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Voices from the Titanic: The Epic Story of the Tragedy from the People Who Were There
This is the graphic, first-hand story of the maiden voyage and disastrous sinking of the RMS Titanic, told by the survivors themselves. The story of the sinking of the great liner has been told countless times since that fateful night on April 14, 1912, by historians, novelists, and film producers alike, but no account is as graphic or revealing as those from the people who were actually there. Through survivors’ tales and contemporary newspaper reports from both sides of the Atlantic, here are eyewitness accounts full of details that range from poignant to humorous, stage by stage from the liner’s glorious launch in Belfast to the somber sea burial services of those who perished on her first and only voyage. In this book, the voices of the survivors share their own stories, as well as the official records, press reports, and investigations into what went wrong that night.
689 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
February 25, 2016
There are many worthy books about the Titanic. This is one of them. Maybe more worthy than most because it involves many, many first hand accounts not only of the passengers but the passengers of the Carpathia, the ship that rescued the survivors of Titanic.
The truth is that to have a full sense of the Titanic disaster just one book isn't going to do it. In addition to this book you need to have at least one more, one with old photos, new photos of the wreck site as well as photos of some of the recovered items. No, I can't recommend one, there are at least a few out there and finding the right one for you is worth your while.
The book starts around the time of the launch of the Titanic giving details about it. A large chunk of the book gives accounts by passengers of the Titanic from the time of the boat being struck until being rescued and odds and ends.
It quickly becomes clear that most involved with the Titanic from the passengers to the crew and those of the White Star Line that owned Titanic were overconfident feeling that the Titanic could not be sunk. Many didn't take the danger seriously or did when it was too late to leave the boat because all the lifeboats had been deployed.
Also clear was that it was chaos, very disorganized. And that the tragedy displayed the best and worst of people.
So many of the dctails are just hard to read and harder to fathom.
The accounts from the passengers of the Carpathia were nothing I'd heard before and were interesting. Accounts from the Titanic sing the praises of the crew and passengers and the help they gave.
I liked that the book did not end there. It carries on to detail to some degree the aftermath of the sinking. Strangely, some early reports said the Titanic was damaged and was being towed to port. No idea where that would have come from or how. And there was chaos about the fact that the Titanic had sunk; misinformation, no information, the right hand doesn't know what the left is doing.
I think this book is a must read for those interested in maritime history, the Titanic, history, etc. In fact, this may be a book to add to your personal library.
On a side note, I continued to be surprised by how many details the Titanic movie, the Jim Cameron one, got right. I still love that movie and the least interesting thing about it is Rose and Jack.
The truth is that to have a full sense of the Titanic disaster just one book isn't going to do it. In addition to this book you need to have at least one more, one with old photos, new photos of the wreck site as well as photos of some of the recovered items. No, I can't recommend one, there are at least a few out there and finding the right one for you is worth your while.
The book starts around the time of the launch of the Titanic giving details about it. A large chunk of the book gives accounts by passengers of the Titanic from the time of the boat being struck until being rescued and odds and ends.
It quickly becomes clear that most involved with the Titanic from the passengers to the crew and those of the White Star Line that owned Titanic were overconfident feeling that the Titanic could not be sunk. Many didn't take the danger seriously or did when it was too late to leave the boat because all the lifeboats had been deployed.
Also clear was that it was chaos, very disorganized. And that the tragedy displayed the best and worst of people.
So many of the dctails are just hard to read and harder to fathom.
The accounts from the passengers of the Carpathia were nothing I'd heard before and were interesting. Accounts from the Titanic sing the praises of the crew and passengers and the help they gave.
I liked that the book did not end there. It carries on to detail to some degree the aftermath of the sinking. Strangely, some early reports said the Titanic was damaged and was being towed to port. No idea where that would have come from or how. And there was chaos about the fact that the Titanic had sunk; misinformation, no information, the right hand doesn't know what the left is doing.
I think this book is a must read for those interested in maritime history, the Titanic, history, etc. In fact, this may be a book to add to your personal library.
On a side note, I continued to be surprised by how many details the Titanic movie, the Jim Cameron one, got right. I still love that movie and the least interesting thing about it is Rose and Jack.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 5, 2020
Loved this book! I've been reading about the Titanic since I was 13 and this still taught me things I hadn't learned before.
