Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    Voyagers of the Titanic: Passengers, Sailors, Shipbuilders, Aristocrats, and the Worlds They Came From
    Unavailable
    Voyagers of the Titanic: Passengers, Sailors, Shipbuilders, Aristocrats, and the Worlds They Came From
    Unavailable
    Voyagers of the Titanic: Passengers, Sailors, Shipbuilders, Aristocrats, and the Worlds They Came From
    Ebook437 pages7 hours

    Voyagers of the Titanic: Passengers, Sailors, Shipbuilders, Aristocrats, and the Worlds They Came From

    By Richard Davenport-Hines

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    Listen to the audiobook instead

    About this ebook

    “An astonishing work.”
    —Julian Fellowes, Creator and Executive Producer of “Downton Abbey”

    “A book well worthy of marking the centenary of the crystal-clear night when the immense ship slid to her terrible doom.”
    —Simon Winchester, New York Times bestselling author of The Professor and the Madman

    It has been one hundred years since the sinking of the passenger liner Titanic in the North Atlantic, yet worldwide fascination with the epic tragedy remains as strong as ever. With Voyagers of the Titanic, Richard Davenport-Hines gives us a magnificent history of the people intimately connected with the infamous ship—from deal-makers and industry giants, like J.P. Morgan, who built and operated it; to Molly Brown, John Jacob Astor IV, and other glittering aristocrats who occupied its first class cabins; to the men and women traveling below decks hoping to find a better life in America. Commemorating the centennial anniversary of the great disaster, Voyagers of the Titanic offers a fascinating, uniquely original view of one of the most momentous catastrophes of the 20th century.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateMar 6, 2012
    ISBN9780062100719
    Author

    Richard Davenport-Hines

    Richard Davenport-Hines won the Wolfson Prize for History for his first book, ‘Dudley Docker’. He is an adviser to the ‘Oxford Dictionary of National Biography’ and has also written biographies of W.H. Auden and Marcel Proust. His most recent book, ‘Titanic Lives’ was published in 2012. A Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and the Royal Society of Literature, he reviews for the Sunday Telegraph, the Sunday Times and the Times Literary Supplement.

    Read more from Richard Davenport Hines

    Related to Voyagers of the Titanic

    Related ebooks

    Modern History For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      The Big Chill

      Oct 31, 2019

      The Big Chill
      7 min read

    • Article

      As Glaciers Disappear In Alaska, The Rest Of The World’s Ice Follows

      May 1, 2021

      “If glaciers are what you are after, that’s the place for you.” The speaker was an prospector passing through Fort Wrangell, Alaska, in 1879. The subject was a remote bay, flanked by rugged walls of ice and filled with floating bergs. The listener wa

      8 min read

    • Article

      A History Written In Stone

      Nov 24, 2022

      A History Written In Stone
      13 min read

    • Article

      Spirit Of The North

      Mar 9, 2020

      Spirit Of The North
      10 min read

    • Article

      The great White South

      May 19, 2023

      The great White South
      11 min read

    • Article

      Island Getaway

      Feb 20, 2020

      Island Getaway
      8 min read

    • Article

      From the Debris Field...

      Jun 30, 2017

      Wreck divers from everywhere on the planet are invited to submit newsy tidbits of timely information (also called “short, sharp, shipwreck shout-outs”) about a wreck in their area. Perhaps there is not enough information, or enough archival and/or un

      4 min read

    • Article

      Time Capsules

      Jul 24, 2019

      Time Capsules
      5 min read

    • Article

      A JOURNEY of ENDURANCE

      Jul 28, 2022

      A JOURNEY of ENDURANCE
      12 min read

    • Article

      The Cape With Clout

      Oct 22, 2020

      The Cape With Clout
      5 min read

    • Article

      Return To 60° south

      Oct 8, 2020

      Return To 60° south
      9 min read

    • Article

      Commentary: I Am A Diver Who Documents Climate Change In The Arctic. And I Am Running Out Of Time

      Oct 8, 2019

      Nearly 20 years ago, I led a National Geographic diving team that made the first cave dives inside the largest floating piece of ice ever seen on our planet. The B-15 iceberg had calved from an ice shelf in Antarctica, and we were moved to explore th

