Titanic

The story of the Titanic is now well known. But in the months following the disaster wild speculation was rife. On Thursday 22 May 1912, a mere 37 days after the sinking, respected London publisher Grant Richards, delivered Filson Young’s book to booksellers around the capital. It was the first attempt to plot the demise of the unsinkable ship from a well-respected writer who had already argued in the light of the Oceana sinking, for proper use of the wireless on board ships. Both Filson and Grant knew victims of the sinking and both worked hard to gather first-hand testimony to use in the book.

Much of his telling of the story still stands today and his speculations about the feeling of daily life aboard the doomed ship are used in books and films on the subject.

Filson Young was a influential journalist and writer. He had visited Belfast in the summer of 1911 to see the Titanic under construction and following the Titanic disaster went to Southampton to see her sister ship Olympic leave for America. He walked around on board and understood the feeling of unsinkability that had given such false confidence to the passengers and crew aboard the Titanic. He wrote many popular books including The Trial of Hawley Harvey Crippen.