Status
Available
Call number
Call number
910 lor
Collection
Publication
Harpercollins Publisher (1991)
Description
History. Nonfiction. HTML:#1 New York Times Bestseller: The definitive book on the sinking of the Titanic, based on interviews with survivors, by the author of The Miracle of Dunkirk. At first, no one but the lookout recognized the sound. Passengers described it as the impact of a heavy wave, a scraping noise, or the tearing of a long calico strip. In fact, it was the sound of the world's most famous ocean liner striking an iceberg, and it served as the death knell for 1,500 souls. In the next two hours and forty minutes, the maiden voyage of the Titanic became one of history's worst maritime accidents. As the ship's deck slipped closer to the icy waterline, women pleaded with their husbands to join them on lifeboats. Men changed into their evening clothes to meet death with dignity. And in steerage, hundreds fought bitterly against certain death. At 2:15 a.m. the ship's band played "Autumn." Five minutes later, the Titanic was gone. Based on interviews with sixty-three survivors, Lord's moment-by-moment account is among the finest books written about one of the twentieth century's bleakest nights.… (more)
Original publication date
1955-12
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User reviews
LibraryThing member Meredy
Six-word review: Chilling chronicle of unimaginable maritime catastrophe.
Extended review:
In our time, a number of landmark events have been cited as turning points, the end of innocence, the time when doubt and cynicism took the place of optimism and faith. The bombing of Hiroshima. The
Before that, there was the Titanic.
Says Walter Lord in this work of nonfiction: "Overriding everything else, the Titanic also marked the end of a general feeling of confidence. Until then men felt they had found the answer to a steady, orderly, civilized life.... The Titanic woke them up. Never again would they be quite so sure of themselves. In technology especially, the disaster was a terrible blow. Here was the "unsinkable ship"--perhaps man's greatest engineering achievement--going down the first time it sailed.... If it was a lesson, it worked--people have never been sure of anything since. The unending sequence of disillusionment that has followed can't be blamed on the Titanic, but she was the first jar. Before the Titanic, all was quiet. Afterward all was tumult. That is why, to anybody who lived at the time, the Titanic more than any other single event marks the end of the old days, and the beginning of a new, uneasy era." (chapter 7)
The next big event would be the start of World War I.
Born five years after the sinking of the Titanic in 1912, Lord was writing in 1955. After two world wars. Before Sputnik, before Apollo, before home computers and cellphones. Before Vietnam, before JFK. Before Unabomber and TSA and amber alerts. When CD stood for Civil Defense, not certificate of deposit and not compact disc, and we practiced "duck and cover" under our desks at school. However it may look now, that was no age of innocence. At the time of publication, only 43 years had passed since that April night, and the sinking of the greatest of all ships was still a living memory. And Lord, looking back over the interval and reflecting the spirit of the time, sees the loss of the Titanic as the boundary marker. That, it seems to me, is one of the three main messages of this book.
The other two are directly related to the disaster itself and not its aftermath. One is the number of things that had to go wrong in order for the vessel and 1500 lives to be lost. And every one of them--messages not delivered, warnings not taken, lifeboats not filled--everything did.
And the other is the overweening hubris of the designers, builders, and owners themselves, those who thought they could create something indestructible. Nothing is indestructible.
Lord's documentary chronicles the events immediately leading up to the Titanic's collision with the iceberg and everything that occurred thereafter, through the arrival of the few hundred survivors in New York. Key moments in the sequence are laid out in a timeline, minute by minute. Public and private accounts of the catastrophe are catalogued.
The main thread of the narrative is actually many interwoven threads. Lord follows the stories of various passengers, crew members, and distinguished personages, including the captain, the naval architect who oversaw the plans for the ocean liner, and the managing director of the Titanic's parent company, the White Star Line. Some are barely sketches, and some are detailed vignettes with extensive chronologies. Source material included written records and numerous eyewitness accounts, among which there was much conflicting information. The author went to considerable lengths to try to separate fiction, false memory, and folklore from fact, acknowledging that with no way to verify stories there could never be more than partial success.
