring tales of the disaster's lasting resonance among survivors beyond the immediate aftermath in April 1912 through the rest of their lives. (The chapter title, "The Meaning Shows in the Defeated Thing," is far more pretentious than its sincere content!)
I appreciate that the author focused heavily on the stories of those on the Titanic, as the human element of this tragedy - and others - has also been the most engaging and interesting for me. However, I found the opening section, which provides interesting but excessive context, overly long and meandering; I would've preferred more time and pages spent zeroing in on the many specific and fascinating people that filled out its passengers, crew, and ownership.
I'd give the book 3.5/5 but rounding up to a 4-star review (for Goodreads' system) due to the stirring tales of the disaster's lasting resonance among survivors beyond the immediate aftermath in April 1912 through the rest of their lives. (The chapter title, "The Meaning Shows in the Defeated Thing," is far more pretentious than its sincere content!)
July 9, 2025
A good slice of all the classes on board and evocative of the time, but the author really needs to shut up. Thanks to his little remarks scattered throughout, the reader knows he’s an unrepentant snob, dislikes children, and has a hard on for the British aristocracy. It leaves an icky feeling; but if you’re a hardcore Titanic person, there’s value in reading this. Just ignore the author.
November 17, 2020
Of the countless books which have been written about the Titanic this one was really good!
April 1, 2012
Now that the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic is almost here, I've had the blessed opportunity to be able to review some incredible new books out about the disaster. One such incredible book is called, Voyagers of the Titanic by Richard Davenport-Hines.
In this historical non fiction book, Richard takes the readers some place most books have never gone, in depth into the back stories behind everything you've ever wanted to know regarding the Titanic, those who built her and sailed on that fateful voyage. He introduces you to the first, second and third class passengers as if you meet each of the people he describes in detail. From what the menu consisted of, to what they did for entertainment on each of the class decks and most interestingly, where the iceberg may have originated from.
While most books that you'll have an opportunity to read on the sinking of the Titanic will often give you an overview of what happened that night and how she inevitably sank, this one brings to life all the souls she lost and even those who survived that night. While did the California not respond to her distress messages, why would a seasoned Captain ignore the warning of an iceberg, how did Margaret Brown become so friendly with John Jacob Astor IV, one of the richest men on board, how much did the tickets cost that separated each class from one another, and were second and third class passengers really prevented from escaping aboard the lifeboats as James Cameron depicted in his movie? All these amazing questions are answered in this book along with so much more, that if you are a Titanic fan yourself or know of someone who is, this is the perfect book!
Discover what some people died with as they departed the Titanic, what some considered most valuable to them; learn how Titanic was built and what precautions were considered in her building to address three vital factors ship builders at the time had to address; what did Margaret Brown do before she became a wealthy woman; why did the Titanic not have enough lifeboats on board; what items were brought on board the Titanic by all the classes of people; how did fate play a role in people who chose to cancel their tickets and didn't die on the Titanic; why didn't some people when told to get into a lifeboat, instead went back their rooms even though the ship was clearly taking on water?
I received Voyagers of the Titanic compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins publishers for my honest review and thoroughly enjoyed reading about this fated ship from beginning to the very end. Being a huge fan of history and the Titanic, I enjoyed reading about Margaret Brown and John Jacob Astor's unique connection as well as chapters dividing into each class of passengers; from whom they were, how much they paid, what their accommodations were like, what they ate, and what happened when each learned that the ship had hit an iceberg, what did it sound like where they were and so much, much more! I easily give this one a 5 out of 5 stars and plan to re-read this one again and again. There is even a section of photos that takes the reader back to the ship almost a hundred years ago.
In this historical non fiction book, Richard takes the readers some place most books have never gone, in depth into the back stories behind everything you've ever wanted to know regarding the Titanic, those who built her and sailed on that fateful voyage. He introduces you to the first, second and third class passengers as if you meet each of the people he describes in detail. From what the menu consisted of, to what they did for entertainment on each of the class decks and most interestingly, where the iceberg may have originated from.
While most books that you'll have an opportunity to read on the sinking of the Titanic will often give you an overview of what happened that night and how she inevitably sank, this one brings to life all the souls she lost and even those who survived that night. While did the California not respond to her distress messages, why would a seasoned Captain ignore the warning of an iceberg, how did Margaret Brown become so friendly with John Jacob Astor IV, one of the richest men on board, how much did the tickets cost that separated each class from one another, and were second and third class passengers really prevented from escaping aboard the lifeboats as James Cameron depicted in his movie? All these amazing questions are answered in this book along with so much more, that if you are a Titanic fan yourself or know of someone who is, this is the perfect book!
