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On April 15, 1912, the RMS Titantic — said to be "unsinkable" — struck an iceberg on its first ever voyage and sank beneath the waves of the Atlantic, off the coast of Newfoundland. More than 1,500 people died in the frigid waters, and the Titanic quickly became the most famous maritime disaster in the world. 

The wreckage sat undisturbed for 73 years on the floor of the ocean, until a research team located it using deep-sea vehicles. Thanks to filmmaker James Cameron, the ship again captured the world's imagination in 1997, with the romantic blockbuster that dramatized the sinking.

If you're a history buff, or simply looking to learn about the ship beyond Leonardo DiCaprio, this list dives deep into the history of the Titanic and its passengers.

1) "Voyagers of the Titanic" by Richard Davenport-Hines

This book was released in 2012, in time for the 100th anniversary of the maritime disaster. Davenport-Hines focuses not on the mechanics of the sinking, but on the people swept up in its wake. He catalogs the lives of those on board, from financial giants like J.P. Morgan to the people in steerage, far below deck. He spends time on the men who built the ship, and crew that steered it. The book offers a glimpse into the many tiers of society that came crashing together in the Atlantic.

2) "Voyage of the Iceberg: The Story of the Iceberg That Sank the Titanic" by Richard Brown

The figure you rarely hear about in the Titanic story is the frosty iceberg itself. Here, Brown delivers a portrait of the "most famous iceberg in the world." It's a natural history of life in the ocean — Brown tracks the iceberg's progress from Greenland to the Labrador coast, on its collision course with history.

Lord's minute-by-minute account of the sinking is considered one of the most complete retellings of the disaster. (If you can look past a few potential exaggerations, that is.) Lord interviewed dozens of survivors and pieced their stories together to paint a dark and desperate portrait of April 15, 1912.

4) "The Discovery of the Titanic" by Robert Ballard

Ballard spent 12 years hunting the ocean floor for the wreck of the Titanic. In his book, he gives a firsthand account of the search and his team's triumphant 1985 discovery. Using a deep-sea vehicle called the Argo, the researchers were able to survey the wreckage and provide new information about the ship that captured the world's imagination. 

There's also a Minnesota connection for local readers: Alvin, the deep-sea submersible which helped Ballard's team explore the Titanic wreckage, 

was built by the Minneapolis-based General Mills

5) "And the Band Played On: The Titanic Violinist and the Glovemaker: A True Story of Love, Loss and Betrayal" by Christopher Ward

The image of the Titanic's band continuing to play even as the ship sank into the waters has been seared into our cultural memory. Ward's book centers on the story of one musician, and the family he left behind. Jock Hume was a 21-year-old violinist who died in the disaster — he is also the author's grandfather. Ward investigates his own family history, from what happened to his grandmother — Hume's pregnant fiancée — to the truth about his grandfather, who he never met.

6) "Titanic: First Accounts," edited by Tim Matlin


History buffs will enjoy this collection of first-hand accounts of the ship's sinking. The book includes statements from such recognizable names as the "unsinkable" Molly Brown, as well as testimony about the disaster from the inquiry that followed.

Arts and Culture

The Thread® - Books and Literary News

Tracy Mumford

Author

On the 104th anniversary of the "unsinkable" ship's collision with an iceberg, dive into the history of the disaster with these books.

Six riveting reads on the Titanic

Go Deeper.

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