Lord's journalistic style keeps the account from veering over into sensationalism, but it's impossible to tell a story as dramatic as this one without some feeling. As Lord depicts the overconfidence, ill-preparedness, disbelief, denial, and fatal inaction that contributed to the tragedy, he expresses a sorrow that seems both universal and personal. There is also admiration, awe, and perhaps even pride as he recounts the noble acts, the honorable behavior, and the self-sacrificing strength of character to which so many of the survivors owed their lives.
I prefer my history straight and not served up as infotainment, so I appreciate the amount of objectivity that Lord brings to the task, as well as the conscientious research. At the same time, the very things that make this a faithful history also take off a few points for readability: the quantities of corroborating detail, the occasional choppiness, the inevitable loose ends and unfinished stories. The book is worth a reader's attention, however, not just because, a century after the fact, that night to remember ought not to be overshadowed and forgotten but also because the lessons of the Titanic and its disastrous fate are just as applicable today. Innocence may have been lost a long time ago, but we have not learned to avoid the trap of overconfidence or truly come to terms with our collective vulnerability.
I dread to think what it would take.
An interesting footnote comes from Wikipedia: "In 1997, Lord served as a consultant to director James Cameron during the filming of the movie Titanic."
(Kindle edition)
Extended review:
In our time, a number of landmark events have been cited as turning points, the end of innocence, the time when doubt and cynicism took the place of optimism and faith. The bombing of Hiroshima. The
Show More
assassination of President Kennedy. The attacks of 9/11.Before that, there was the Titanic.
Says Walter Lord in this work of nonfiction: "Overriding everything else, the Titanic also marked the end of a general feeling of confidence. Until then men felt they had found the answer to a steady, orderly, civilized life.... The Titanic woke them up. Never again would they be quite so sure of themselves. In technology especially, the disaster was a terrible blow. Here was the "unsinkable ship"--perhaps man's greatest engineering achievement--going down the first time it sailed.... If it was a lesson, it worked--people have never been sure of anything since. The unending sequence of disillusionment that has followed can't be blamed on the Titanic, but she was the first jar. Before the Titanic, all was quiet. Afterward all was tumult. That is why, to anybody who lived at the time, the Titanic more than any other single event marks the end of the old days, and the beginning of a new, uneasy era." (chapter 7)
The next big event would be the start of World War I.
Born five years after the sinking of the Titanic in 1912, Lord was writing in 1955. After two world wars. Before Sputnik, before Apollo, before home computers and cellphones. Before Vietnam, before JFK. Before Unabomber and TSA and amber alerts. When CD stood for Civil Defense, not certificate of deposit and not compact disc, and we practiced "duck and cover" under our desks at school. However it may look now, that was no age of innocence. At the time of publication, only 43 years had passed since that April night, and the sinking of the greatest of all ships was still a living memory. And Lord, looking back over the interval and reflecting the spirit of the time, sees the loss of the Titanic as the boundary marker. That, it seems to me, is one of the three main messages of this book.
The other two are directly related to the disaster itself and not its aftermath. One is the number of things that had to go wrong in order for the vessel and 1500 lives to be lost. And every one of them--messages not delivered, warnings not taken, lifeboats not filled--everything did.
And the other is the overweening hubris of the designers, builders, and owners themselves, those who thought they could create something indestructible. Nothing is indestructible.
Lord's documentary chronicles the events immediately leading up to the Titanic's collision with the iceberg and everything that occurred thereafter, through the arrival of the few hundred survivors in New York. Key moments in the sequence are laid out in a timeline, minute by minute. Public and private accounts of the catastrophe are catalogued.
