This book is filled with first hand accounts of stories of those who not survived and perished aboard the Titanic. Split into two parts - the first part covers the voyage while part two details the lives of those featured in the book from birth to death. Having been obsessed with the movie when it came out, I devoured every book appropriate for a 2nd grader so I was aware of several of the people featured in this book but most were new stories. I liked that the people featured represented each class and included both guests and workers. The layout of the storytelling felt disjointed - I wish each person’s full story was a chapter instead of the somewhat chronological way it read.

The historical facts of the Titanic's infamous sinking have been a morbid maritime currency, in non-fiction books, film's, television documentaries, for well over 100 years. With countless articles written and books published, so many stories have been told and retold about the 'unsinkable' ship and have been historically re-written on countless occasions. 

The most famous that spring to mind would be; 'A night to remember by Walter Lord, and James Cameron's 1997 cinematic masterpiece 'Titanic', are probably the best of both cinematic and non-fiction retellings. Assuming you've read plenty of Titanic's history (like I have) then surely 'TITANIC - ICEBERG AHEAD' by James W Bancroft is superfluous in this well-stocked subject matter? Well, yes and no. 

The beginning of the book recounts all of the usual Titanic information, when she was launched, where from, how big, unsinkable, maiden voyage, etc etc. However, by the second half of the book, the author delves deep into the passenger's lives, and unlike those well-versed accounts of the ships first-class millionaires on board, this book tells the life stories of passengers, survivors and victims, of the Titanic, from second and third class. The social history is fascinating and tragic in equilibrium and is told with impressively researched detail.  Foreboding narrative aside, it's a very good book for those who aren't familiar with the tragedy of the Titanic or the lives of those who sailed in her. 

A very recommended read for history buffs and true crime fans, alike!

This was a quick read on a tragedy that continues to interest and fascinate me. Split into two halves the reader is initially led through the building and launching of the ship. This is followed by a selection of true and personal accounts which added perspective and depth. Containing some illustrations this book is well researched, has good attention to detail and is easy to read. I would recommend this to anyone interested in the Titanic’s voyage and its passengers.

I've read a lot of books about Titanic ever since I was a little kid and this one did not disappoint. Very well done by the author.

If you have seen documentaries about the Titanic before, or read other books, then of course a lot of this book will be redundant for you.  I came here for the little individual stories of the survivors and the tragically lost souls. I am hoping that it was just the ARC copy, but the introductory part felt like it jumped around and the photos at the end were a bit confusing.  I am assuming that the finished copy will have rectified this.  No matter how many Titanic stories I hear, it will never be enough.  All of the if only they had done this, and if only this had happened instead.  If a book has the word Titanic in the cover, it will interest me.  Also the fact that it happened close to Newfoundland, where I'm from, makes the whole story feels so much closer to me.

An engaging story of two sisters who’s lives changed after the sinking of the titanic.  Great read. You will not want to put this one down.

This is full of first-person accounts from survivors of the Titanic. Some are chilling and at times I felt I was on board with them. It made me wonder what I would do in such a situation. Although compelling testimonies, they are not presented in a coherent manner or with a linking narrative. It could have benefitted from some editorial voice throughout. Still a fascinating read, though. 

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Pen and Sword Publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest book review. 
The doomed voyage of the Titanic has been told in numerous ways; books, movies and documentaries. 
In James Bancroft well crafted book, fifty people, fifty very personal accounts are thoughtfully shared.. Who were they? Why were they making this voyage? Were they passengers, members of the crew? Each account is unique, revealing and heartbreaking. Lives were shattered, families separated, lives lost and the strength, complexities and the power of the human spirit is always evident and palpable. 
I recommend this as a must read and a wonderful edition to the Titanic library.

Perhaps I have read one too many books on the topic of the Titanic, and if that is the case, this is that one book too many. I was looking forward to reading this and was left disappointed. 

I understand that I have received a proof copy, for the purposes of reviewing, and that there may be further changes in the final edition. However, I found that the presentation of the facts to lack a consistent narrative. The introductory chapter jumped all over the place, and I found it incredibly difficult to pick up the threads when the author referenced something later in the work. The information provided is interesting and engaging, however perhaps the outline and structure of the book could have been approached in an alternative manner, perhaps something with a more linear narrative. In the current format, I feel this is a book that does not lend well to digital reading as it is not so simple to flick back however many pages when you find yourself lost (yet again).

The book is pitched in the genres of history and non-fiction, but it lacks standard conventions of these genres I'd have expected to see. There was a great deal of information that I would like to have seen referenced more clearly (in either a footnote or an endnote). There is no reference list or bibliography in the version of the manuscript I received. I'd like to say the book is well researched, but I sincerely cannot determine this.

NOTE: I received a free preliminary, and likely unedited copy of this book from Netgalley for the purposes of providing an honest, unbiased review of the material. Thank you to all involved.

