Wreck and Sinking of the Titanic; the Ocean's Greatest Disaster

As the original title page proudly proclaims, A Graphic and Thrilling Account of the Sinking of the Greatest Floating Palace Ever Built, Carrying Down to Watery Graves More Than 1,500 Souls; Giving Exciting Escapes from Death and Acts of Heroism Not Equaled in Ancient or Modern times, Told by the Survivors. Indeed, of all the “instant books” published after the sinking of the Titanic, this one best captures the spirit of the times, and of the public reaction to the disaster. Alongside the harrowing accounts of survivors and their testimony before the Senate investigation, there are chapters of newspaper editorials and sermons preached by prominent clergy. Thus we find that even a hundred years ago, opinion columns were despairing of the modern need for speed, and were calling for stern regulation of the new-fangled “Marconigrams” (radio), while churchmen lauded the spirit of “women and children first,” and preached on “How Shall We View God in the Light of Such a Disaster.” The influence of newspapers on public opinion is also shown in the illustrations, which include many editorial cartoons reacting to the disaster. An essential book for studying the historiography of the Titanic.

Beyond its central premise, the book can be read through the connected lenses of Nonfiction. Those themes offer useful points of attention as the characters, ideas, or world develop, especially where the book complicates the expectations of its primary category.