The main thread of the narrative is actually many interwoven threads. Lord follows the stories of various passengers, crew members, and distinguished personages, including the captain, the naval architect who oversaw the plans for the ocean liner, and the managing director of the Titanic's parent company, the White Star Line. Some are barely sketches, and some are detailed vignettes with extensive chronologies. Source material included written records and numerous eyewitness accounts, among which there was much conflicting information. The author went to considerable lengths to try to separate fiction, false memory, and folklore from fact, acknowledging that with no way to verify stories there could never be more than partial success.
Lord's journalistic style keeps the account from veering over into sensationalism, but it's impossible to tell a story as dramatic as this one without some feeling. As Lord depicts the overconfidence, ill-preparedness, disbelief, denial, and fatal inaction that contributed to the tragedy, he expresses a sorrow that seems both universal and personal. There is also admiration, awe, and perhaps even pride as he recounts the noble acts, the honorable behavior, and the self-sacrificing strength of character to which so many of the survivors owed their lives.
I prefer my history straight and not served up as infotainment, so I appreciate the amount of objectivity that Lord brings to the task, as well as the conscientious research. At the same time, the very things that make this a faithful history also take off a few points for readability: the quantities of corroborating detail, the occasional choppiness, the inevitable loose ends and unfinished stories. The book is worth a reader's attention, however, not just because, a century after the fact, that night to remember ought not to be overshadowed and forgotten but also because the lessons of the Titanic and its disastrous fate are just as applicable today. Innocence may have been lost a long time ago, but we have not learned to avoid the trap of overconfidence or truly come to terms with our collective vulnerability.
I dread to think what it would take.
An interesting footnote comes from Wikipedia: "In 1997, Lord served as a consultant to director James Cameron during the filming of the movie Titanic."
(Kindle edition)
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LibraryThing member mstrust
It doesn't get more thorough than this- Lord interviewed just about any Titanic survivor still alive in the early 50's, which was quite a few. This is a minute-by-minute account of what happened aboard the Titanic before, during and after its sinking. I don't think you'd find another book that
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places the reader there as much as this one. Show Less
LibraryThing member minnesotadebbie
This book was fascinating - I loved all the little details, from what people wore to the squabbles on the life boats. Lord makes clear that the great loss of life was especially horrific because it didn't need to happen. Not only were there not enough life boats, but a ship was only ten miles away,
Note to self: No more books or movies about the Titanic. The ending will always be the same!
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and did not have anyone at the radio to hear the distress calls from the Titanic. Note to self: No more books or movies about the Titanic. The ending will always be the same!
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LibraryThing member fuzzi
This is a superb account of the last hours of the Titanic. The author doesn't overwhelm the reader with facts, but succinctly tells of this tragedy through the eyes of the survivors. I found myself turning the pages eagerly, wanting to see how it ended, and who would survive. The stories of courage
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and self-sacrifice touched me. Excellent read, sobering. Show Less
LibraryThing member MerryMary
Very nearly a primary source. Lord wrote this at a time when many of the survivors were still surviving! It is as complete a picture of events happening everywhere from the bridge to steerage as is probably possible. I found the passenger list at the end of the book especially helpful. The
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difference in the font tells the tale of survival or death. I looked up every name as it came up in the narrative to see what that person's ultimate fate would be. Show Less
LibraryThing member Marlene-NL
on Sunday, December 23, 2007 I wrote:
Wow. I was again on the verge of tears. This is such a sad story.Very well written. After I read it I immediately wanted to watch The Titanic. I thought I had the movie, but guess I was wrong. ;)Now I know what to buy next.
Wow. I was again on the verge of tears. This is such a sad story.Very well written. After I read it I immediately wanted to watch The Titanic. I thought I had the movie, but guess I was wrong. ;)Now I know what to buy next.
LibraryThing member catieb511
A FANTASTIC read. Walter Lord captures the tale of the ill-fated ocean liner the Titanic in this gripping tale. Once you pick up this book you'll never want to put it down.
LibraryThing member maryanntherese
The classic chronology of the event leading up to the sinking of the Titanic. Reads like a novel.
LibraryThing member marylinusca
The illustrations are icing on a fine book's cake. Reads like a novel. Unputdownable.
