Titanic: The Original Book About The Catastrophe Published Only 37 Days After Its Sinking.

Mr. Filson Young is, by all evidence, an accomplished author and he has produced in this book a gripping account of the fatal voyage of the Titanic. How extraordinary that the book came out in May 1912, barely one month after the Titanic's sinking. Considering this was in the pre-computer age, what a prodigious feat this must have been! One supposes it was likely updated shortly thereafter in subsequent printings, and then the War and the 1915 sinking of the Lusitania - also, for a time, the world's biggest ship - would have drawn the public's attention to other horizons.On the basis of testimony of several survivors - for instance, by citing the telegraph operator (culled, presumably, from newspaper reports) - he gives the reader a perceptive inkling of what the final hours and even the final moments of the ill-fated ship might very well have been. In doing so he puts to rest, incidentally, the persistent yarn about the alleged arrogance of the Titanic's telegraph signals on that ill-fated night, which had reportedly admonished other ships not to bother them with their chatter. This was manifestly not the case. Until her very last moments, the ship was signalling SOS to all who would hear.One finds at the end of the book an interesting table listing souls lost by category of accommodation. Thus we see that 37% of the passengers in first class lost their lives; 58% of the passengers in second class, 75% of the passengers in third class, and 77% of the crew. It is a pity that the author does not suggest possible explanations for the wide spread in those statistics. He does affirm, however, that there had been no discrimination for allowing access to what lifeboats there were, other than the "women and children first" proviso. Hm.Undisputably brave as the ship's captain had been, the hubris underlying his acceptance of the command knowing full well the ship's deficiency in lifeboats (and then skipping the standard on-board lifeboat drill once she was under way!) remains inexplicable, analogous to a modern airline pilot's proceeding without first having completed a pre-flight check and certifying nevertheless that all was well. With consummate delicacy, however, the author forsakes judgemental comment on this issue. Presumably, subsequent Commissions of Inquiry would have dealt with the matter.The entire story is of enduring interest and I highly recommend this very readable account.

It was written in 1912, so it is very interesting. It is very factual and let's the reader see sinking from various viewpoints.It also gives numbers saved vs. lost. It was interesting and short, more facts than anything and quick to digest. If you are interested in anything Titanic, this is good to read.

I highly recommend this book because it made me feel as if I were onboard the Titanic, being lead here and there by a tour guide. It talks directly to you, the reader, taking you to the dining saloons, libaries, lounges, staterooms, smoking rooms, bathrooms, etc. For example, on the first day of the voyage, right after the Titanic set sail after a gala "bon voyage", the book lets you get settled down to shipboard life, as you would naturally, and explore what will be in store for you during the next seven days. Since the Titanic sailed around mid-day on the first day of its voyage, the book leads you down to the 1st class dining saloon to let you decide what you would like to eat for your first meal on Titanic, and goes on to tell you what is on the menu. It then takes you to the 2nd and 3rd class dining areas too, to give you an idea of what you would have eaten for your first meal, if you were to have been traveling in those classes. I felt this was unlike other non-fiction titanic books, which tell the story but don't include you in it.This is the first book, among those which I have read about the Titanic, that actually gave me a nauseating sense of the horror of what it must have been like hearing the cries of victims who were conscious of the fact that they were helplessly being frozen to death in the icy water.It was interesting to read the author's ideas about what types of conversations might have taken place onboard. For example, he tells of the sequence of events and possible conversations on the bridge right after the ship hit the iceburg. It provides very good descriptions; and gives interesting bits of information, some of which were new to me.A few things to note:1. The fist pages, describing Belfast Harbor and the building of the Titanic, were extremely boring.I was ready to give up, but skipped to where the Titanic's voyage starts, and that is where the "journey began", so to speak, in this book. From there, I was enthralled until it ended.2. The book isn't very long, so you can finish it in a day or two.3. The words and writing style are rather outdated, written about 100 years ago. In spite of this, it is still an easy, enjoyable, and highly recommended read.

5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️- Excellent - Highly Recommended4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - A good, solid read3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ - An okay read2 ⭐️⭐️ - Meh1 ⭐️ - Not my cup of tea

This was a very comprehensive historical document covering the entire life of the ill-fated "unsinkable" Titanic. But it was more than that. This book was written very shortly after the actual incident in 1912; meaning we could see the reaction from the people who were around at that time. Young had the advantage of being able to interview actual survivors as well as others associated with the ship's construction, rescue, etc. Yes, there have been a number of movies made about the Titanic as well as other books. But I really felt I could trust this book to be accurate because of the time it was written and the perspective of the author.He had a unique insight from which other books and movies copied their descriptions of the tragic events. I wish the author had described in detail how he gathered his material. That alone may have been interesting beyond the actual sinking. I recommend this very well-written, comprehensive book to anyone interested in the ill-fated event.

Se vuoi praticare l inglese, conoscendo la storia del film, la lettura di questo e book risuta facile.👍🔝😃

Dieses Buch ist auf Englisch verfasst ist wenige Jahre nach der Tragödie veröffentlicht worden.Es ist nicht kompliziert geschrieben leicht nachvollziehbar und inhaltlich erwartungsgemäß schockierend.Es handelt sich hierbei nicht um eine Liebesgeschichte sondern um eine Berichterstattung über die Tragödie.Published not long after the tragedy, the book is easy to read, while the contents of the book is quite shocking as expected.It is not love story but it is report of the tragedy.

good

A short but detailed & accomplished coverage of a boat that remains afloat in the mind 100 years on precisely because of it's tragic demise, that few can compete with in terms of "souls lost"Some folk write of their surprise at the speed in which this book (very extensive coverage) was published, however the Titanic was a "triumph of the empires engineering prowess" & therefore was very much an ongoing fixation in the minds eye of the public as she was being put together (after all, salesmen did want to flog tickets to get the money & the reputation rolling along) ..so it should come as no surprise that the book already such a flying head-start where detail & knowledge of the ship was concerned, whilst in the dockyard titanic was "everywhere".That is not to take away from the work of the author Filson Young, I haven't read many historical tomes on subject matter such as this, (my area is first hand war experiences such as the "forgotten voices" series & subsequent battle books which piqued my interest via the 1st hand accounts).Some may struggle, it's pretty in depth, written in the style & language of the time, but as "news of the day" so close to the period it is far more interesting than subsequent book picks on Titanic since.Definitely one for the mature reader with a sight understanding of engineering technique.As mentioned by others, the "table" of passenger class lives lost vs lives "saved" ..& I use that in quotation marks for good reason, for class had a lot more sway at that time & therefore potential placement in a lifeboat, ..the reality that the cold & poor attire of the time & location (conditions) would have played a great part in loss down the line of survivors who were struggling health-wise thereafter compared to techniques employed today so even a place in a "lifeboat" wasn't a life-saver necessarily, figures in the book are primarily those lost on the night.It is a great book to nudge towards anyone who likes the Cameron directed romantic tragedy, to get beyond "rose & wottsisname" & into the brief working "life" of the ship, crew & human cargo, reading books like this do leave you with a little more humanity in your outlook ( in my humble opinion) you cannot fail to be touched by the experience.Worth a read, & it was free, ..always encouraging! ;)

Ok....worth a read for SURE.