January 20, 2024
Interesting and informative in parts but somewhat repetitive.
October 31, 2012
A heartfelt story about the Titanic with much of the narrative being first hand accounts of the survivors.
Although I found this book completely heartbreaking, I found at times reading very similar accounts over and over again took away some of the meaning as (awful as this sounds) I began to get a bit bored of it. However, as the book contained so many first hand accounts I could really get a sense of how emotional and scary it was. I found it extremely sad how so many lives could have been saved by filling up lifeboats and if the Californian had come to the rescue. I got a real sense of how hard it was for the passengers who were sat in lifeboats to listen to the cries of the dying knowing that if they went to the rescue they may have been killed themselves. The chapter about bringing the dead home was very emotional and at times I had to gulp down the tears.
Even though this tragedy happened over a hundred years ago I still can't help but feel completely saddened by the whole thing.
Although I found this book completely heartbreaking, I found at times reading very similar accounts over and over again took away some of the meaning as (awful as this sounds) I began to get a bit bored of it. However, as the book contained so many first hand accounts I could really get a sense of how emotional and scary it was. I found it extremely sad how so many lives could have been saved by filling up lifeboats and if the Californian had come to the rescue. I got a real sense of how hard it was for the passengers who were sat in lifeboats to listen to the cries of the dying knowing that if they went to the rescue they may have been killed themselves. The chapter about bringing the dead home was very emotional and at times I had to gulp down the tears.
Even though this tragedy happened over a hundred years ago I still can't help but feel completely saddened by the whole thing.
May 11, 2015
There could be no second opinion about the significance of eye-witness accounts, be it the biggest maritime disaster in human history or be it anything else.
Being a Titanic-buff, I can tell you that most books, written on the topic, don't exactly quote or narrate authentic stories. As with historic events, much of it are romanticized. However, this was pretty different from the others in that one will find eye-witness accounts and such from authentic sources.
Having said that, there's another big problem that comes with eye-witness accounts. As expected, sometimes the witnesses exaggerate the original event.
All things considered, I like the way the book is structured. It tries to, as much as it possibly can, tell you the story truthfully. The newspapers don't control how the stories are told, but they do control how they're running it in their publication. So in that sense, the author tries his best to give all sorts of references a reader may want to know.
Hence, go ahead and read it if you have a taste for wanting to know an event from those who experienced it first hand.
Being a Titanic-buff, I can tell you that most books, written on the topic, don't exactly quote or narrate authentic stories. As with historic events, much of it are romanticized. However, this was pretty different from the others in that one will find eye-witness accounts and such from authentic sources.
Having said that, there's another big problem that comes with eye-witness accounts. As expected, sometimes the witnesses exaggerate the original event.
All things considered, I like the way the book is structured. It tries to, as much as it possibly can, tell you the story truthfully. The newspapers don't control how the stories are told, but they do control how they're running it in their publication. So in that sense, the author tries his best to give all sorts of references a reader may want to know.
Hence, go ahead and read it if you have a taste for wanting to know an event from those who experienced it first hand.
January 27, 2025
An excellent and thorough collection of eyewitness accounts of the Titanic during its short life, this book also contains newspaper articles following the disaster and excerpts of the investigations into the sinking.
This book is quite heavy going and can seem repetitive especially in regards to accounts of the sinking itself but it is worth a read purely for the different POV.
This book is quite heavy going and can seem repetitive especially in regards to accounts of the sinking itself but it is worth a read purely for the different POV.
October 12, 2017
First hand accounts of a tragedy that still generates as much interest as it did on April 15, 1912.
April 19, 2012
This was very interesting to read, the papers and affidavits from the inquiry made it all seem so very real. I cannot imagine what it must have been like to have to leave your loved ones behind, yet to have had the belief that they too would survive, when this was highly unlikely. The sheer scale of constraint shown by the individuals involved was incredible, as was the staunch belief that the ship was invincible and that it could and would never sink. It would be fair to say that I doubt very much that such restraint and control would be the case today, it would most definitely be each person for themselves.