LibraryThing member ague
True story of the sinking of the Titanic, which sank in 1912. Makes the people come alive and shows cowardice and heroism among the passengers.
LibraryThing member oohnataliee
This book is about the night the ship the Titanic sank. The book refers to specific accounts given by certain people on the ship, ranging from the poorest of the poor and richest of the rich. I honestly did not care for the book, partially because I was forced to read the book so I didn't enjoy it
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as much as I'd like to. But I did find many of the accounts very interesting and shocking. Show Less
LibraryThing member SigmundFraud
It was better the first time around but it is suspenseful even though you know the outcome. Worth a detour.
LibraryThing member Scaryguy
The best book for Titanic buffs.
LibraryThing member JanaRose1
This is a fairly comprehensive book detailing the passengers on board the Titanic. It describes events from multiple points of view, including staff and steerage. I thought that the book was well and very factual. At times it did feel like the author was throwing out a lot of names. At times it was
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hard to follow and keep track of the variety of people. Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone looking to learn more about the Titanic or a history buff. Show Less
LibraryThing member DebbieLE
I picked this book up for the Kindle on 4/13/12 during the Kindle Daily Deal. I had never read a book about the Titanic before and as this had gotten great reviews and it was the 100th anniversary of the Titanic sinking I thought that it was a good time to change that.
I found this book engaging,
I would not hesitate to recommend this book to anyone interested in the story of the Titanic.
I found this book engaging,
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engrossing, gripping and simply fascinating! It was a well written and, from what I could tell, thorough account of that night. I felt connected to the passengers and crew that were on the Titanic during this horrific time. One of the things I liked best about this book is that there weren't liberties taken, drama wasn't added to make the book more exciting. This was simply the story of the Titanic's last night. I felt that Lord also did a good job of discussing the social expectations at play when the Titanic sunk and how they were changed as a result of that tragedy.I would not hesitate to recommend this book to anyone interested in the story of the Titanic.
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LibraryThing member LisaMaria_C
The introduction by Nathaniel Philbreck called this book "the definitive account" of the Titanic disaster, particularly since at the time this book was published (1955) many of the survivors were still alive, and Lord had the opportunity to interview over 60 of them--not something future books will
Most readers are likely to know many of the details and recognize the names of people involved from the popular films and many documentary programs. On an April night in 1912 the "unsinkable" ship sunk less than two hours after hitting an iceberg. There weren't enough life boats for all the 2,207 passengers and crew. Few among those who went into the below freezing waters of the North Atlantic survived to be picked up by the Carpathia that came to the rescue a couple of hours after the ship went down. There are a lot of striking individual stories of heroism and cowardice, chivalry and ignobility. Reading this reminded me of what Viktor Frankl, a psychiatrist, said of his experiences in a concentration camp. He said Freud was wrong that people under stress act the same--Frankly said that rather their individual character, for bad and good, is just magnified.
It's also quite a picture of a lost age. As Lord put it, "the Titanic was also the last stand of wealth and society in the center of public affection. In 1912 there were no movie, radio or television stars; sports figures were still beyond the pale; and cafe society was completely unknown. The public depended on socially prominent people for all the vicarious glamour that enriches drab lives.” Never again would those in the different classes of travel be treated differently in such a situation--yet back then not even the steerage passengers were outraged over how they were, if not pushed to the side by policy, then not just a second thought, but last. Mostly yes, it was "women and children first." But you still had a better chance of surviving if you were a first class male than a third class child--and Lord explains why.