      4 min read

    • Article

      Workhorse In The Wilderness

      Feb 22, 2016

      Workhorse In The Wilderness
      11 min read

    • Article

      Finding Endurance

      May 5, 2022

      Finding Endurance
      7 min read

    • Article

      Finding True North

      Dec 10, 2018

      Finding True North
      14 min read

    • Article

      Masses of Beautiful Alabaster

      Jul 20, 2017

      Masses of Beautiful Alabaster
      8 min read

    • Article

      Staranded At The Bottom Of The World

      Jan 1, 2020

      EXPLORER SIR ERNEST Shackleton was growing impatient. It had been four months since his ship, the Endurance, made its August 1, 1915, departure from London. He had planned only a brief stop at South Georgia, a desolate island eight hundred miles east

      7 min read

    • Article

      Baked Alaska

      Jun 2, 2023

      Baked Alaska
      6 min read

    • Article

      Sailing In The High North

      Oct 14, 2021

      Sailing in the Arctic can easily become an addiction. It can start with a night spent at anchor in a remote and beautiful Scottish loch – basking in a clear starlit night in sheltered waters. You may have spent all day negotiating tidal gates, reefin

      3 min read

    • Article

      Baked Alaska

      Jun 2, 2023

      Baked Alaska
      6 min read

    • Article

      Death of Endurance

      Mar 31, 2022

      Death of Endurance
      5 min read

    • Article

      Chill Out

      Jul 26, 2019

      Chill Out
      11 min read

    • Article

      North By Northwest

      Dec 5, 2017

      North By Northwest
      6 min read

    • Article

      Will Climate Change Force This Alaska Village To Relocate?

      Jul 1, 2019

      To the people of Quinhagak, Alaska, climate change is not a scenario far off in the future, but something they live with every day.

