The Unsinkable Mrs. Brown

by M. Bancroft

The rollicking story of the Leadville waitress who reached the top of Newport society -- and a permanent place in American lore -- as a heroine of the Titanic disaster.

Genres: Nonfiction

44 pages, Staple Bound

First published January 1, 1971

Reviews

[Kevin Keating · Rating 2 out of 5]

With the exception of the last few pages, this book was pretty boring, with may more detail on society in Denver and Leadville than I wanted.

[Christal · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book created the myths of Margaret Brown, and told very little of the truth of her life. Please read Kristen Iverson's Molly Brown: Unraveling the Myth for a historical biography based on scholarship.

[Robert Lewis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a short little biography of Molly Brown. It’s a bit of local interest to me as she was one of the more prominent figures in Denver history, but also just a remarkable character in general. This particular book is far from a complete biography, but I was impressed by how much information is condensed into so few pages, along with several archival photographs.

I also have quite an interest in correcting historical myths and misconceptions, and I applaud the author for doing a great job there, both in telling the story as its often repeated as well as setting the record straight. For example, there’s a famous story that Mrs. Brown once hid a bunch of her husband’s money in the stove to keep it safe and, not realizing this, he promptly lit the stove and burned it all away. It’s a great story, repeated here in full detail, but the author goes on to explain that it was actually just about $75 worth of gold and silver coin that the Browns were able to recover from the ashes later. But the story itself, and Molly Brown’s own comfort with it, explains a great deal of her character and legend.

Admittedly, if you’re looking for a detailed study, a lengthier biography would better serve, but if you just want a sort of literary “highlights reel,” this is a good one for you.

[David Ward · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Unsinkable Mrs. Brown by Caroline Bancroft (Johnson Books 1961) (Biography) (4050).

Margaret Tobin of Hannibal, Missouri grew up to become the famed Titanic survivor Molly Brown.

This short volume by a society-page gossip columnist-writer for Colorado newspapers is purely a puff piece. It’s one of the few “vanity publications” I know of that was not autobiographical. By all accounts, this is not a book to seek out for actual facts about Molly Brown or her life.

I own a PB copy in good condition.

My rating: 4/10, finished 6/01/26 (4050).

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[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

There are other far more accurate presentations of the life of Mrs. Brown. Mrs. J.J. Brown led a remarkable life, helped those in need along the way and was an active part of Denver Society and philanthropic life. She was so much more than just a Titanic survivor.

Read this - then read Kristen Iversen's book.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book. I learned so much about Mrs. Brown. It told the truth and also kept the tall tales about her and her life. If you like Colorado History, this is a great book. It is short but informative.