Discover what some people died with as they departed the Titanic, what some considered most valuable to them; learn how Titanic was built and what precautions were considered in her building to address three vital factors ship builders at the time had to address; what did Margaret Brown do before she became a wealthy woman; why did the Titanic not have enough lifeboats on board; what items were brought on board the Titanic by all the classes of people; how did fate play a role in people who chose to cancel their tickets and didn't die on the Titanic; why didn't some people when told to get into a lifeboat, instead went back their rooms even though the ship was clearly taking on water?
I received Voyagers of the Titanic compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins publishers for my honest review and thoroughly enjoyed reading about this fated ship from beginning to the very end. Being a huge fan of history and the Titanic, I enjoyed reading about Margaret Brown and John Jacob Astor's unique connection as well as chapters dividing into each class of passengers; from whom they were, how much they paid, what their accommodations were like, what they ate, and what happened when each learned that the ship had hit an iceberg, what did it sound like where they were and so much, much more! I easily give this one a 5 out of 5 stars and plan to re-read this one again and again. There is even a section of photos that takes the reader back to the ship almost a hundred years ago.
March 20, 2012
“Voyagers of the Titanic” marks the one hundredth anniversary of the Titanic by re-telling the stories of the passengers aboard this ship and the events before, during, and after the sinking.
Part One gives a general overview of the Titanic on land, and the shipowners as well as the shipbuilders that were behind it. Separate sections also follow the sailors, and discuss the boarding and the speed. Part Two follows the Titanic at sea and describes the people on the voyage—the first class, second class, third class, and the officers and crew. Part Three follows the collision and the events to happen afterwards.
I found it interesting how much detail the author was able to gather about the ship and its accommodations, as well as the huge difference between the social classes. As the author notes, “With the exception of the officers’ quarters on the boat deck, the second-class smoking room at the end of the B deck, and the second-class library and third-class lounge and smoking room on the C deck, most of this superstructure was dedicated to the needs of the first-class passengers. And the first class, as described in this book, with all of its elevators, Turkish baths, gymnasiums, libraries, barber shops, and dark room for photographers, among other accommodations, was certainly striking.
However where this book really shines is when it shares the stories of the passengers. Several well-known personalities of the times who had tickets cancelled shortly before Titanic was set to sail—among them Clay Frick, Pierpont Morgan, George Vanderbilt Milton Hershey and Robert Bacon, the outgoing U.S. ambassador to France. Others weren’t so lucky. There were at least seven sets of honeymooners in first class, among them Jack Astor who owned much of New York. Other passengers included the parents of a young woman in France who carried their purchases for her wedding, the sole black man on the Titanic, the confectioner who was sailing to join his brother in Connecticut whose wife and children was supposed to join him separately, the man who was travelling to Canada with his wife and had his entire life savings on him, the husband who had kidnapped his two sons from his wife and boarded the Titanic with them, adulters posing as married couples, “tricksters” looking for victims to rob, and a variety of refugees, clergymen, and working men all seeking to start a new life, among many other passengers.
The most interesting part of the book is the last part where the collision is described in detail. The night is moonless and cold. The Captain is concerned about ice, thought doesn’t provide any instructions to the crew beforehand. No extra lookouts are posted. And then the event that made Titanic history happens.
There’s a lot of details, research, technical explanations, analysis of events and the moral behavior of the different passengers and the crew. I have read several books on the Titanic, but this is probably the most detailed book on the subject that I’ve come across.
Part One gives a general overview of the Titanic on land, and the shipowners as well as the shipbuilders that were behind it. Separate sections also follow the sailors, and discuss the boarding and the speed. Part Two follows the Titanic at sea and describes the people on the voyage—the first class, second class, third class, and the officers and crew. Part Three follows the collision and the events to happen afterwards.
I found it interesting how much detail the author was able to gather about the ship and its accommodations, as well as the huge difference between the social classes. As the author notes, “With the exception of the officers’ quarters on the boat deck, the second-class smoking room at the end of the B deck, and the second-class library and third-class lounge and smoking room on the C deck, most of this superstructure was dedicated to the needs of the first-class passengers. And the first class, as described in this book, with all of its elevators, Turkish baths, gymnasiums, libraries, barber shops, and dark room for photographers, among other accommodations, was certainly striking.
