Bruce Beveridge

My comments relating to Volume 1 of this book are equally relevant for Volume 2. This 510 page book is dedicated to Titanic's primary purpose--that of a trans-Atlantic luxury ocean liner.

The authors provide the necessary introduction, followed bu thirteen numbered chapters, Appendix I (a list of passenger accommodations by deck and by class), Appendix II (called a crew list, this is actually a breakdown of crew numbers by shipboard department and job), a bibliography, website references, a gloaary of ship, shipbuilding, and shipfitting terms, abbreviations and symbols key (all the same as Volume 1), acknowledgements, an index, and authors' bios.

As the focus of this volume is on Titanic's First, Second, and Third Class accommodations and amenities, the authors provide general information about how those spaces were designed and installed in the first four chapters. Chapter 2 gives brief overviews of the various interior designs for First Class staterooms, while Chapter 3 goies into the Edwardian toilet and bathing experience aboard this ship, which varied greatly between the classes. Chapter 4 is all about the dining and entertainment experience aboard the Olympic-class liners.

Chapters 5 through 13 take the reader on a deck-by-deck tour of the ship starting with the Boat Deck and ending with the Orlop Deck, Lower Orlop Deck, and Tank Top. Each chapter begins at the forwardmost point on that deck and works its way to the sternmost. The authors note as a significant achievement on the part of the ships' designers the ability to organize the accommodation of all three passenger classes along with that of the crew and some ship functions on a single deck such as that found on E and F Decks. In seeing how th decks were arranged, especially around the Third Class accommodations, it is easy to see why a smaller number of Third Class passengers survived the disaster; the lower decks were a veritable rabbit's warren of passageways and ladder in which a non-English speaker could easily become lost. The authors also debunk one of the enduring social injustices "revealed" in James Cameron's Titanic movie--there were no locked gates preventing Third Class passengers from gaining the Boat Deck and a chance for escape. The complexity of the ship's deck layout was sufficient to do the trick instead.

Again, this is a must have book for anyone seeking a true understanding of the ship and its inner workings as well as any ship modeler seeking to build an accurate representation of the great ship.… (mere)

This book is the first volume of a two volume set focused on the famous (or infamous) ocean liner. Volume One concentrates on the design and construction of Titanix, although the focus is primarily on structure, propulsion, electrical, navigation, and radio systems. Written by a quintet of self-admitted "rivet counters," this book is a tour de force of research and technical writing.

The authors provide us the typical forward, acknowledgements, and introduction before plunging into a full 686 paes of book. There are a total of 24 numbered chapters starting with the business case for and the inception of the ship, its sisters, Olympic and Britannic, and the construction plas. As Titanic was built alongside Olympic in the Harland and Wolff ways, specific differences between Titanic and her slightly older sister are called out.

This book is laid out almost as the ship was built with the chapters covering the ship's structure preceding the chapters on bulkheads, plating, propulsion systems, and so on. After the book's textual sections, the authors provide an appendix listing Titanic's particulars, a bibliography, website references, an comprehensive glossary of shipboard, shipbuilding, and shipfitting terms, a key to abbreviations and symbols used in the several general arrangement plans in this volume, an index, and short bios of the authors. I want to call out specifically the excellence of the glossary, as one of the characteristics of this book demanded it. Any informed discussion of Titanic as a ship must examine how it was built. The authors have done a deep dive into late nineteenth/early twentieth century ship design and building practices, when riveted construction, reciprocating engines, and the new electrical technology dominated the industry. Many of the terms used in the book date from more than a century ago and are either no longer used or have different meanings today, hence the need for a comprehensive glossary.

Despite this book's daunting length, the pages fly by quickly. There are copious illustrations, plans, and photographs, with many provided by the authors themselves based on Harland and Wolff plans. A word of warning to the reader, though. This book is as technical as a publication can get without calling it a textbook. Some familiarity with shipboard, shipbuilding, and marine engineering would go a long way to help reading comprehension. Even that may not be enough as I got in over my head with the highly detailed discussion of Titanic's Marconi radion installation--giving me recurring nightmares about my own stumbling and bumbling efforts with electrical engineering many years ago.

Given the amount of coverage and cultural impact Titanic has engendered since the wreck's discover in 1985, this book is a godsend to those wanting to know more about the ship's birth, its brief service, and its tragic ending. Ship modelers would be especially appreciative of the details, drawings, and photographs--a comprehensive paint scheme for the ship is provided as well. Although almost overwhelming in its content, "Titanic: The Ship Magnificent" has set a very high bar of accomplishment for framing this ship both literally and figuratively in the context of the Edwardian culture that gave her to us.… (mere)

The largest, most luxurious ship in the world, wrecked on her maiden voyage after colliding with an iceberg in mid-Atlantic, has become the stuff of legends—her name, Titanic! While everyone knows the new, glamorous White Star liner was full of millionaires when she sank, few appreciate just how luxurious she was. Even in Third Class, the accommodation was better than on First Class on many older ships. In this beautiful limited edition slipcase, expert Titanic authors Bruce Beveridge, Scott Andrews, Steve Hall, Daniel Klistorner and Art Braunschweiger examine in detail the ship itself; in Volume 1, her design and construction, and in Volume 2, her interior design and fittings. They tell the amazing story of a liner built at the peak of the race between the British, French and Germans to build bigger and better ships.… (mere)