January 6, 2013
A very in depth book about the Titanic, the sinking and the subsequent inquiries. Many of the accounts are very moving especially as they come from the survivors themselves. My only problem with the book is that it seems to have been put together without any thought to the structure which makes it feel like it's a chore to get to the end. I think it's one for dipping into every now and again as apposed to reading it all the way through. I don't think this is the definitive book on the Titanic. I would recommend that you read Walter Lord's "A Night To Remember."
April 16, 2013
A Wonderful and Important book containing personal anthologies of the disaster from a number of fascinating perspectives. Although I agree with some of the other reviewers that the repetitiveness of some of the accounts led me to skip pages at times. Nonetheless each individual account deserves to be recorded, and here it is done.
After reading this book I watched 'A Night to Remember' and was pleased to see that many of the first-hand accounts of events were honoured in the film. I recommend both the film and the book.
After reading this book I watched 'A Night to Remember' and was pleased to see that many of the first-hand accounts of events were honoured in the film. I recommend both the film and the book.
October 17, 2022
A very well researched and set out full history of the Titanic.
September 23, 2014
A harrowing book detailing the tragedy of the Titanic. Repetitive throughout and I did find myself skipping large chunks. However, the lifeboat stories were fascinating and my heart went out to all on board the doomed ship. We all know the Titanic story thanks to countless films etc but this gave a little more insight into what actually happened that night.
November 8, 2016
Quite hard going at times but felt obliged to read all the personal statements in honour of each person. The enquiry reports were insightful. Brings a reality to a well known story and puts a human face to the stories told.
I've read another book that is a more objective view and the mix of the two books has given me a much better understanding.
I've read another book that is a more objective view and the mix of the two books has given me a much better understanding.
April 20, 2012
I cried a lot and I had to take it slow and take breaks or I think this book would have depressed me way too much but I loved it anyway. The story told in the words and accounts of people who were actually there was the best way to read the story and it was very well edited
May 17, 2012
Probably good for historians, but reading essentially the same stories over and over again with only slight variations doesn't make for entertaining reading. Seems like a book that was hastily slapped together with no thought toward narrative or structure.
Read
April 18, 2020I've been looking for something like this all my life! Real Accounts of what happened to the most tragic event in history (For me) are compiled and surprisingly turned into one big book of love, hope, sadness, drama, and of course, tragedy.
FOR TITANIC FANS, this is A MUST!
FOR TITANIC FANS, this is A MUST!
November 24, 2013
I really only liked the people's stories,that's it though. I skipped all of the front section of the story and moved to chapter three. I then skipped most of the last part. It did get boring when I wasn't reading the stories.
March 1, 2015
This was an incredibly informative read, from survivors stories to newspaper articles on all the tragic events at the time. It was very interesting reading all the heartbreaking stories of the survivors so many of who lost loved one was
August 27, 2016
I read most of the book, but it was very repetitive and more of a collection of historical accounts. It was nothing special, and the book was very disorganized. I do not recommend this book unless you really don't mind reading hundreds of first-hand accounts.
February 4, 2016
this book was an emotional read. actually reading the real eyewitness accounts before during and after the sinking of those that were there and how the press reported it all at the time really makes it feel more real. what these people went through and how brave they were is really amazing.
October 30, 2016
Fascinating read. Looks like the film depicted the events of the evening very closely which is good to know. There's a certain amount of repetition in the book where the same events are told by different people but I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in the Titanic.
May 30, 2012
Interesting first hand accounts, although after awhile it got to be the same old same old tales.
August 28, 2016
One of the world's greatest stories, has kept the world fascinated for 100 years.
This collection of accounts - meh.
This collection of accounts - meh.
August 5, 2013
This was a wonderful read.I would recommend it to anyone who is interested about reading about the Titanic as I do and loved finding out things I hadn't known.
February 25, 2017
Once I got thru the technical stuff ... Brilliant!
March 23, 2021
I rarely give five stars to many books, but for the Voices series they are and will eventually get five stars.
The Titanic story has been told by historians, novelists and film producers alike since RMS Titanic went down on 14th April 1912, but they don't get near to accounts from people who were actually there. This book tells through actual survivor's tales and contemporary newspaper reports from both sides of the Atlantic, here are eyewitness accounts from the liner's glorious launching in Belfast, its near miss in Southampton harbour, the actual sinking of the vessel, the dramatic rescue by the Carpathia and the rescue of further bodies by the Mackay-Bennett.
