Voyage of the iceberg: The story of the iceberg that sank the Titanic

by Richard G.B. Brown

This is the story of the most famous iceberg of all the one iceberg that has gripped the imagination of the world, that has humbled arrogant faith in technology, that speaks of the wonders and dangers of the North Atlantic Ocean. This is the iceberg that sank the Titanic.

First published in 1983, Richard Brown's brilliant account tells the story of the iceberg through the experiences of the Inuit bands, sailors, and explorers who saw it before its fateful meeting with destiny. In it, Titanic takes her place among the ships and seals, the whales and bears, seabirds and people who all feel the effects of the iceberg's passing. Its moment in history proves the culmination of a long and influential passage.

A classic of natural history writing, Voyage of the Iceberg has been warmly received in Canada, as well as in French, Dutch, American, and British editions.

152 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1983

About the author

Richard ("Dick") G. B. Brown, Elective Member (1978) and longtime supporter of AOU, died on 26 March 2010 in Kings Regional Rehabilitation Centre, Waterville, Nova Scotia, Canada, at the age of 74 following a lengthy 15-year battle with dementia. Dick was best known for his pioneering long-term study of the pelagic ecology of seabirds in the Northwest Atlantic, which included the first computerization of seabird at-sea data to analyze patterns of species' distributions over a large marine geographic area: eastern Canadian Arctic, western Greenland, and the Atlantic north of 40oN and west of 40oW. He was a towering figure in marine ornithology worldwide for also showing the relationship between distributions of birds at sea through the annual cycle with the oceanographic characteristics of their marine habitat. In addition to his intellectual prowess on seabird ecology and behavior, Dick is also remembered as a well-read, witty and entertaining raconteur, at his best in informal social gatherings discussing topics from his beloved seabirds to the Greek classics and other subjects from the humanities, always enhanced by a glass of spirits or wine in hand. He was one of the warmest, friendliest, and most interesting of the seabird investigators of his era, always willing to give of his time and knowledge to fellow workers and students.

Reviews

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

It started as a ridiculous read that, by the end, I was frustrated someone cut out 4 photos of the Titanic and I couldn't read what they had cut out .
it was really interesting to read the whaling Iistory and how it tied in with the Titanic ' s path

[Kate Vale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Meet the iceberg that sank the Titanic. In this compelling tale, the ice becomes a seagoing creature destined to destroy the ship its builders said was unsinkable before the iceberg finally melts into nothingness as it moves south.

But for some key errors--all human-made--the ship might have retained the title her builders gave her. Alas, for the thousand-plus souls who died that fateful night in 1912, the Titanic was not to be--all because of an iceberg that was calved from the Jakobshavn Ice Fiord.

A great read!

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Saw this book in a display case at the interactive Titanic exhibit in Denver and thought it would be an interesting read. Found a used 1st edition on ThriftBooks.com.

and my personal connection to the Titanic? My wife's grandmother was supposed to sail from Ireland, there either weren't any tickets available or she missed the boat. Family history is incomplete, but had she sailed on the Titanic, my wife would never have been born.

[Rich Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up on a lark just because the author and I share the same name. It turned out to be a very interesting book. More about the iceberg than the Titanic, something most people probably don't give a second thought.

[Terence Blowfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another book that I have read relating to the fate of the Titanic this time written from the perspective of the iceberg, where it came from and its journey.

[Marianne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought it would be about the Titanic but that was my bad, I didn't read the synopsis properly. I found this fictionalized telling of the iceberg rather dull and tedious. Some of the historical facts were interesting, but by and large I couldn't get into the story of an iceberg. I mean... it's a large piece of ice.