      11 min read

    • Article

      Lost Lives Remembered

      Aug 18, 2023

      Lost Lives Remembered
      5 min read

    • Article

      Land of Perpetual Night

      Mar 2, 2020

      Land of Perpetual Night
      10 min read

    • Article

      Skeletons In The Sand

      May 30, 2019

      Skeletons In The Sand
      11 min read

    Reviews for Voyagers of the Titanic

    4/5

    95 ratings25 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 3/5
      I received an Early Reviewer copy of this book, bound uncorrected proofs, and this review is based on that copy.Voyagers of the Titanic appeare to be quite well-researched, with lots of notes. It is an interesting approach to sort the various people aboard ship into groups and then look at lots of individuals within each group. But I found much of it to be rather dry reading. I found my eyes glazing as I swam through page after page of names, origins, and planned destinations. I supposed it helped bring home the reality of how many people were on the ship when it went down. And, to be fair, there were many pieces of interesting information included. But it was rather mind-numbing.It seems ghoulish to say that the book got more interesting when the ship started to sink. But if one looks for an actual story rather than dry facts, effective storytelling requires conflict, and the stories of disasters are told and retold again and again, in part, because they are rife with conflict. It's hard for a writer to be boring when dealing with even the bare facts of that fateful night when Titanic went down, since it was so full of drama. In the confusion of the crew and the faulty information provided to passengers early in the tragedy, I found echoes of the recent Costa Concordia capsizing. (Don't we ever learn from history?)The part of the book I actually found most interesting described the aftermath of the sinking, because it contained a lot of information I hadn't read elsewhere. Yes, I knew about the two inquiries on either side of the Atlantic; but Davenport-Hines really does a neat job summing up the tone of each inquiry, and relating it to the very nature of the two respective nations. And who would think there'd have been "fake" bereaved relatives?This was a well-researched book with some facts I hadn't read elsewhere. And I'm sure it adds useful material to the information readily available to readers about the ship and its sinking. But if you're looking for a telling of the ship's story, there are more worthwhile books available.
    • 4/5
      Got this book at Belfast's Titanic Museum couple of years ago and was glad I had it waiting for the right moment. Very interesting book, quite well written (quite dry and factual style), however it was overwhelming at times, especially in early pages. I found it not to be a book about the Titanic or its sinking per se, but rather it is a book about the people onboard this famous ship and the peoples and societies of the early 20th century. Quite fascinating really.
    • 5/5
      This book brings statistics to life by meticulously recounting the personal histories of hundreds who were aboard the Titanic as well as several who were intimately involved in its construction. This is no mean feat. The thousands of people involved, complicated by murky records of many steerage passengers, make this a task not for the faint of heart. Yet, the author Richard Davenport-Hines proved equal to the task: he was able to draw everything together and make sense of the conditions and mores of a complicated era. The detail was fascinating: for example, an intriguing description of how the great boilers were stoked, and the accompanying nightmarish working conditions. One of the greatest strengths of this book is also one of its weaknesses: there are simply so many individuals that it was difficult to keep everyone straight. I don't know how the author could have done any better, however, with the exception of including a list of passengers, their association or ticket class, and ultimate fate. Had there been such a table I would have referred to it often.This book fills an important gap in the history -- and mythos -- surrounding the Titanic. To my knowledge, this book is unique, and the most detailed account of the lives of so many of the various passengers of different classes, the crew, and shipbuilders. The book's tone is unemotional and factual, yet absolutely fascinating. Documentation and citing of sources was not stinted upon, further adding to the value of this book. Thanks to Davenport-Hines, the Titanic's thousands of victims -- whether or not they were actually aboard that horrific night -- live on.
    • 5/5
      One of the most interesting books that I have read about the Titanic. The stories told are interesting and allow the reader a glimpse of the lives of those on the doomed maiden voyage. It is interesting to read about those who did and did not survive and the reasons why they were on the boat. It is amazing how 100 years later the Titanic still grabs and holds our attention. Richard Davenport-Hines does an excellent job putting the story together and documenting his sources for the stories told in the book.
    • 5/5
      This book brings statistics to life by meticulously recounting the personal histories of hundreds who were aboard the Titanic as well as several who were intimately involved in its construction. This is no mean feat. The thousands of people involved, complicated by murky records of many steerage passengers, make this a task not for the faint of heart. Yet, the author Richard Davenport-Hines proved equal to the task: he was able to draw everything together and make sense of the conditions and mores of a complicated era. The detail was fascinating: for example, an intriguing description of how the great boilers were stoked, and the accompanying nightmarish working conditions. One of the greatest strengths of this book is also one of its weaknesses: there are simply so many individuals that it was difficult to keep everyone straight. I don't know how the author could have done any better, however, with the exception of including a list of passengers, their association or ticket class, and ultimate fate. Had there been such a table I would have referred to it often.This book fills an important gap in the history -- and mythos -- surrounding the Titanic. To my knowledge, this book is unique, and the most detailed account of the lives of so many of the various passengers of different classes, the crew, and shipbuilders. The book's tone is unemotional and factual, yet absolutely fascinating. Documentation and citing of sources was not stinted upon, further adding to the value of this book. Thanks to Davenport-Hines, the Titanic's thousands of victims -- whether or not they were actually aboard that horrific night -- live on. ~~~(This review was originally done for Early Reviewers, and published as "MtnSk8tr", my original LT account)