The book's Glossary also deals with notable passengers such as:
Colonel J J Astor; Edward Beane who was born in my home city, Norwich; Joseph Boxhall, the fourth officer; Margaret Tobin Brown, the subject of the movie The Unsinkable Molly Brown starring Debbie Reynolds; Major Archibald Butt, the military aide to two Presidents, namely Theodore Roosevelt and William Taft; Charlotte Cardeza, who sailed around the world twice and lost an extraordinary amount of luggage; Harold Cottam, the wireless operator on the Carpathia; Sir Cosmo and Lady Lucy Duff Gordon; Frederick Fleet, who sent the message Iceberg right ahead; Jacques Futrelle, whose last novel My Lady's Garter is dedicated to the 'Heroes of the Titanic' by his wife; Dorothy Gibson, the silent movie actor who co-wrote and starred in the first movie about the tragedy Saved from the Titanic, just a month after the tragedy; Colonel Archibald Grace, the historian on the American Civil War; Wallace Hartley, the leader of the Titanic's band; Joseph B Ismay, the chairman and managing director of White Star Line; Charles Lightoller, the Second Officer whose 'women and children' first was a major feature of the evacuation, his yacht Sundowner was one of the 'little ships' that rescued 131 British soldiers at Dunkirk; Daniel Marvin, the son of the founder of Biograph; Lord Mersey, the leader of the British Inquiry; John Pierpont-Morgan, the 'owner' of the Titanic who should have sailed onboard but feigned illness to be with his French mistress; Major Arthur Peuchen, a marshalling officer at the coronation of George V, oddly snatched three oranges from his cabin but left $200,000 in stocks and bonds; Arthur Rostron, the captain of the Carpathia; Edward John Smith, the Titanic's captain, also captain of the Olympic when she collided with HMS Hawke in 1911; William Alden Smith, the Senator who led the USA's inquiry; William Stead, the Spiritualist who might have foreseen his own death, in 1892 he wrote From the Old World to the New, a novel which is basically a copycat of the tragedy, in the book the rescue ship's captain is an E J Smith, which is coincidentally the same name as the Titanic's captain; lastly Marie Young, the music teacher to Theodore Roosevelt's daughter Ethel, shared a cabin with Mrs J Stuart White who remained in her cabin the entire voyage.
The Titanic story has been told by historians, novelists and film producers alike since RMS Titanic went down on 14th April 1912, but they don't get near to accounts from people who were actually there. This book tells through actual survivor's tales and contemporary newspaper reports from both sides of the Atlantic, here are eyewitness accounts from the liner's glorious launching in Belfast, its near miss in Southampton harbour, the actual sinking of the vessel, the dramatic rescue by the Carpathia and the rescue of further bodies by the Mackay-Bennett.
The book's Glossary also deals with notable passengers such as:
Colonel J J Astor; Edward Beane who was born in my home city, Norwich; Joseph Boxhall, the fourth officer; Margaret Tobin Brown, the subject of the movie The Unsinkable Molly Brown starring Debbie Reynolds; Major Archibald Butt, the military aide to two Presidents, namely Theodore Roosevelt and William Taft; Charlotte Cardeza, who sailed around the world twice and lost an extraordinary amount of luggage; Harold Cottam, the wireless operator on the Carpathia; Sir Cosmo and Lady Lucy Duff Gordon; Frederick Fleet, who sent the message Iceberg right ahead; Jacques Futrelle, whose last novel My Lady's Garter is dedicated to the 'Heroes of the Titanic' by his wife; Dorothy Gibson, the silent movie actor who co-wrote and starred in the first movie about the tragedy Saved from the Titanic, just a month after the tragedy; Colonel Archibald Grace, the historian on the American Civil War; Wallace Hartley, the leader of the Titanic's band; Joseph B Ismay, the chairman and managing director of White Star Line; Charles Lightoller, the Second Officer whose 'women and children' first was a major feature of the evacuation, his yacht Sundowner was one of the 'little ships' that rescued 131 British soldiers at Dunkirk; Daniel Marvin, the son of the founder of Biograph; Lord Mersey, the leader of the British Inquiry; John Pierpont-Morgan, the 'owner' of the Titanic who should have sailed onboard but feigned illness to be with his French mistress; Major Arthur Peuchen, a marshalling officer at the coronation of George V, oddly snatched three oranges from his cabin but left $200,000 in stocks and bonds; Arthur Rostron, the captain of the Carpathia; Edward John Smith, the Titanic's captain, also captain of the Olympic when she collided with HMS Hawke in 1911; William Alden Smith, the Senator who led the USA's inquiry; William Stead, the Spiritualist who might have foreseen his own death, in 1892 he wrote From the Old World to the New, a novel which is basically a copycat of the tragedy, in the book the rescue ship's captain is an E J Smith, which is coincidentally the same name as the Titanic's captain; lastly Marie Young, the music teacher to Theodore Roosevelt's daughter Ethel, shared a cabin with Mrs J Stuart White who remained in her cabin the entire voyage.