It’s been a long while since I read a book on the Titanic, as aside from a ton of whackadoo conspiracy stuff I was always of the mind that everything that could have been said had been said. Perhaps ignoring looking more into the material was a mistake because I quite enjoyed reading this book. I’m not surprised as I absolutely loved being able to visit a local museum exhibition around a decade or so ago that used props from the James Cameron film show what the ship was like, seeing that full-sized replicas were built (I believe the full museum is in Branson, Missouri now, this was a traveling thing). The reason I enjoyed it were the person stories, and the points of view from the handful of survivors.

That’s basically what this book is, it tells the story of the sinking of the Titanic, from early bad omens all the way up to the aftermath, but its sold through personal correspondence and accounts of the very people that were on the ship, organized in a linear way so that every bit of the trip is explained. Its an interesting way to piece a book like this together, and I appreciate the author doing it this way vs telling us the accepted “this is what happened” version of the story. It was particularly heartbreaking to read letters basically saying “The boats 100% unsinkable, I’ve never felt more safe in my life!” mailed from the last port before the boat went towards its water grave in the middle of the Atlantic ocean.

I particularly enjoyed a section about a man who was apparently so drunk that he somehow survived the sinking by wandering out onto the ship as it was listing to the side and swam around until the Carpathia showed up. In actuality it was less ridiculous as he hung halfway onto a lifeboat, held by a friend, but the descriptions make it sound like Mr. Magoo obliviously avoiding certain doom. I also enjoyed the descriptions of the conspiracies that yellow newspapers started printing after the disaster – like ones involving Captain Smith sightings. to me, this shows that nothing ever changes and gullible people are eternal.

The book is a fairly quick read and is split into two halves. Part one is the chronology of the entire disaster, and the second half are short biographies of the people involved alive or dead. Throughout the “main” bit of the book names sometimes have asterisks next to them, meaning that the author has included historical information to look at. There are also photographs and references in the back. All-in-all its well researched and well put together.

My only gripe with this book is that information is sometimes duplicated when jumping between accounts, its somewhat jarring when it happens and made me think that I was tired and reading the same line multiple times. Its a small gripe, and I understand why it happened, but I wonder if that could have been addressed.

While I’m not going to jump headlong into Titanic Mania like some did a while back (The anniversary especially) I think I have a new appreciation or understanding for what these unfortunate folks went through. It makes me want to go and see that big museum down in Branson one of these days, just to see what else I can learn.

I love anything Titanic and enjoyed this book. The introductory chapter was a little boring and all over the place, jumping from topic to topic but I've read a lot of the history so I skimmed most of this section and didn't find anything new. Where this book shines is in the personal stories that make up the majority of the book. Some of these can be found in different books but the collection all together in one place is interesting and kept me reading.

I received a copy from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

#TitanicIcebergAhead #NetGalley

Titanic - 'Iceberg Ahead' by James W Bancroft offers a slightly different view of the tragedy than many other books, one I think of as more personal. 

While I have, like so many others, read a number of books about the sinking of the Titanic as well as watched some documentaries (and yes, even two different movies) I haven't committed a lot of the details to memory. In other words, I am far from one of those who can recite numbers, times, and all of the other details. My familiarity with it is decent but not great. I mention this because I came to this book expecting to be overloaded with all of the small details of how and why the accident happened, which is interesting but frankly has been done to death (thus my lack of interest in remembering all of it). I was, instead, pleasantly surprised by how this book is organized.

Rather than being about the ship and the accident with people mentioned when necessary, this was about the people. Those involved in building and sailing the ship as well as passengers. We do get the story and enough of the details to still be in awe of the size and perceived invincibility of it, but the people are front and center here. What they thought, how they felt, and some small biographic material about many of them. By using their words the emotional pain of losing a father, for example, hits much harder than simply being told passengers lost relatives. The helplessness of knowing a father is onboard as you watch it go down is made more real when we get her words.

I recommend this to readers who always wonder, when reading about any historical event, what the people actually were thinking and what happened to them after the event. My heart went out to so many of these people in a far more personal way than even the movies elicited.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.

Book Review for Titanic: 'Iceberg Ahead' by James W Bancroft
Full review for this title can be found at: @fyebooks on Instagram!

This is a non-fiction story. I loved the titanic movie and story. This book was good, and I loved learning more about the titanic. I love that this book did a closer look at each of the people that where saved. I have to say I know most of the facts about what happen to the titanic before reading this book, but I did not know about the people that where saved. I did enjoyed this book, and I think it was well written. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Pen & Sword) or author (James W. Bancroft) via NetGalley, so I can give honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that. This book is schedule to be release on March 31-2021.

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review - many thanks for that!

Since I was a child (I think around 9 years old) I've loved reading about the Titanic. I can't say why, but something about this tragedy keeps me coming back to read more. So when I saw this new Titanic book on Netgalley, I knew I had to check it out.