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be able to boast. The book is a work, as Philbreck put it, of "narrative non-fiction"--but not, and I appreciate that, a work of "creative non-fiction." Lord in his minute-by-minute of Titanic's last hours pieces together the story using multiple viewpoints--but he never steps over the line into relating things he couldn't have pierced together from the eye-witnesses. I also appreciate how in the last chapter he goes over the conflicting reports and discrepancies (not even how many were lost can be nailed down, although Lord things 1,502 dead is the most accurate number.)Most readers are likely to know many of the details and recognize the names of people involved from the popular films and many documentary programs. On an April night in 1912 the "unsinkable" ship sunk less than two hours after hitting an iceberg. There weren't enough life boats for all the 2,207 passengers and crew. Few among those who went into the below freezing waters of the North Atlantic survived to be picked up by the Carpathia that came to the rescue a couple of hours after the ship went down. There are a lot of striking individual stories of heroism and cowardice, chivalry and ignobility. Reading this reminded me of what Viktor Frankl, a psychiatrist, said of his experiences in a concentration camp. He said Freud was wrong that people under stress act the same--Frankly said that rather their individual character, for bad and good, is just magnified.
It's also quite a picture of a lost age. As Lord put it, "the Titanic was also the last stand of wealth and society in the center of public affection. In 1912 there were no movie, radio or television stars; sports figures were still beyond the pale; and cafe society was completely unknown. The public depended on socially prominent people for all the vicarious glamour that enriches drab lives.” Never again would those in the different classes of travel be treated differently in such a situation--yet back then not even the steerage passengers were outraged over how they were, if not pushed to the side by policy, then not just a second thought, but last. Mostly yes, it was "women and children first." But you still had a better chance of surviving if you were a first class male than a third class child--and Lord explains why.
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LibraryThing member Zumbanista
I thoroughly enjoyed this factual, succinct narrative of the sinking of the Titanic. You get a real sense of how the tragedy happened, the main players in the drama and the role each played during that fateful night. Meticulous research including interviewing the survivors by this author, who still
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manages to write a book that is easy to read as well as riveting. Well recommended to anyone interested in this maritime disaster. Show Less
LibraryThing member aliceludlow
As a child, I grew up watching the Titanic movie with the intense love drama of Jack and Rose as the great Titanic faces its greatest nightmare. At that time, that is the story I fell in love with.
However, after reading "A Night to Remember" by Walter Lord, I have found the Titanic tale I have been
I recommend this book to anybody interested in the historical documentation of the disaster, and whom want to further investigate the Titanic.
However, after reading "A Night to Remember" by Walter Lord, I have found the Titanic tale I have been
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searching for. Lord presents a great, nervebreaking description of the night Titanic sank based on the stories of survivors and it is all kept as a historical documentation, above anything else. The eery silence as the seconds tick by the reader is introduced to a shipfull of characters, where they belong, and where they were heading. Instead of the great Jack and Rose, there's Lookout Fleet, Third Officer Charles Victor Groves, Capt. Smith, Mrs. Harris with the broken arm - The list goes on.I recommend this book to anybody interested in the historical documentation of the disaster, and whom want to further investigate the Titanic.
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LibraryThing member Karlstar
A concise but interesting story of the sinking of the Titanic. Written in 1955, it contains a lot of conjecture, but is a accurate description of what actually happened. This is a history, not a novelization.
LibraryThing member RBeffa
This is perhaps the definitive account of the sinking of the Titanic. It was published in 1955 after a number of years in progress by the author as he interviewed and corresponded with as many survivors and families that he could. Rather than a historical fiction re-creation, this book is based on
I liked this book. It is well written for the style, but does include minor details about various things to give one a sense of the times and the event. (I didn't really need to know all the variations of how people dressed for the disaster, yet these are things that the survivors apparently remembered in detail. More interesting were the things left behind.)You learn what happened and how the survivors were rescued. The rescue part including what could have happened and why it didn't is very interesting. One can easily see there should have been more survivors.
It still seems unbelievable that this accident happened. I guess that is why people get obsessed with this.
