What made you interested in the Titanic?

[Hannah]

When I was little we had a book on the Titanic. It had lots of pictures, which was good because I was only three then. I would look at the book so often and make up stories for each of the people in the picture. I don't think I understood the tragedy much then, but of course now I do. The story of the Titanic has fascinated me ever since.

[Margaret]

For me what makes Titanic so fascinating is its multifaceted themes. On the surface you have Man vs. Nature, very popular in literature around the time of the industrial revolution. Then you have the almost "divine intervention" of so much Murphy's Law working against the ship: the missing binoculars, the flat calm combined with the new moon that made sighting icebergs so much more difficult, the location of where the ship was hit by the berg that rendered the watertight bulkheads completely useless and not to mention not enough lifeboats...Then of course there's the other theme, the one that is most popular with the vast majority of authors who have written Titanic fiction: A classic story about class division. I could go on and on but ONE real life story that carries so many themes makes me wonder why there aren't even more people fascinated by Titanic.

[Hannah]

I never thought about that... There are a lot of themes!

[Margaret]

Thanks! :-) I know you asked us to add books to this group. Well, I just added 5 but I stopped there just because I didn't want to give an impression of trying to run this group or anything. I haven't read, much less managed to buy any of those books I added yet but those are all the top books of my coveted reading/owning list. I gave a reason for adding each one and I hope they get your approval as well.

[Hannah]

Don't be afraid to add book! You can add as many as you like!

[Margaret]

Well okay, if you insist...;-)

[Margaret]

Anna I was wondering if maybe we could add a new heading for Titanic documentaries (and *maybe* movies)? Just a few days ago I finally got around to watching one documentary in particular that was a bit unorthodox in what we have traditionally known about Titanic. It was a two hour long documentary called "What Sank Titanic?" It was narrated by Bill Paxon (Mr. Lovitt from Cameron's Titanic movie, who old Rose was telling the story to) and I would **love** to talk in depth about that one and even recommend you guys renting it (if it's available) and maybe even discuss our thoughts/reactions to it? And certainly, discuss any other documentaries you guys may have watched.

[Susan]

I wasn't sure where to add this, but I just got a copy of "Historical Novel's Review" (Issue 60 May 2012)and it has an article on Titanic Tales- The Titanic's Legacy to Historical Fiction. You have to subscribe to the magazine, but I am sure libraries hold it? The website address is: www.historicalnovelsociety.org for anyone interested.

[Margaret]

Thanks Susan. :) Will check that out. Has anyone ever been to http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/ ? I used to consider myself something of a Titanic scholar until I discovered this site. Now I am simply a Titanic buff. There are people on this site who have gone a very long way in making so many of those silenced 1500+ voices heard. People on this site have actually travelled to certain victims' home towns/villages, interviewed descendents and studied documents and letters that concerned the victims prior to and after 1912. As a matter of fact there are so many members who have done this and contributed their research to that site that I can actually say with confidence that EncyclopediaTitanica is practically your one-stop site, particularly if you want to learn more about the individual stories of those who were on that ship.

[Susan]

Thanks for the link Margaret :)

[Hannah]

Margaret wrote: "Thanks Susan. :) Will check that out. Has anyone ever been to http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/ ? I used to consider myself something of a Titanic scholar until I discovered this site. Now I am..."

That sounds really cool! I'll probably check it out some time this week!

[Margaret]

Pardon the intrusion but as soon as I read it I just *had* to share! This is too funny:

"JUST MISSED IT" CLUB FOLLOWS SEA WRECK
To Date Only About 6,000 Were About to Take
Titanic But Changed Their Minds
It's certain that two boats the size of Titanic could not carry the crowds that 'just missed taking' the lost ship.
To date 3,482 Americans, 2,950 Britons and 476 scattered, all more or less prominent, have entered the "Just Missed It Club."
It appears that 4,965 of these had engaged passage, but canceled their reservations before the Titanic sailed. Of this number, 899 had premonitions of disaster. The rest were in Paris and couldn't break away.
Of the balance, 732 are glad they were not aboard at the time, as they surely would have come home on the Titanic.
Firesides of future generations are sure to be thrilled by grandfather's story of how his paternal ancestor 'just missed it...
Milwaukee [Wisconsin] Journal, April 19122

If you want to read the full article it's here: http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/...

