April 14, 2012, marks the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. The “unsinkable subject,” the story of the giant ship that sank on its maiden voyage, has become one of our most potent modern parables and enduring metaphors. The image of the ship’s plunging stern is an icon, and expressions like “rearranging the deck chairs” and “hitting the iceberg” need no explanation. Yet on a cold, clear April night the disaster happened to real people—stokers, millionaires, society ladies, parsons, parlourmaids—people who displayed a full range of all-too-human reactions as the events of the night unfolded. With new research, R.M.S. Titanic weaves the dramatic story of that fateful crossing with compelling portraits of the people on board—those who survived, and those who tragically lost their lives—allowing us to place ourselves on that sloping deck and ask, “What would we do?”
RMS Titanic: Gilded Lives on a Fatal Voyage
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle. Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Product Description
Review
"First rate…takes us into the first-class suites reserved for the moneyed elite…[and] includes some spicy detail on Canadian first-classers." –Winnipeg Free Press
"Walter Lord’s A Night to Remember and James Cameron’s award-winning movie set the Titanic bar high. Hugh Brewster clears that bar with ease and shows again why the story never gets old." —Newark Star Ledger
"This is one of those rare books on the subject that provides information both new and relevant, in a scholarly but readable way. Highly recommended to anyone interested in the social history of the early 20th century." –Library Journal (starred review)
"An impressive amount of information, often directly pulling from firsthand accounts. The author vividly renders the collision, the sinking, the chilling wail of unseen swimmers calling from the cold water and the shipwreck's aftermath....a welcome, interesting addition to Titanic-related literature." –Kirkus Reviews
"...provides new research on the lives of both the victims and survivors... moving passages [describe] the ship’s final few hours." -Quill and Quire
About the Author
HUGH BREWSTER is an award-winning writer and editor and was for twenty years the editorial director and publisher of Madison Press Books. Hugh’s books include Anastasia’s Album, Inside the Titanic, 882½ Amazing Answers to Your Questions About the Titanic, On Juno Beach, The Other Mozart and others. He speaks regularly on the Titanic and his Toronto Life article on Arthur Godfrey Peuchen, a Toronto survivor of the Titanic, won a National Magazine Award. He lives in Toronto.
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
To write a book of this scope, an author also needs to be a detective and a historian as well. Hugh Brewster skillfully pulls back the Victorian curtain and reveals the private lives of the Titanic passengers the reader thought they knew. Most Titanic books focus on the present voyage, but the author takes us back to their beginnings and what brought them to the Titanic.
We read about Lady Lucile and her encounters with Lillie Langtry and Oscar Wilde; Artist Frank Millet's struggle with his sexuality; Clinch Smith and his unhappy marriage; The sweet courtship of Henry and Rene Harris where she called him 'Mr. Freshy'; And so on...
The author weaves these back stories into the voyage as the Titanic moves toward its destiny with an iceberg. Newly uncovered details enhance the day-by-day crossing and the make the final few hours for some, more heartbreaking.
Having finished the book, readers like myself feel like they have learned something new on the subject, which is the mark of a great author.
We read about Lady Lucile and her encounters with Lillie Langtry and Oscar Wilde; Artist Frank Millet's struggle with his sexuality; Clinch Smith and his unhappy marriage; The sweet courtship of Henry and Rene Harris where she called him 'Mr. Freshy'; And so on...
The author weaves these back stories into the voyage as the Titanic moves toward its destiny with an iceberg. Newly uncovered details enhance the day-by-day crossing and the make the final few hours for some, more heartbreaking.
Having finished the book, readers like myself feel like they have learned something new on the subject, which is the mark of a great author.
By Greg Curtis
Format:Hardcover
This beautifully written book covers the lives of First Class passengers, and the associations between them as their paths crossed before, during and after the disaster. I have 200 books in my Titanic collection, and didn't think I could learn anything more, but "Gilded Lives" adds much. Well-researched, and full of little-known facts, this book is a must-have for any Titanic enthusiast!
By Manny07
Format:Hardcover
As a Titanic enthusiast, I did like this book. The research and background information is magnificent and the author has captured the era in the way people thought, acted and reacted to each other. Sometimes, I felt there were too many "possiblys", "may haves", "likely would haves", in connection to various persons in trying to illustrate their intimate lives.
There are great photos - many that have not been published in my experience. I just wish the paper quality was better.
I would recommend this book for those who collect Titanic books and collections.
There are great photos - many that have not been published in my experience. I just wish the paper quality was better.
I would recommend this book for those who collect Titanic books and collections.
Listmania!
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