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actual words spoken, testimony at hearings, letters and other documentation. Nothing is made up here. The 50th Ann edition has a nice introduction by author Nathan Philbrick which is informative to the casual Titanic fan. Walter Lord's own foreword, the deck drawings and all the data included at the end such as passenger lists for each class, are all interesting. I do wish there had been a few more drawings so one can better visualize the decks and room arrangements, but nowadays those things can be found rather easily on the internet.I liked this book. It is well written for the style, but does include minor details about various things to give one a sense of the times and the event. (I didn't really need to know all the variations of how people dressed for the disaster, yet these are things that the survivors apparently remembered in detail. More interesting were the things left behind.)You learn what happened and how the survivors were rescued. The rescue part including what could have happened and why it didn't is very interesting. One can easily see there should have been more survivors.
It still seems unbelievable that this accident happened. I guess that is why people get obsessed with this.
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LibraryThing member SylviaC
An account of the sinking of the Titanic, based mainly on the recollections of the survivors. I really liked it that Lord didn't try to fictionalize or embellish the story. He did a good job of tying together the memories of survivors and families with newspaper and magazine articles, other books,
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and official documents. It focuses fairly tightly on the night of the disaster and the rescue, with only a few references to official inquiries and the later lives of some survivors. Even though I've always been aware of the facts, this account really made me aware of the appalling lack of preparedness. There were only enough lifeboats for about half the number of people on board, and even those were grossly underfilled when they were launched. The book provided me with plenty of tidbits of information to inflict upon my family. Show Less
LibraryThing member cookierooks
Just went to see H&W shipyard in Belfast for the Titanic Experience. "You were there" reading.
LibraryThing member BookConcierge
Book on CD read by Walter Jarvis
On April 15, 1912, the greatest ship to ever sail struck an iceberg and sank in the North Atlantic. This is a chronological tale of what the people aboard the Titanic recall of that night’s events.
This is a re-read. I first read it before I joined either Shelfari
It’s a gripping story, and Lord does a great job of bringing all these people to life. I get a real sense of the confusion and disbelief when the ship first strikes the iceberg. And later, of the chaos and panic when it is clear she will go down, and there are not enough lifeboats for everyone aboard to safely get away.
Lord used transcripts of testimony given by many people during the inquiry following the disaster, as well as personal interviews with survivors and relatives of those lost at sea, as well as people who were aboard the Carpathia which picked up all the lifeboats and returned with them to New York. The text edition I had included some photographs, as well as a full list of the passengers.
Walter Jarvis does an okay job of reading the audio version, but I really disliked his voice. Still, he did convey a sense of urgency as he related the events of that horrible night.
On April 15, 1912, the greatest ship to ever sail struck an iceberg and sank in the North Atlantic. This is a chronological tale of what the people aboard the Titanic recall of that night’s events.
This is a re-read. I first read it before I joined either Shelfari
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or Goodreads, so I have no record of when I read it. I believe it was in the 1980s; I know it was long before the hugely successful movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. If memory serves, I re-read it at about the time the movie was released. So this is my third reading.It’s a gripping story, and Lord does a great job of bringing all these people to life. I get a real sense of the confusion and disbelief when the ship first strikes the iceberg. And later, of the chaos and panic when it is clear she will go down, and there are not enough lifeboats for everyone aboard to safely get away.
Lord used transcripts of testimony given by many people during the inquiry following the disaster, as well as personal interviews with survivors and relatives of those lost at sea, as well as people who were aboard the Carpathia which picked up all the lifeboats and returned with them to New York. The text edition I had included some photographs, as well as a full list of the passengers.
Walter Jarvis does an okay job of reading the audio version, but I really disliked his voice. Still, he did convey a sense of urgency as he related the events of that horrible night.
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LibraryThing member FormerEnglishTeacher
There are lots of Titanic books out there. This is one of the best.
LibraryThing member Gittel
The full story, as it was known then. Not sugar coated or layered in a fake romantic plot. The full terrifying story of the horrible night the Titanic (spoiler alert!) sank.
The class distinctions and the morals of the people involved are on full display and Lord also really makes a good case that
The class distinctions and the morals of the people involved are on full display and Lord also really makes a good case that
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the sinking of the Titanic was not just an event, but a turning point in history that marked a major change in the way people viewed technology and was a milestone in the industrial revolution. Show Less