    • 4/5
      I received this book as an Early Reviewer offering.This book was a thoroughly researched and well-written, even entertaining, account of many of those who sailed aboard Titanic. Several of the books I have read on this have concentrated on the first-class passengers, but this book includes third-class, second-class, and first-class passengers, and even provides vignettes on the ship's officers and a few of the "lowlier" crew members such as stokers and firemen. Since this was an advance copy, the book was not complete--there were no pictures and no index, although the footnotes were documented. The finished product will definitely benefit from the illustrations, and I look forward to seeing it when it's published for public consumption.A few years ago, I had the privilege of touring the Titanic exhibit when it was in Galveston, Texas. To make the tour more interesting, each visitor was given a card bearing the name and brief biography of a person who had sailed aboard the Titanic; at the end of the exhibit was a display where visitors could look for their characters and see if they lived or died. I now wish I had kept the card for my passenger, to see if he or she was mentioned in "Voyagers of the Titanic."I recommend this book for anyone who has even a slight interest in the Titanic, especially since we are rapidly approaching the 100th anniversary of her sinking.
    • 4/5
      Much has obviously written about the Titanic disaster and over the centuries many more people were killed in such, top of the list being Twin Towers, but few rise to the magnitude of shock and anguish in our collective memories a century later.Davenport-Hines delivers as an accomplished researcher and for me spell binding accounts of the lives that were lost and saved. The class distinctions and twists and turns of those who luckily survived is told in a tale that rivets and poses much to contemplate. I am sure the more scholarly types that have read much on this topic could point out what was left out that should have been included or overlooked. In my limited knowledge I was a bit surprised he did not go into a bit more detail on the mishap of the telegraphers in relaying the messages. But on balance it provided many stories about the lives of those lost and difficulties ahead for those who survived.Much to recommend in this book to those with any level of interest in the topic.
    • 4/5
      There are already a boatload of books about the Titanic disaster, and even more coming out as the 100th anniversary of the sinking arrives. In such a jumble it’s difficult to know which one or two to read and which to let pass. I’ve read many books on the Titanic (although certainly not all!) and I’d highly recommend Voyagers of the Titanic to anyone interested in the stories of the people on the great vessel.Richard Davenport-Hines is an excellent writer, which immediately distinguishes Voyagers of the Titanic from many of the other books about the tragedy. His keen observations make day-to-day life on board (and by extension, day-to-day life on land), vivid.His characterizations of the people who sailed on the Titanic are crisp and telling – from first class passenger and fashion designer Lady Duff-Gordon whom he describes as “the pioneer of sexy underwear,” to sixteen year old third class passenger Alfred Rush who was “small for his age and might have passed for a child when the lifeboats were being filled. Instead, proud of his birthday, he declared, ‘I am staying here with the MEN.’ ” The book is filled with everything from descriptions of the meals on the great ship to the pet dogs on board. It’s little observations like this that make the world of Titanic feel immediate and real.Davenport-Hines explores not only the experience of those traveling on the Titanic, but also those that served the passengers on the White Star Line’s floating palaces: “The pretense that one man is as good as another led Americans to treat liner crew with a politeness that was applauded by Violet Jessup,” stewardess to second-class passengers on the White Star’s Majestic before serving on the Titanic. “American passengers, although demanding, were appreciative. [...] They acknowledged you as an individual [...] When they reached their destination, Americans rang to bid goodbye to the steward or stewardess, tip them well, and shake hands heartily. Passengers of other nationalities by contrast, expected stewards to ‘hang about like beggars outside a church, waiting for alms,’ and usually proffered a niggardly tip.”If there is a downside to Voyagers of the Titanic, it is that the long parade of passenger’s names and lives can sometimes be dizzying. There are so many stories to tell, and they pass by so quickly, that it can take concentration to keep track of who is who. For people who are Titanic fanatics this task won’t be an issue, for those who aren’t immersed in the Titanic, it may sometimes be a bit much.But the author’s writing style and his evocation of the colorful characters that the ship brought together ultimately make Voyagers of the Titanic a great read and a wonderful contribution to the literature on the most famous ocean liner ever to have sailed.
    • 5/5
      I read Lawrence Beesley's The Loss of the SS Titanic on 9 Aug 1946 and Walter Lord's A Night to Remeber on 16 Mar 1961, but I feel it is entirely appropriate that I have now read this book, in the month which is 100 years from the fatal date of the sinking. The first two sections of this book tell of the ship, its bulders and owners and crew and of the people who were on it when it hit the iceberg on April 15, 1912. Thos sections are well-done but not too exciting but the third section which tells of the collision and its direful aftermath are really exciting reading and make the book one to remember.The excitement which swept the ship and the world are well recounted. One is really swept up in the utter drama of the event and its aftermath.
    • 3/5
