Description

Published 1987: Hardcover / Very Good Condition / Illustrated throughout

Original blue cloth with gilt titles on the cover and spine and original pictorial dust jacket. 230 very clean and bright pages, mild speckled foxing on the top edge. Slight shelf wear on dust jacket consistent with age. (PT49)

Postage €6.95 including any additional books ordered
An Post prepaid postage envelopes within the Republic of Ireland, with no weight restrictions from €6.95

A firsthand account of the author's twelve-year quest to find the sunken luxury liner is illustrated with dozens of photographs and includes moment-by-moment accounts of the tragedy and the successful discovery expedition.

Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars. An outstanding book about an outstanding achievement
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 25 May 2014
Verified Purchase
Some years ago, I had seen some or all of the TV documentaries made respectively about the wrecks of the Titanic and the Lusitania, the latter a victim of WW1 three years later. I had recently purchased a copy of Robert Ballard's book 'Exploring the Wreck of the Lusitania', only then to discover that he had also written this.

The story of the Titanic includes several never fully-resolved controversies and the repeatedly asked question was 'Was it truly an accident or did individual or corporate incompetence affect what happened?'. Related questions included why several earlier iceberg warnings were ignored and there were few lookouts, why it ventured so close to the Arctic Circle and within the ice belt at close to maximum speed, whether its Captain was as qualified for his role as he should have been and whether or not he was in full control immediately prior to its collision or had its designer and the owners' representative on-board been allowed to overrule him. These were all commonly expressed, and there were several others, but they are not Ballard's concern and appear in other writings.

Unlike the highly fictionalised 1997 James Cameron movie, and the earlier near-to-factual movies of the 30s and 50s about its sinking, Ballard's book is based upon provable evidence. The book is substantially based upon his series of dives on the wreck and stills and frames from the films are used extensively on its pages.

A coffee-table sized publication, this is also one for the lounge and bookshelf. A brief Introduction describes the events leading to the loss of the vessel but the bulk of the book naturally relates the stories about locating and diving upon the wreck, and the findings from the dives. Unlike the wreck of the Lusitania which lies at a moderately reachable depth of about 300 feet (90 metres), the Titanic is more than two miles down (around 3200 metres) and far beyond normal diving techniques. Only a remotely operated vehicle could reach such depths and few were built for the task. Ballard's relationship with a US marine research organisation secured one of the best and most capable ROVs then available.

Since the original series of dives, and after completion of the original TV series, another was made more recently during which it was discovered that the condition of the wreck had dramatically worsened since his last dive. James Cameron was also invited to view the wreck at that time.

Anyone with a memory of the TV programmes, an interest in famous shipwrecks or, specifically, the Titanic may find this book informative and a permanent record. As the wreck has been shown to be collapsing and literally dissolving into the oceans, Ballard's may be the best and most heavily illustrated book about the vessel and the last opportunity to see it in such detail.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Discovery-Titanic-Robert-D-Ballard/dp/