No individual historian can possibly be an expert on every aspect of his chosen topic, and - as a result - historical errors have a way of creeping into written histories covering most historical subjects. This has been especially true in the case of the Titanic disaster - a subject that has seen a century's worth of historical errors, misconceptions and outright deceptions gradually become an accepted part of the historical record. Indeed, such errors first began making their appearance during the official Titanic inquiries in 1912, when the vast body of testimony - and a lack of sufficient time to digest or analyze that testimony - resulted in a number of erroneous conclusions being made.
The present book is a radical departure from that early tradition, since it has been written by a coalition of experts who have spent many years digesting the original inquiry testimony as well as evaluating a bounty of additional evidence that has come to light in the hundred years since 1912. Each of the book's co-authors is a recognized specialist in their chosen area of study, and each chapter has been exhaustively researched, analyzed and referenced utilizing the very best evidence that is currently available. The book describes and quantifies the sinking of Titanic as it actually happened, and it authoritatively disproves a number of long-standing myths about the disaster that have taken root over the past ten decades; surprisingly, though, the book also demonstrates that a number of so-called “legends� about the Titanic disaster are actually based in solid historical fact.
In this book the reader will finally learn:
1. The name of every single passenger and crewman (including those who used aliases) who sailed on Titanic's maiden voyage. 2. Whether or not Titanic was poorly designed or constructed using inferior materials. 3. Whether or not there was sufficient time for Titanic to avoid the iceberg, and whether or not her rudder was too small for her size. 4. Whether or not an unknown vessel truly lay between the gradually-sinking Titanic and the nearby, stationary Leyland liner Californian. 5. Whether or not Titanic’s steerage passengers were detained behind locked gates below decks. 6. Whether or not Titanic was attempting to set any kind of speed record during her maiden crossing to New York.
In addition, the book contains one of the most comprehensive and fully referenced chronologies ever assembled.
Many Titanic buffs might think they already know the correct answers to all of the above questions, but they might very well come away with a different point of view after they’ve had a chance to digest the contents of this remarkable book.
To find out more about book's content and co-authors, go to our CENTENNIAL REAPPRAISAL site.
REPORT INTO THE LOSS OF THE SS TITANIC A CENTENNIAL REAPPRAISAL