On a Sea of Glass: The Life and Loss of the RMS Titanic by Tad Fitch, J. Kent Layton & Bill Wormstedt
Final Rating: 5/5
Over a hundred years have passed since the golden era of Edwardian superliners and we still stand in awe at the craftsmanship of these grand marvels just as those curious before us. They were said to be “practically unsinkable” and you know the ships' names as they were the elite of the Oceans and Seas that drew crowds of wanderers with their advertised newness and grandness to conquer the waves in style and become a story to tell within society circles. Entrancing then and now, we seem to never get enough of the prospect to explore these amazing innovations. Today however we quietly reflect as each unfortunate centennial arrives of these majestic ships that now peacefully rest at the bottom of the oceans and question what went so horribly wrong with these once wonders of the seas? While the names of Olympic, Mauretania, Britannic and Lusitania are a few names mentioned of these scrapped and lost liners, On a Sea of Glass is the Titanic’s story and explores the multiple questions and mysteries that will probably forever follow in her wake.
A magnificent array of historic facts will greet the reader with On a Sea of Glass: The Life and Loss of the RMS Titanic as they follow the Titanic from impressive ambitious beginnings to her harrowing demise and finally to stirring echoes of the aftermath. About half of the book is dedicated to the narrative of the Titanic as carefully researched facts and the lives of her: innovators, builders, tradesmen, designers, benefactors, passengers and crew become a unique feature of this book as their shared voices tell the ship’s story. The other portion is comprised of essays that reexamine the most well-known legends and conspiracy theories attached to the Titanic and another section is dedicated to the survivors and what happened to them long after 15 April 1912. There is also a segment of pictures in the back that shows places of interest, memorabilia and interesting tidbits of trivia. Stunning photographs fill chapters throughout and it becomes hard to not just stare at the page and imagine a simpler time but also the feel, the icy breath of that April night on your neck.
In the end, I found this work to be a masterful exploration of historic events pertaining to the Titanic. I would have to say by the time you read A Night to Remember, The Night Lives On, Titanic: The Ship Magnificent (Volumes I and II) and On a Sea of Glass: The Life and Loss of the RMS Titanic you will know and be aware of every little fine detail that can be put forward concerning the Titanic. Even though I have read the above, I still found new details with this title and kept saying to myself (and probably a couple times out loud) “I didn’t know that!”. One of the fun new topics I learned about has led me to put The White Swan Hotel in Alnwick England on my list of places I must see when I travel along with Southampton and Belfast of course. The trove of trivia seemed bottomless for me but, my favourite part of this book was when I felt like I was being tapped on the shoulder to turn around and imagine seeing a hat tipped or a gloved hand being offered or a friendly welcoming smile of a passenger or crew member as they spoke from the pages and shared their experiences aboard the Titanic. It also became very hard not to shed a tear as those same voices spoke as the hours and minutes ticked down on that last cold night and early morning in April 1912. A book with this many depths of entertainment that not only brings the pages alive but is also a magnificent preservation of history is always welcome on my shelves. Highly recommend.