October 18, 2023
Epic
This book has been my longest read yet. I first began reading it in 2012 just after the centenary of the disaster, when I happened to be working at Oceanic House, the former location of the White Star Line headquarters. The history of the place with its porthole windows overlooking the spot where a newspaper boy famously displayed a headline "Titanic is sunk with great loss of life" made me want to read in more detail about the ill-fated ship. This book gives first hand accounts from those who survived, letters, telegrams and messages from some who did not, and reports from journalists and official enquiries. It is packed with accounts of this nature, most short, and some quite difficult and emotional to read, so I have been dipping in and out over the years. This is less a book written by the author and more a collation of the accounts of others, but is absolutely fascinating.
This book has been my longest read yet. I first began reading it in 2012 just after the centenary of the disaster, when I happened to be working at Oceanic House, the former location of the White Star Line headquarters. The history of the place with its porthole windows overlooking the spot where a newspaper boy famously displayed a headline "Titanic is sunk with great loss of life" made me want to read in more detail about the ill-fated ship. This book gives first hand accounts from those who survived, letters, telegrams and messages from some who did not, and reports from journalists and official enquiries. It is packed with accounts of this nature, most short, and some quite difficult and emotional to read, so I have been dipping in and out over the years. This is less a book written by the author and more a collation of the accounts of others, but is absolutely fascinating.
July 19, 2025
A thorough account of the sinking of the Titanic through eyewitness accounts and the many articles published in the wake of the tragedy. Heart breaking, revealing, and poignant.
However, I found myself skipping pages at a time as the accounts are so repetitive. Only to be expected as each survivors account should match somewhat. Could the author have just used one account from each lifeboat? - Yes but, shouldn't every voice from such a tragedy be heard? Absolutely. That's why it's repetitive, and the author can be forgiven for this.
The book is interesting and very well researched. I defy anyone to read this without getting a lump in their throat at the horror and sorrow of the night the Titanic went down.
However, I found myself skipping pages at a time as the accounts are so repetitive. Only to be expected as each survivors account should match somewhat. Could the author have just used one account from each lifeboat? - Yes but, shouldn't every voice from such a tragedy be heard? Absolutely. That's why it's repetitive, and the author can be forgiven for this.
The book is interesting and very well researched. I defy anyone to read this without getting a lump in their throat at the horror and sorrow of the night the Titanic went down.
February 22, 2019
'Voices From The Titantic' is an honest, heartfelt account of the Titantic disaster told by the people who were on board the ship on that dreadful day. One of the problems with this book however is that it is very repetitive which can make reading it and getting to the end a chore. I found myself reading over and over again almost identical stories which began to bore me rather than interest me. There is no denying that this is a tragic and moving story but I found the book could have been cut shorter and have the same intended effect.
January 31, 2022
What an emotional experience this book this. It is all based on newspaper reports and witness statements. So you are getting a real life account of what happened.
I have learnt so much from this book and I have felt so many emotions while reading it.
Like other reviews have mentioned, you read about several moments over and over again. Although from different views but usually the same details so those bits are hard to continue with.
I am glad I have read this book.
I have learnt so much from this book and I have felt so many emotions while reading it.
Like other reviews have mentioned, you read about several moments over and over again. Although from different views but usually the same details so those bits are hard to continue with.
I am glad I have read this book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews