2012 marks the centenary of the sinking of the Titanic, and its no surprise that theres been a slew of recently released books on the topic. To that end, I thought Id prepare a list of books about the ship and its fateful voyage. As always, the list is in no way comprehensive, so feel free to add your recommendations in the comments, and Ill update the list accordingly.
Distant Waves by Suzanne Weyn'
Daughters of a famed clairvoyant, the five Taylor sisters have moved to turn-of-the-twentieth-century Spirit Vale, where their mother makes a living talking to the dead. The future, however, is something even she cannot see clearly.'The sisters are not meant to stay in Spirit Vale for long. All seem poised to move in different directionsscience, society, fame, even the spirit worldbut all of their destinies converge on board the Titanic. A transatlantic voyage that promises great wonders soon turns into a fight for survival that not everyone will winor can they?
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Cold April'by Phyllis A Humphrey
Fresh from three years in America, Englishwoman Elizabeth Shallcross has big plans for her future, and they do not include remaining in England as a lowly governess. She finds, however, that she has one last obligation to fulfill; she must accompany Richard Graham, a dashing American widower, and care for his charming child on a luxurious voyage to America. Their ship? The Titanic. On this fateful trip two handsome men vie for her attention. But when the ship hits an iceberg, who will survive?
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Promise Me This by Cathy Gohlke
Michael Dunnagan was never supposed to sail on the'Titanic, nor would he have survived if not for the courage of Owen Allen. Determined to carry out his promise to care for Owen's relatives in America and his younger sister, Annie, in England, Michael works hard to strengthen the family's New Jersey garden and landscaping business.'Annie Allen doesn't care what Michael promised Owen. She only knows that her brother is gone'like their mother and father'and the grief is enough to swallow her whole. As Annie struggles to navigate life without Owen, Michael reaches out to her through letters. In time, as Annie begins to lay aside her anger that Michael lived when Owen did not, a tentative friendship takes root and blossoms into something neither expected. Just as Michael saves enough money to bring Annie to America, WWI erupts in Europe. When Annie's letters mysteriously stop, Michael risks everything to fulfill his promise'and find the woman he's grown to love'before she's lost forever.
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By the Light of the Silvery Moon by Tricia Goyer
Remember the'Titanic'100 years after its doomed voyage with Tricia Goyer's fictional portrayal of one woman's journey. To Amelia Gladstone, this ship means promise of seeing family again. To Quentin Walpole, the'Titanic'represents a new start in America'if he can get onboard. All seems lost until Amelia offers him a ticket, securing his passage'and bringing him face-to-face with his railroad tycoon father and older brother, Damian. As Amelia works to reconcile father and son, she finds herself the object of both brothers' affection. Can she choose between two brothers? Or will she lose everything to the icy waters of the Atlantic?
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Titanic Affair by Amanda P Grange
A first-class ticket on the Titanic offers Emilia Cavendish the chance to escape to a new life, after the death of her beloved godmother and the unwelcome attentions of Mr Montmorency. But as the iceberg looms that will send the Titanic to its watery grave, Emilia finds herself dangerously attracted to Carl Latimer, a man whose world is very different from hers . . .
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A Night to Remember by Walter Lord
'First published in 1955, A Night to Remember remains a completely riveting account of the Titanics fatal collision and the behavior of the passengers and crew, both noble and ignominious. Some sacrificed their lives, while others fought like animals for their own survival. Wives beseeched husbands to join them in lifeboats; gentlemen went taut-lipped to their deaths in full evening dress; and hundreds of steerage passengers, trapped below decks, sought help in vain.
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And the Band Played On . . . by Christopher Ward
On April 14, 1912, when'the'Titanic'struck an iceberg on her maiden voyage and sank, 1,500 passengers and crew lost their lives. As the order to abandon ship was given, the orchestra took their instruments on deck and continued to play as'the ship went down. The violinist, 21 year-old Jock Hume, knew that his fiancee, Mary, was expecting their first child, the authors mother.'A century later, Christopher Ward reveals a dramatic story of love, loss, and betrayal, and the catastrophic impact of Jocks death on two very different Scottish families. He paints a vivid portrait of an age in which class determined the way'people lived'and died.'This outstanding piece of historical detective work is also a moving account of how the authors quest to learn more about his grandfather revealed the shocking truth about a family he thought he knew, a truth that had been hidden for nearly'100 years.
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Gilded Lives, Fatal Voyage: The Titanics First-Class Passengers and Their World by Hugh Brewster'
The'Titanic'has often been called 'an exquisite microcosm of the Edwardian era,' but until now, her story has not been presented as such. In'Gilded Lives, Fatal Voyage, historian Hugh Brewster seamlessly interweaves personal narratives of the lost liner's most fascinating people with a haunting account of the fateful maiden crossing. Employing scrupulous research and featuring 100 rarely-seen photographs, he accurately depicts the ship's brief life and tragic denouement, presenting the very latest thinking on everything from when and how the lifeboats were loaded to the last tune played by the orchestra.
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The Titanic Secret by Jack Steel
Shortly after midnight on Wilhelmstrasse in Berlin, mere yards from the British Embassy, an English spy is shot after a clandestine meeting with a German government official. He utters three cryptic words to a sentry, then dies. It's an ambush as calculated and cold-blooded as the scheme it helps set in motion.'For Gunther Voss, a tyrannical German financier who has amassed a fortune in mining, it's the biggest gamble he has ever undertaken: commit America to joining forces with Germany against Great Britain, destroy an empire, and secure for himself the invaluable South African mining concessions currently controlled by the British. It would make the formidable Voss, already a figure of both fear and admiration in America, one of the wealthiest and most powerful men in the world. Even as devious, self-seeking, and unthinkable as the plan is, with an alliance as strong as America and Germany, it's more than possible'it's inevitable.'It has fallen on the unique talents of Alex Tremayne of Britain's Secret Service Bureau and beautiful Maria Weston, a pioneering, fearless, and experienced American agent currently working in Britain, to stop Voss dead in his tracks. Traveling undercover as man and wife, their mission is to neutralize Voss's plan before he reaches the States. And they'll be tracking Voss's every move on the eventful transatlantic journey in unparalleled luxury, occupying a first class suite on board the Titanic, on her heralded maiden voyage from Southampton to the Port of New York.'But Tremayne and Weston are unprepared for the explosive plays of fate that await them, as well as their prey, over the next few nights of their doomed journey. For the ever-shifting dedication to duty and the choices between life and death will become more immediate, more intimate, more demanding, and far more treacherous than they could ever have imagined.
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The Dressmaker'by Kate Alcott
Tess, an aspiring seamstress, thinks shes had an incredibly lucky break when she is hired by famous designer Lady Lucile Duff Gordon to be a personal maid on the'Titanics'doomed voyage. Once on board, Tess catches the eye of two men, one a roughly-hewn but kind sailor and the other an enigmatic Chicago millionaire. But on the fourth night, disaster strikes.'Amidst the chaos and desperate urging of two very different suitors, Tess is one of the last people allowed on a lifeboat. Tess's sailor also manages to survive unharmed, witness to Lady Duff Gordon's questionable actions during the tragedy. Others'including the gallant Midwestern tycoon'are not so lucky.'On dry land, rumors about the survivors begin to circulate, and Lady Duff Gordon quickly becomes the subject of media scorn and later, the hearings on the'Titanic. Set against a historical tragedy but told from a completely fresh angle,'The Dressmaker'is an atmospheric delight filled with all the periods glitz and glamour, all the raw feelings of a national tragedy and all the contradictory emotions of young love.
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Somethings Alive on the Titanic'by Robert Serling'
Eighty years ago, the unsinkable Titanic struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic, sending the ship and 1,503 passengers to a watery grave. Now, a group of scientists and adventurers going down to explore the wreck are unprepared for the terror awaiting them. . . .
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The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: The Titanic Tragedy'by William Seil
Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson board the Titanic on its ill-fated maiden voyage, where Holmes is to carry out a secret government'mission.'Soon after departure, highly important submarine plans for the US navy are stolen.'Holmes and Watson must work through a list of suspects which includes Colonel James Moriarty, brother to the late'Professor Moriarty but will they find the culprit before tragedy strikes?'Sir Arthur Conan Doyles timeless creation returns in a new series of handsomely designed detective stories,'encapsulating the most varied and thrilling cases of the worlds greatest detective.
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The Company of the Dead'by David Kowalski
Can one man save the Titanic?'March 1912. A mysterious man appears aboard the Titanic on its doomed voyage. His mission? To save the ship.'The result? A world where the United States never entered World War I, thus launching the secret history of the 20th Century.'April 2012. Joseph Kennedy grand-nephew of John F. Kennedy lives in an America occupied in the East by Greater Germany and on the West Coast by Imperial Japan. He is one of six people who can restore history to its rightful order even though it may mean his own death.
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Carpathia'by Matt Forbeck
Its Titanic meets 30 Days of Night.'When the survivors of the Titanic are picked up by the passenger steamship Carpathia, they thought their problems were over.'But somethings sleeping in the darkest recesses of the ship. Something old. Something hungry.
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Titanic'by Diane Hoh
Everyone thought that the Titanic was unsinkable. Among the passengers are beautiful Elizabeth Farr and dashing Max Whitaker in first class, whilst in steerage are Brian and Patrick Kelleher and pretty red-haired Kathleen Mahoney.
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Titanic Crossing'by Barbara Williams
When the Titanic hits an iceberg during his voyage to America, young Albert is faced with grown-up decisions about life and death, in this entertaining blend of fact and fiction (School Library Journal) concerning one of the most dramatic tragedies in history.
Thats a lot of Titanic; I look forward to you reviewing ALL of them :P
Quite a titanic task, that. :P
Book list: books about the Titanic http://t.co/MnSdlWwA