Titanic, Triumph and Tragedy

Eight decades after the sinking of the Titanic, with the loss of more than 1,500 lives, the public's fascination with the ship, the tragedy and its mysterious aftermath remains as strong as ever. The new edition of this highly respected book offers a comprehensive chronicle of the entire saga, from the liner's design as the supposedly safest vessel afloat, through her maiden voyage carrying the social, artistic and financial elite of two continents, and her sinking in the early hours of 15 April 1912. It continues up to the discovery of the wreck in 1985, the controversy surrounding the recovering of artifacts from the vessel and an account of their conservation and preservation. John Eaton and Charles Haas, two renowned Titanic experts, have themselves dived down to the wreck. Their exclusive seabed photographs form the basis of a new and fascinating color section. Also featured in this updated and expanded edition is an additional chapter covering the 1985 discovery, the 1986 crewed exploration, the 1987 artifact recovery, the 1991 cinematic expedition, and the 1993 research and recovery expedition. Coverage of the 1992 British Ministry of Transport's reassessment of evidence dealing with the Californian, together with the most detailed passenger list yet published, further enhance the book's acclaimed comprehensiveness. The Titanic was one of the best photographed vessels of all time. Here is an astonishingly thorough pictorial record of her brief existence. Beginning with her conception, more than a thousand photographs and artists' impressions cover her construction and launching, her fitting-out and trials, preparations for her maiden passenger-carrying voyage, her departure fromSouthampton and arrival at Cherbourg, her voyage to Queenstown, and the drama of her final disaster after hitting an iceberg in the North Atlantic, and the aftermath through to the present day. There are photos of her designers and builders, her passengers and crew, and of other vessels in her vicinity when she sank, including the Carpathia and the Californian. Also featured are astonishing pictures of the wreck two and a half miles beneath the sea. There are sections on the American and British inquiries and on the world's memorials to the Titanic and her people.