However where this book really shines is when it shares the stories of the passengers. Several well-known personalities of the times who had tickets cancelled shortly before Titanic was set to sail—among them Clay Frick, Pierpont Morgan, George Vanderbilt Milton Hershey and Robert Bacon, the outgoing U.S. ambassador to France. Others weren’t so lucky. There were at least seven sets of honeymooners in first class, among them Jack Astor who owned much of New York. Other passengers included the parents of a young woman in France who carried their purchases for her wedding, the sole black man on the Titanic, the confectioner who was sailing to join his brother in Connecticut whose wife and children was supposed to join him separately, the man who was travelling to Canada with his wife and had his entire life savings on him, the husband who had kidnapped his two sons from his wife and boarded the Titanic with them, adulters posing as married couples, “tricksters” looking for victims to rob, and a variety of refugees, clergymen, and working men all seeking to start a new life, among many other passengers.
The most interesting part of the book is the last part where the collision is described in detail. The night is moonless and cold. The Captain is concerned about ice, thought doesn’t provide any instructions to the crew beforehand. No extra lookouts are posted. And then the event that made Titanic history happens.
There’s a lot of details, research, technical explanations, analysis of events and the moral behavior of the different passengers and the crew. I have read several books on the Titanic, but this is probably the most detailed book on the subject that I’ve come across.
March 20, 2016
I have been fascinated by the Titanic since I was a kid and they sent back the first pictures from the submarine that discovered its final resting place at the bottom of the Atlantic. Not a fan of the Cameron spectacle, I prefer the real life stories and connections that the tragedy created. Davenport-Hines certainly does try to life those connections and stories, but by the end of this 300 page novel it fails, in my opinion.
The book starts out very dry, like many non-fiction books I've attempted to read, with a background on the owners of the White Star Line. I couldn't wait for this section to be done because I didn't understand why I had to know this information. I felt like I was in school with no purpose for the facts about the owners and shipping mergers that ended up creating the Titanic. Since most of this part of the book dealt with knowledge about British business and shipping that I have no understanding of, I was bored until reaching the second part of the book.
The best part of the book were the rundown of the First Class, Second Class, Third Class passengers and the Officers and Crew. It was easy to connect with the stories and class struggles presented in these chapters. Some of the individuals were larger than life and others just quiet individuals looking to make a new life for themselves in America. For the lower classes and much of the crew section, since many of these individuals did not survive, I did feel like I was reading a genealogy rundown in the Bible.
Once the ship started sinking, the book felt a bit rushed--skipping from one side of the ship to the other with little explanation of ship terms (starboard, port, stern, davit, etc.) And after the introduction of many individuals in the previous section there was no rundown of who survived and who didn't.
The final chapter attempted to sum up the aftermath of the tragedy. The chapter was really mashed together and jump around quite a bit. The author didn't do a very good job of explaining, beyond the media's role in trumpeting the tragedy, what the American and British governments did to investigate. It was touched on briefly, but with little detail and only to explain the difference between the investigations.
In the end, I believe the author struggled with how to end the book. Suddenly you are reading about the death of the survivors (most pretty dramatic) and with no warning switched and ended with the iceberg melting in some warm sea in the middle of the Atlantic.
The book starts out very dry, like many non-fiction books I've attempted to read, with a background on the owners of the White Star Line. I couldn't wait for this section to be done because I didn't understand why I had to know this information. I felt like I was in school with no purpose for the facts about the owners and shipping mergers that ended up creating the Titanic. Since most of this part of the book dealt with knowledge about British business and shipping that I have no understanding of, I was bored until reaching the second part of the book.
The best part of the book were the rundown of the First Class, Second Class, Third Class passengers and the Officers and Crew. It was easy to connect with the stories and class struggles presented in these chapters. Some of the individuals were larger than life and others just quiet individuals looking to make a new life for themselves in America. For the lower classes and much of the crew section, since many of these individuals did not survive, I did feel like I was reading a genealogy rundown in the Bible.
Once the ship started sinking, the book felt a bit rushed--skipping from one side of the ship to the other with little explanation of ship terms (starboard, port, stern, davit, etc.) And after the introduction of many individuals in the previous section there was no rundown of who survived and who didn't.
The final chapter attempted to sum up the aftermath of the tragedy. The chapter was really mashed together and jump around quite a bit. The author didn't do a very good job of explaining, beyond the media's role in trumpeting the tragedy, what the American and British governments did to investigate. It was touched on briefly, but with little detail and only to explain the difference between the investigations.
