The Truth About the Titanic
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4.0 • 2 Ratings
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- $4.99
Publisher Description
Colonel Archibald Gracie IV, an American writer, amateur historian, and member of New York's prominent Gracie family, boarded the Titanic as a first-class passenger on his return trip home from a visit in Europe. In the fateful early morning hours of April 15, Gracie assisted Second Officer Lightoller in freeing the collapsible lifeboats before he scrambled atop overturned Collapsible "B" to avoid being pulled down by the undertow of the sinking ship. Gracie survived the harrowing night atop the lifeboat and returned to New York aboard the Carpathia, beginning work on an account of his Titanic experience upon his arrival home. Published shortly after Gracie's death in December 1912 (his health never recovered after the calamity), "The Truth About the Titanic" remains one of the most popular accounts of the sinking for its painstaking detail.
Customer Reviews
The Truth About The Titanic; A Survivor’s Story
This book is a classic of Titanic literature. Colonel Archibald Gracie, a military historian related to Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt, was traveling on the Titanic on its maiden voyage to New York City. He was one of a few first-class male passengers who survived that night swimming in the below freezing water of the North Atlantic. His account is unique in that it tells the story of the tragedy from two different perspectives: that of a survivor who was actually there, with personal experience and loss of his friend James Clinch Smith; and that of a dispassionate historian who wishes to examine the facts, leading to a logical discussion of the event from the perspective of other survivors who witnessed events that Gracie did not. Sadly, Colonel Gracie died in December 1912, just a month before his book was published. But it remains a personal favorite of mine, and a testimony for all time to the heroism of the persons who both survived the tragedy and those who did not. The only reason that I give this book 4 stars instead of all 5, is that the Colonel covers his material very comprehensively, almost to the point of exhaustion. His last two chapters are probably not for the faint of heart when it comes to learning even the most minute detail of who survived and in which lifeboat. But on the whole, his book is a masterpiece, and one can enjoy it whether you are a newcomer to the story of the Titanic or have been studying the subject for many decades.