      This is a timely book, given that we just "celebrated" the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic.The focus of the book is on the people onboard the ship as the author provides a litany of what seemingly each person on the Titanic did beforehand and what they planned to do when they arrived in America. A full two-thirds of the book is devoted to this topic.At times, it's quite a slog to get through this book but there are interesting nuggets buried along the way, even for the avid Titanic reader. For instance, I never realized that, even though this was the maiden voyage of the ship, only half of the first and second class accommodations were taken, and only 70 percent of those in third class. I would've guessed more.Overall, I'd call this one somewhat interesting at times but the dry writing style makes it less than appealing, at least compared to other, better books on the Titanic.
    • 4/5
      The book which I received for reviewing is an uncorrected proof. This is an unfortunate situation since the book is lacking some important features. The back cover says “Illustrated with 32 pages of black-and-white photographs;” however, this copy contains no illustrations of any kind. When Mr. Davenport-Hines described the arrangement of the ship, including the location of various rooms for the different classes of people, diagrams of the ship would have been very helpful. Also, the book lacks an index; the author plans to provide one since the table of contents lists it. The table of contents in incomplete; it does not mention any photographs. Also, no lists of passengers or crew are given in the table of contents; such a list, by class and separated by survivors and those lost at sea, would have been useful.The book is divided into three sections: (1) on land, 2) at sea, and (3) life and death (i.e. the sinking of the ship and the aftermath). In the first section Mr. Davenport-Hines describes such topics as the history of cruise lines, the competition between them, and the backgrounds and characters of the owners and builders of the Titanic. In the second section, the author describes the different classes of passengers and the crew. He both talks about characteristics of the classes in general and gives background information about many of the passengers in each class, describing where they were from, what they did for a living, and their plans for life in America. Maps showing the regions the passengers were from would have been helpful as would lists of those who survived and who died and the index giving the page numbers on which people are mentioned since some were mentioned more than once. Particularly in the chapter about the second class passengers, many of the people who were described did not survive; although the information was interesting, it tended to get tiresome.In my opinion, the last section of the book was particularly interesting. The process of “filling” the lifeboats was described in detail. The reader learns why so many lifeboats were lowered with relatively few people in them – and why some male passengers were allowed in the lifeboats when women and children were supposed to be loaded first. The reactions of passengers, particularly those who were saved, provide fascinating reading. The false information concerning the sinking of the ship and the number of people saved as initially reported is described as are the reactions of the crowds waiting for news of their loved ones. This is a social history of the Titanic; the controversy concerning the Californian is barely mentioned.
    • 5/5
      The thing that most impressed me about this book was all the footnotes and sources. The author really did his research; he didn't just rehash what others have said before.Each chapter focuses on a different group of people: ship owners, ship builders, sailors, crew, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd class passengers. (Also, I thought the character who opens the and closes the book ~no spoiler~ was an eerie touch.) Each chapter gives the background for a number of different people in each category, not just the famous ones, such as Andrews, Ismay, Astor, and the like. The book also follows up with the characters during the sinking and aftermath.Besides first hand accounts of survivors, the book also sites newspaper articles, letting the reader see how the mainlands were dealing with the disaster. The end of the last chapter, to me was sadder than the sinking of the ship; the most poignant lines being " Survivors asked themselves.. why they had lived when so many others had perished. In many cases, their survival felt despicable. They knew that for them to live, it had been necessary for others to die..."A must-read for any Titanic history buff.
    • 4/5
      The extent to which one enjoys this book may have to do with how widely one has read about the Titanic disaster. For those who have long been fascinated by this terrible tragedy, there will not be a great deal of new information in Davenport-Hines' book. Those new to the world of maritime history will find it to be full of intriguing, short profiles of various passengers and crew members. Overall, the feeling of Davenport-Hines book is rushed. It reads as though he took a great deal of time with his research but then wrote quickly, anxious to be done with the task. This may be true, as it is apparent the goal was to have the book out to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the Titanic sinking. There are many times in its pages when the reader wishes the author would just slow down and go into a bit more detail. He hops from one individual to another, often without investing the time to create a background on the page for the person to be presented. Granted, little was known about many of the passengers - particularly those traveling third class - but the feeling remains that Davenport-Hines could have done more, perhaps if he'd only had a bit more time.The best part of Voyagers of the Titanic is that it is devoted to the people who sailed on the ship, a kind of homage to mobility and dreams. In the past, much has been written about the ship itself, lengthy examinations of the building, the failings, and the ultimate blame. Davenport-Hines concentrates on people and names - rich and poor, survivors and victims, passengers and crew. This brings a very human element to his work and is what makes the book appealing and readable.Anyone who has ever studied maritime history knows that class and custom played huge roles in determining who lived and who died in the Titanic sinking. Voyagers of the Titanic handles these issues well, and no one will come to the last page without reflecting on money, status, and privilege. Every reader will think about what has changed in the past hundred years and how that situation would play out today. Maritime regulations have changed too, and the Titanic was responsible for many of those changes.Lastly, this book has come out at an appropriate time, not only to honor the Titanic and those who died one-hundred years ago, but also to make us think about how disasters can still happen and how human error can quickly bring tragedy. The recent (2012) incident with the ship, M/S "Costa Concordia" off the island of Giglio in Italy comes immediately to mind. Somehow, large sleek beautiful ships seem built to be worshipped, and when they - or the human beings behind them - fail, we all find ourselves sinking. How easily we all put our trust into what looks to be perfection and how quickly we are disappointed.