In the end, I believe the author struggled with how to end the book. Suddenly you are reading about the death of the survivors (most pretty dramatic) and with no warning switched and ended with the iceberg melting in some warm sea in the middle of the Atlantic.
March 22, 2015
No one not deaf or blind can have missed all the brouhaha about Titanic's Anniversary. It has been 100 years since that great ship went down, taking approximately 1500 souls to rest in the sea. A lot of books have just been published to coincide with the date. So many words, photos, film, etc. Which one should I read? Well alright, lets find the heart of the matter, which of course, is the PEOPLE. They are the story, not tons of steel. This book gives us information, sometimes in their own words, about the builders, engineers, stewards, firemen, Marconi operators, hopeful immigrants, card sharps, titled ladies and wealthy robber barons who built served, owned and traveled in the Titanic.
For example, I knew from prior reading and watching films, that there were many immigrants in the steerage class, but I did not know that many of them came from Syria, Lebanon and Armenia, fleeing the Turkish Empire. Among the third class passengers, there were Finns, Swedes, Norwegians, Welsh, Irish, Bulgarians, Italians, French, Germans and just about every other kind of European. There was one black man(from Jamaica) and a single Japanese.
Aboard this floating world were travelers for pleasure, businessmen, scam artists, musicians, the humble and the mighty. They brought their life's savings, their jewelry, their hockey sticks, violins, books, pets and even a fancy motor car worth 5000 pounds. Several Pekinese, at least one French Bulldog, an Airedale and several "lapdogs" traveled with the first class passengers. Also with the first class were the assorted maids, valets, nannies, nurses and other employees, most of them traveling in second class.
Using letters posted in Queenstown,Ireland by passengers and crew, testimony from hearings following the tragic accident, accounts written by the survivors and some fairly wild and inflated newspaper reporting, the author introduces us to real people who lived through nightmare scenes or died in terror in the sea. Their stories are compelling and heart breaking. This is the stuff of great drama. Aristotle said drama should inspire terror and pity. This account is all that and a pistachio ice cream cone.
This one is for Titanic buffs, history lovers and those who relish a great story. I promise you will be affected by it.
For example, I knew from prior reading and watching films, that there were many immigrants in the steerage class, but I did not know that many of them came from Syria, Lebanon and Armenia, fleeing the Turkish Empire. Among the third class passengers, there were Finns, Swedes, Norwegians, Welsh, Irish, Bulgarians, Italians, French, Germans and just about every other kind of European. There was one black man(from Jamaica) and a single Japanese.
Aboard this floating world were travelers for pleasure, businessmen, scam artists, musicians, the humble and the mighty. They brought their life's savings, their jewelry, their hockey sticks, violins, books, pets and even a fancy motor car worth 5000 pounds. Several Pekinese, at least one French Bulldog, an Airedale and several "lapdogs" traveled with the first class passengers. Also with the first class were the assorted maids, valets, nannies, nurses and other employees, most of them traveling in second class.
Using letters posted in Queenstown,Ireland by passengers and crew, testimony from hearings following the tragic accident, accounts written by the survivors and some fairly wild and inflated newspaper reporting, the author introduces us to real people who lived through nightmare scenes or died in terror in the sea. Their stories are compelling and heart breaking. This is the stuff of great drama. Aristotle said drama should inspire terror and pity. This account is all that and a pistachio ice cream cone.
This one is for Titanic buffs, history lovers and those who relish a great story. I promise you will be affected by it.
February 10, 2013
If you’ve read as many books and seen as many documentaries about Titanic as I have, you’ll willingly add this book to your list.
It’s like a little collection of biographies of people whom you already know a little about. Having seen movies and TV series and documentaries, you’ll recognize most names and already have an understanding of how the main characters relate to one another. This book fleshes that out in more detail by providing additional background information and interesting facts about the key players’ lives.
Survivor’s recollections of the sinking itself were compelling, as well as the long cold wait for rescue. (Wouldn’t that make an interesting movie? A couple whose vacation plans are interrupted when their boat (The Carpathia) alters course to rescue Titanic survivors…).
I was not expecting to learn anything new, but I did! Not just trivia like how many napkins and nutcrackers and wine bottles were on board the Titanic (LOTS) but about how so many passengers were bound for Canada for example, and what their plans would have been had they survived the sinking.