[Hannah]

Margaret wrote: "Pardon the intrusion but as soon as I read it I just *had* to share! This is too funny:

"JUST MISSED IT" CLUB FOLLOWS SEA WRECK
To Date Only About 6,000 Were About to Take
Titanic But Changed Th..."

I'm really tired right now, so it's not making much sense (I really need to get more sleep!) so I'll reread it again... It sounds interesting though!

[Peter]

It is difficult not to get interested in Titanic. Movies especially have had a big influence. Check out these movie stills from the Daily Telegraph: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/cu...

[Margaret]

I'm going through them all right now and...WHOA! Hold up! *Lovejoy* the valet from, uh...heck in Cameron's movie was also Lawrence Beasley, 2nd class passenger in the 70's Titanic movie?? O...M...G!!! I have *got* to get my hands on this movie! LOL!

[Margaret]

I actually have a copy of that 1929 Titanic movie on VHS. It wasn't properly preserved so the movie kept screwing up on me and if memory serves I don't think I made it all the way to the end because the quality started frustrating me. But what I did manage to see looked very interesting and well performed. Interesting how they decided it would be in poor taste to show the ship actually sink...Maybe I had watched it to the very end but had thought that the movie was in such poor condition that my copy had ended prematurely? You make me want to dig that movie back out and watch it again...

[Hannah]

Margaret wrote: "I actually have a copy of that 1929 Titanic movie on VHS. It wasn't properly preserved so the movie kept screwing up on me and if memory serves I don't think I made it all the way to the end becaus..."

I didn't know there was a movie about Titanic in 1929, what was it like besides all the technical issues?

[Margaret]

Oops, just now noticed your post, Anna. I honestly don't remember much about it! That is not a slam at the movie as much as it was a frustration at its quality. I need to make good on my promise to see if I still have in my (NO exaggeration!) THREE shelves of Titanic documentaries and films. Haha! If it's there I give you my word I will watch that tonight and let you know. And now that I have said that will you please remind me in about...12 or so hours from now that I made you this promise? I have an appointment with the orthopedic this morning (I am sooo not normally up at this ungodly hour!) and things may slip from my memory between now and then. LOL!

[Larry]

You may think I'm crazy, but I don't care, I'm used to it at my age and my profession. I was on Titanic as a child in 3rd Class. I did not survive. Yes, I do believe in reincarnation. Why? Because I have too many memories I can't account for in this life. I also know I died as a young soldier in the Civil War, but that's another story. In this life, I had nightmares of drowning, not once but in two different incarnation. The other was as a child in 1830s Kentucky, but again that's another story. See? I said you'd think I'm nuts. I've been a Titanic person since seeing the 1953 TITANIC with Barbara Stanwyck and Clifton Webb. It gave me chills watching the ship sink, but none of the characters in the film made any sense to me. I actually joined the US Navy to get over my fear of being on a ship at sea. Seeing James Cameron's version of TITANIC brought up other memories of that short life. I cried at the end. So did my wife and daughter, so stop laughing now. It was my daughter Tegan who insisted that I write a book about Titanic, so I wrote TEGAN O'MALLEY STOWAWAY ON TITANIC last year. It's a novel, but it's as historically accurate as I could make it from heavy research and from my past-life memories.Stowaway on Titanic

[Ellie]

Hi Larry, what an interesting post. I've also written a time-crossing novel about Titanic and it includes reincarnation (Ship of Haunts).

If asked, I would have said I believed in reincarnation, but I've recently come across the suggestion that it's only in this life that we see time as linear, and that past, present and future are actually simultaneous (if that's the right word). Not quite sure I understand the implications of this for history but it's an interesting point.

Good luck with your book. I too tried to make my work as historically accurate as possible and one thing I discovered was how difficult it would have been for 3rd class passengers to find their way out of 3rd class unaided.

[Larry]

Hello, Ellie. The only fictional character on Titanic is Tegan O'Malley. No Rose or Jack aboard. I'm trying to remember exactly how many 3rd Class passengers survived, and the only number that comes to mind is 72. That might not be exact, but I know it was around that.Stowaway on Titanic is my 25th novel to be published. This series is a different step for me, but it sure is fun to write.