    • 4/5
      The Titanic fascinates me. A ship believed to be unsinkable falters in the North Atlantic resulting in the deaths of over 1000 people. Voyagers is what the title suggests, a book loaded with information about who was on the ship. There is lots of background material through out. Of course not everyone is listed, I believe that would be impossible. It was amazing to read how some people ended up making the voyage. I recommend this book to any who are interested in who was on the Titanic and to anyone in school writing a research paper on the subject.
    • 4/5
      3.5 starsThe author gives some background information on many of the people who were on the Titanic when she sank; this includes crew and passengers from all three classes. This one started off slow. There are a lot of people who were mentioned, so I found it difficult to remember who’s who, except the ones I’ve heard of before (mostly some of the 1st class passengers). Of course, once we got to the point when the ship hit the iceberg, then it really picked up for me. So, the second half of the book was much more interesting to me. After people were rescued, there was follow up information on some of them, as well. Overall, it was good.
    • 4/5
      This was a pretty good telling of the stories of the passengers of that doomed ocean liner Titanic. You're unlikely to find a better account of those lives which were suddenly shattered by an iceberg on a cold night in April. The scenes are touching in their humanity, husbands and fathers leading their families to the lifeboats, families they would never see again.Recommended reading.
    • 5/5
      Just in time for the 100th anniversary of Titanic's sinking, VOYAGERS OF THE TITANIC is one of the better books about the people on board. Richard Davenport-Hines surrounds familiar figures with unfamiliar background and details that pull together into a riveting story. With a novelist's eye, Davenport-Hines sets his first-class passengers against the new Edwardian craze for speed; shows the ship's roots in the labor violence of Belfast; and sets third-class passengers within the great migration from Europe to America. Thomas Andrews comes to life, irascible and dependable; John Jacob Astor ("He was a builder of Titanics on terra firma") also appears in his role as a slum landlord; and includes colorful characters not usually among the Titanic cast of characters, such as J.P. Morgan, who owned the White Star Line. A vivid, immensely readable new look at the enduring tragedy of Titanic.
    • 4/5
      What a timely read! On exactly the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, I was deep in the middle of the narrative of a new book on the subject. Admittedly, I haven’t read any other books on the subject but certainly I know the gist of the story. Who doesn’t? Yet this book read like a cliff hanger. How is that possible when I already know the outcome? Maybe because Davenport-Hinds related the story from a personal level, devoting a chapter each to each group that had a part in the tragedy: shipowners, shipbuilders, sailors, first-class, second-class, third-class, and officers and crew. He delves into each group in great detail as he explores their role in what took place.Above all else, the Titanic was a model of class warfare. From the wealthy tycoons, society matrons, and industrial magnates, to the poor immigrants in the cramped steerage quarters, the story of their lives is related in intimate detail. So much so, that at the end, as the ship goes down, the feeling of loss is very real.Particularly interesting was the delineation of the mistakes that led to the loss of some 1,500 lives on that night in April one hundred years ago including the decision early on in the planning by the ship builders:”At one day-long meeting, they talked for a total of five or ten minutes about life boat provision; and despite Carlisle’s misgivings, which he dared not express before Pirrie, the provision of lifeboats was cut from 48 to 20…This reduced clutter on the deck as well as costs, but meant that the liner would have lifeboat capacity for a maximum of one-third of its passengers and crew. The risk seemed minimal when the consensus held that the liner was invulnerable.” (Page 57)That was one reason for the enormous loss of life but, actually, it was a perfect storm of natural occurrences and human error that produced the tragedy that has remained one of the biggest maritime disasters in history. And this book does a fine job of presenting the story in great detail. Highly recommended.
    • 4/5
      A friend’s grandfather was on the Titanic when it sank in April 1912. He had traveled from northern Illinois back to England when his father died. Although he had planned to return to America in March 1912, he delayed his return trip so he could be on the Titanic’s maiden voyage. He traveled in third class, steerage, and paid £7 5s (about $761 in 2008) for his ticket. It remains a mystery to his family why he didn’t purchase a ticket in second class, or even first class, which he could have afforded. He was one of 417 third-class men who died; only 69 men in steerage lived. The body of William James Elsbury was never identified among the recovered bodies. Voyagers of the Titanic tells the stories of dozens of passengers like William James Elsbury, men, women and children who traveled on the Titanic -- from the president of the White Star Line to the lowliest steerage passenger, from the ship‘s captain to the grimy men stoking the coal fire. It would have been unwieldy if not impossible to tell everyone’s story; and, in fact, many of their stories were only known by their families. Few of the survivor’s wrote memoirs; many of them never wished to speak of their ordeal. But Voyagers of the Titanic tells enough stories to satisfy even the most detail-oriented reader. The sheer accumulation of facts in Voyagers of the Titanic is amazing. But, because of the author’s deft writing style and the way he organized the stories, it added up to a eminently readable book. It gives readers a feel for life aboard ship before it sank. A blow-by-blow account of how the lifeboats were loaded showed the randomness surrounding who was saved and who wasn’t. The prologue gave a brief “history” of an iceberg and field ice. The breadth of the sources the author used was amazing: newspaper accounts, memoirs and letters, government hearings and reports. Even after 100 years, the Titanic’s story still has the power to amaze and kudos Richard Davenport-Hines for this wonderful centennial book. Review based on bound galley provided by the publisher.