The book also includes a lot of details of the days in New York just after the sinking; I found this the most interesting of all because this part of history is often overlooked. Attention is usually always focused on the boat, very little to the people left behind. I had no idea there were so many imposter-grievers! People pretending they lost loved ones in the sinking!!
The “what ever happened to” section at the end where we learn the long term fate of survivors is poignant (although a little ghoulish) because it exposes how an experience like this can impact a person deeply for life.
It was a great read – I highly recommend it.
It’s like a little collection of biographies of people whom you already know a little about. Having seen movies and TV series and documentaries, you’ll recognize most names and already have an understanding of how the main characters relate to one another. This book fleshes that out in more detail by providing additional background information and interesting facts about the key players’ lives.
Survivor’s recollections of the sinking itself were compelling, as well as the long cold wait for rescue. (Wouldn’t that make an interesting movie? A couple whose vacation plans are interrupted when their boat (The Carpathia) alters course to rescue Titanic survivors…).
I was not expecting to learn anything new, but I did! Not just trivia like how many napkins and nutcrackers and wine bottles were on board the Titanic (LOTS) but about how so many passengers were bound for Canada for example, and what their plans would have been had they survived the sinking.
The book also includes a lot of details of the days in New York just after the sinking; I found this the most interesting of all because this part of history is often overlooked. Attention is usually always focused on the boat, very little to the people left behind. I had no idea there were so many imposter-grievers! People pretending they lost loved ones in the sinking!!
The “what ever happened to” section at the end where we learn the long term fate of survivors is poignant (although a little ghoulish) because it exposes how an experience like this can impact a person deeply for life.
It was a great read – I highly recommend it.
May 9, 2013
With the passing of the 101st anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, I read this recently published book. I've read many books about the sinking of the Titanic: fiction and nonfiction, from newspaper accounts to historical perspectives, to those of the investigative committee, to those of the recoverers of the wreck, probably totaling twenty books in all.
This book focuses on the people that voyaged on the maiden journey of the great ship through iceberg laden waters. The book succeeds in its focus on the people, relating little-known facts and bringing humanity to the faceless masses in steerage and the crew of the ship, capturing the sociology and psychology of the world that birthed the ship and suffered its failure.
Unfortunately, the book is not well written. Transitions between paragraphs are often jarring and confusing, as is the vocabulary and clumsy retellings that more than fail to bring real, engaging life to the people that survived and died in the Titanic disaster.
Furthermore, it reveals a prejudice and judgment, particularly in its portrayal of Senator William Alden Smith, who is probably the great hero of the tragedy. Other books on the Titanic are much better written, less biased, more engaging, and more comprehensive. It's only strength, the only thing that makes it worth reading for Titanic obsessives is that it provides more information about individual passengers and the world in which they lived and thought than some other books. Grade: B
This book focuses on the people that voyaged on the maiden journey of the great ship through iceberg laden waters. The book succeeds in its focus on the people, relating little-known facts and bringing humanity to the faceless masses in steerage and the crew of the ship, capturing the sociology and psychology of the world that birthed the ship and suffered its failure.
Unfortunately, the book is not well written. Transitions between paragraphs are often jarring and confusing, as is the vocabulary and clumsy retellings that more than fail to bring real, engaging life to the people that survived and died in the Titanic disaster.
Furthermore, it reveals a prejudice and judgment, particularly in its portrayal of Senator William Alden Smith, who is probably the great hero of the tragedy. Other books on the Titanic are much better written, less biased, more engaging, and more comprehensive. It's only strength, the only thing that makes it worth reading for Titanic obsessives is that it provides more information about individual passengers and the world in which they lived and thought than some other books. Grade: B
March 25, 2013
A very, very detailed account of those who built, financed and traveled on the Titanic. It was a little dry in places, forcing me to skip forward on occasions but nonetheless a historical account which endevours to clear up misconceptions formed over the years.
Class distinction features heavily and was of course responsible for the large loss of life in 3rd class. An interesting insight into that era, and also into the years following the disaster and the tragedies that befell some of the survivors. Some by their own hand. ( grief and survivor guilt.) Many survivors eerily died ( not by their own hand) on the anniversary of the Titanic sinking. Some a few years later others 50 years later.
Reading first hand accounts of the sinking and the scrambling to survive. The women and children only. not first, stance of the crewmen.( due to a miscommunication) The parting of husbands and sons from wives and mothers.... very sobering.
So much of the tragedy that I never knew.... very insightful but definitely not light reading.