The author has selected fifty people involved in the disaster and tells the story of what happened through their eyewitness accounts. Why were they onboard the Titanic? As passengers or members of the crew? Did they have any premonitions or worries regarding the ensuing tragedy? What was life like onboard the ship? And of course, how did they experience the collision with the iceberg and the aftermath?
The second half of the book explores some biographical details of most eyewitnesses. Were did they come from and what happened to them after the Titanic?

As somebody who's very interested in the Titanic and the personal tragedies, I enjoyed reading this book a lot. In the beginning, I wasn't so sure, as some of the accounts felt more like bullet points than a coherent story to me. At times it was hard to keep track of everybody and remember all the names.
But the accounts of the actual sinking and the time in the lifeboats until the survivors were rescued were extremely touching and heartbreaking. Families were torn apart without a chance to say goodbye for the last time. People had to die, so others could live. The survivors in the lifeboats witnessed the sinking and the terrible screams of the ones dying. They had to spend hours on tiny unstable boats in the middle of the North Atlantic without knowing if they would be rescued. I couldn't put the book down, and I know I'll be thinking about that for quite a while.

Regarding the biographies of some of the people involved in the second part of the book: Naturally, I was more interested in some than in others. It was great to learn more about Thomas Andrews, Charles Lightoller (the highest-ranking surviving officer) or Harold Bride.

All in all, it was a very enjoyable read. A couple of weeks ago I read A Night to Remember by Walter Lord and I couldn't stop myself from comparing the two. While I do prefer Walter Lord's book, Titanic: Iceberg Ahead is definitely worth reading. If you're interested in the accident and want to find out more about the people involved, do check it out.

Another sad account about the most famous shipwreck in history, the Titanic that struck on iceberg fatally on April 14 1912 and sank into the North Atlantic Ocean. I like how the author discussed about the some of the possible errors when Titanic was being built, also the fact that it may be cursed because 8 shipbuilders died in its creation, interesting point to think about.  Most of the book was not new information but I still enjoyed it because it is a nonfiction book about the TItianic.

Highly recommended for anyone interested about the most famous shipwreck in history.

All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thanks to Netgalley, James W Banvroft and Pen & Sword Frontline for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 3/31/21

Described in riveting and vivid detail, "Titanic Iceberg Ahead" is a sobering, fascinating, gut wrenching and poignant book about what happened before the fateful night of April 15, 1912 when 1,516 people were killed after the infamous ship hit a black iceberg and sank.  The author relays many experiences, letters and journal entries of those who constructed the ship, the few who decided not to board last minute, survivors and some who died in such detail it took my breath away.  The amount of research must have been phenomenal!

From the time of alarm to two explosions to the complete sinking was only three hours.  But what those three hours must have been like!  Pure terror.  I loved this book a lot and many things stand out in my mind including the personal descriptions of the trip by the sadly unsuspecting people, the high number of those with premonitions, the descriptions of belongings in the pockets of the dead and the courageous orchestra members who played until the very end.  So many who survived the sinking drowned in the below freezing water.  Women and children were rescued first but the number of lifeboats was alarmingly low with a capacity of 1,178, less than half of those on board!  These are just a few of the hundreds of stories and details described.  The photographs and especially the biographies of many mentioned by name in the book are moving, both those who survived and those who died.  Many could not speak of the horrors for the rest of their lives, some did speak of it to get the true story out.  All were affected.  

This book should be at the top of Nonfiction readers' lists of books to read for sure.  It is THAT good.

My sincere thank you to Pen & Sword and NetGalley for a digital copy of this wonderful book.  Much appreciated. This is my unbiased review.

Although much has been written about the Titanic disaster, Bancroft's novel focuses on the cost of human life in the building of the great ship and then on in to the disaster itself. Bancroft tells the life stories of fifty of the passengers and crew, some of whom survived and also some who perished from drowning or from freezing to death. The stories are told in the second portion of the novel. In the first section, however, the reader is led through the building and launch of the ship. The description of the amenities and the wealthy who could afford such a passage is so detailed that the reader experiences the elegance and other-worldliness of the voyage. Well-researched, this novel is a treasure of detail and yet also lends an intimate view of the real people involved in this disaster.

I love all things Titanic and enjoyed the stories shared in this book. While most of the information about the Titanic is known, they are but facts. What I treasure are the true life, personal accounts from the ship. These are things that shape perspective. What makes a tragedy such as that of the Titanic feel real and personal.

Kudos to the author.

Very in depth and well researched  book, including  accounts and letters from passengers that were on board the Titanic. Interesting to learn about incidents that had happened before the ship even set sail! Quite alot of biography reading in the second half . I feel like this would be better read in hardback than on the kindle, to be able to flick back easily to check details and for the photos and biographies in part two.


I want to thank NetGalley and Pen & Sword/Frontline Books for the opportunity to read this book.