    • 5/5
      Richard Davenport-Hines is a spectacular storyteller of history. I was unsure of what to expect when I picked up this book about the vicitms of the Titanics fatefull voyage, but what a pleasant surprise! It is filled with astoundingly entertaining vignette biographies of the travelers. His mastery in this book is how he flows from one travelr to the next, the reading is never disjointed. Once started, it was hard to put down, and more history needs to be this entertaining! A fantastic book by a masterful writer.
    • 5/5
      Now that the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic is almost here, I've had the blessed opportunity to be able to review some incredible new books out about the disaster. One such incredible book is called, Voyagers of the Titanic by Richard Davenport-Hines.In this historical non fiction book, Richard takes the readers some place most books have never gone, in depth into the back stories behind everything you've ever wanted to know regarding the Titanic, those who built her and sailed on that fateful voyage. He introduces you to the first, second and third class passengers as if you meet each of the people he describes in detail. From what the menu consisted of, to what they did for entertainment on each of the class decks and most interestingly, where the iceberg may have originated from.While most books that you'll have an opportunity to read on the sinking of the Titanic will often give you an overview of what happened that night and how she inevitably sank, this one brings to life all the souls she lost and even those who survived that night. While did the California not respond to her distress messages, why would a seasoned Captain ignore the warning of an iceberg, how did Margaret Brown become so friendly with John Jacob Astor IV, one of the richest men on board, how much did the tickets cost that separated each class from one another, and were second and third class passengers really prevented from escaping aboard the lifeboats as James Cameron depicted in his movie? All these amazing questions are answered in this book along with so much more, that if you are a Titanic fan yourself or know of someone who is, this is the perfect book!Discover what some people died with as they departed the Titanic, what some considered most valuable to them; learn how Titanic was built and what precautions were considered in her building to address three vital factors ship builders at the time had to address; what did Margaret Brown do before she became a wealthy woman; why did the Titanic not have enough lifeboats on board; what items were brought on board the Titanic by all the classes of people; how did fate play a role in people who chose to cancel their tickets and didn't die on the Titanic; why didn't some people when told to get into a lifeboat, instead went back their rooms even though the ship was clearly taking on water?I received Voyagers of the Titanic compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins publishers for my honest review and thoroughly enjoyed reading about this fated ship from beginning to the very end. Being a huge fan of history and the Titanic, I enjoyed reading about Margaret Brown and John Jacob Astor's unique connection as well as chapters dividing into each class of passengers; from whom they were, how much they paid, what their accommodations were like, what they ate, and what happened when each learned that the ship had hit an iceberg, what did it sound like where they were and so much, much more! I easily give this one a 5 out of 5 stars and plan to re-read this one again and again. There is even a section of photos that takes the reader back to the ship almost a hundred years ago.
    • 5/5
      After having a chance to see a Titanic exhibit several years ago, I have been trying to read more about the sinking. So I was quite happy to receive this book and I was not disappointed. It was a very interesting read.Author Davenport-Hines looks at the three classes of passengers aboard the Titanic and tells us about them. First class included many rich and famous. The book includes quotes from letters that were sent from some of these passengers at the last stop before setting out across the Atlantic. You can even read about the dogs they had on board.Second class included many pastors and churchman and mostly what we would consider middle class.Third class passengers included many, many large families. Some entire families were lost in the sinking. This was sometimes the result of their unwillingness to separate. There is a chapter describing the officers and crew. Davenport-Hines tells about their homes, their work load and their pay. Some of the crew had been transferred to the Titanic because of a coal strike which kept some ships from sailing.Davenport-Hines does an excellent job of setting the scene for the collision with the iceberg and the mistakes made before and after the collision. He conveys a sense of the panic and terror felt by the passengers and describes the ship's last hours. The tragedy of the sinking and loss of life was compounded by numerous false reports that circulated and reported that all passengers had been saved.I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning more about the Titanic and especially for anyone interested in learning about the passengers.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this book. Especially the details of the various passengers. Even though I’ve read other books on the titanic this book offered a lot of new interesting detail.
    • 4/5
      I finally got around to finishing this one. I kept putting it off.