Class distinction features heavily and was of course responsible for the large loss of life in 3rd class. An interesting insight into that era, and also into the years following the disaster and the tragedies that befell some of the survivors. Some by their own hand. ( grief and survivor guilt.) Many survivors eerily died ( not by their own hand) on the anniversary of the Titanic sinking. Some a few years later others 50 years later.
Reading first hand accounts of the sinking and the scrambling to survive. The women and children only. not first, stance of the crewmen.( due to a miscommunication) The parting of husbands and sons from wives and mothers.... very sobering.
So much of the tragedy that I never knew.... very insightful but definitely not light reading.
April 17, 2012
Just in time for the 100th anniversary of Titanic's sinking, VOYAGERS OF THE TITANIC is one of the better books about the people on board. Richard Davenport-Hines surrounds familiar figures with unfamiliar background and details that pull together into a riveting story. With a novelist's eye, Davenport-Hines sets his first-class passengers against the new Edwardian craze for speed; shows the ship's roots in the labor violence of Belfast; and sets third-class passengers within the great migration from Europe to America. Thomas Andrews comes to life, irascible and dependable; John Jacob Astor ("He was a builder of Titanics on terra firma") also appears in his role as a slum landlord; and includes colorful characters not usually among the Titanic cast of characters, such as J.P. Morgan, who owned the White Star Line. A vivid, immensely readable new look at the enduring tragedy of Titanic.
November 2, 2012
This was quite an excellent book. It has a great deal of research into the social fabric and conventions and the individual lives of those who were involved, with many telling details, including many individuals that were quite obscure. This provides a telling snapshot of the age; its focus is much more on the world of 1912 than on the details of the accident, although giving a good summary of the event.
Coincidentally, I was working on a "dead sailor from the Titanic" Halloween costume (since this is the 100th anniversary of the sinking) and I ran across this book in the "new books" section quite by accident. Here's some photos
Coincidentally, I was working on a "dead sailor from the Titanic" Halloween costume (since this is the 100th anniversary of the sinking) and I ran across this book in the "new books" section quite by accident. Here's some photos
April 4, 2012
April 14, 2012 will mark the 100th anniversary date of the sinking of the Titanic.
So much has been written, documented and filmed about the Titanic that it would seem difficult to find a new slant. Yet, the author has indeed accomplished this goal.
Rather than spending pages and pages of technical details regarding the building and sinking of the "unsinkable" luxury liner, Davenport-Hines focuses on the lives of those aboard. He gives in depth stories of the first, second and third class passengers.
While at times redundant and nit picky in detail, still, the author did an incredible job in this well-researched book of the facets and lives of many of the 2,240 people who boarded and the 1,517 who never set foot on land again.
Recommended
So much has been written, documented and filmed about the Titanic that it would seem difficult to find a new slant. Yet, the author has indeed accomplished this goal.
Rather than spending pages and pages of technical details regarding the building and sinking of the "unsinkable" luxury liner, Davenport-Hines focuses on the lives of those aboard. He gives in depth stories of the first, second and third class passengers.
While at times redundant and nit picky in detail, still, the author did an incredible job in this well-researched book of the facets and lives of many of the 2,240 people who boarded and the 1,517 who never set foot on land again.
Recommended
February 4, 2017
3.5 stars
The author gives some background information on many of the people who were on the Titanic when she sank; this includes crew and passengers from all three classes.
This one started off slow. There are a lot of people who were mentioned, so I found it difficult to remember who’s who, except the ones I’ve heard of before (mostly some of the 1st class passengers). Of course, once we got to the point when the ship hit the iceberg, then it really picked up for me. So, the second half of the book was much more interesting to me. After people were rescued, there was follow up information on some of them, as well. Overall, it was good.
The author gives some background information on many of the people who were on the Titanic when she sank; this includes crew and passengers from all three classes.
This one started off slow. There are a lot of people who were mentioned, so I found it difficult to remember who’s who, except the ones I’ve heard of before (mostly some of the 1st class passengers). Of course, once we got to the point when the ship hit the iceberg, then it really picked up for me. So, the second half of the book was much more interesting to me. After people were rescued, there was follow up information on some of them, as well. Overall, it was good.
March 12, 2025
A good comparison to the very detailed "On a Sea of Glass". This is mostly about the human stories with a lot of background context to the American millionaires and the European migrants. It was really well written and researched, but I still want to know more about the individual stories of the passengers and crew.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 205 reviews