      It has a lot of great details about the disaster which cleared up some things for me.

      The reading was just a little harder than some of the other books I have read, but it is well worth it to put in the effort.

      I think disasters like this are fascinating because they shake up the smug society of the time and they show how people face up to them.
    • 4/5
      The Good StuffThoroughly well researched, amazed on how much research was put into this Incredibly detailed Gives you a fascinating look into the period of time when the tragedy occurred and especially dealing with class separation Loved the little back stories he mentions about the passengers - gives you more insight into the time Really liked how the book was organized into stories based on what class the passengers were on or what their responsibilities were (shipbuilders, first class, second class, third class, sailors - you get the idea) Learned some things I never knew before about the tragedy - and let me tell you that is huge considering all I have read on the Titanic Fascinating to learn about those who were supposed to be on the boat but through a twist of fate never boarded Great photos (would have liked more, but hey just picky) Quite a few mentions of Canada and Canadians Impressive Index Good account of what happened as boat was sinking and rescue mission afterwards Tons of amazing stories about the bravery of women during the tragedy The Not So Good StuffBecause of the detail and mentions of so many passengers it can be a tad confusing Again because of the attention to detail and mentions of all the passengers it can be quite dry and not very engrossing - its one that you want to read over a long period of time Some of the mentions of derogatory names for different nationalities, although very true of the time, can be quite offensive Since I am a Titanic junkie and have read so much about the tragedy I was often frustrated at some of his references to facts a little off -- for example there are quite a few varying theories on how Ismay got off the boat and author only uses one theory and states it as fact without mentioning other scenarios (Hope that makes sense, had a hard time putting it into words) Didn't need to see the picture of the corpse of one of the victims (in their defense the picture isn't too close up but its still creepy) Favorite Quotes/Passages"Joseph Conrad had posted the manuscript of his story "Karain" to his new York admirer John Quinn, one of those American collectors who rifled Europe for rarities to hoard in their private troves. "Karain" was lost in the sinking.""Morgan ranked himself with the pharaohs and popes, the ruling houses of Medici, Hapsburg, and Bonaparte, the princes and dukes whose collections he dismembered and acquired.""Millet wrote in a letter posted at Queenstown. "Looking over the list I only find three or four people I know but there are .... a number of obnoxious, ostentatious American women, the scourge of any place they infest, and worse on shipboard than anywhere. Many of them carry tiny dogs, and lead husbands around like pet lambs. I tell you the American women is a buster. She should be put in a harem and kept there.""It had steamed westward as if it were invulnerable, plunging too fast into an ice zone to stop when an iceberg hove in view. There had been a woeful inadequacy of lifeboats, there had been a shambles loading them, and the crewmen who were put in charge of them often proved blundering or weak nerved, The ship's last hours had been a climax of deadly folly."Who Should/Shouldn't ReadI would say strictly for the Titanic buff, but that is just my opinion 3.75 Dewey'sI received this from HarperCollins in exchange for an honest review

      1 person found this helpful