When I was going through Sam's Club, I noticed a magazine from All About History about the Titanic. Being the passionate Titaniac that I am, I had to get it. The price on the magazine was $25.00, though the price was reduced to $15.00 with a membership. I understand that it is also sold at Barnes and Nobles'. It is written by Beau Riffenburgh and was published in 2014.
As I was skimming through the magazine, I was almost immediately struck with the fact it is very similar to Beau Riffenburgh's book, "Titanic: The Legend of the Unsinkable Ship." A closer examination of it reveals more similarities. A lot of the materials he used and people he focused on were the same as ones used in "Titanic: The Legend of the Unsinkable Ship." Unlike his book, however, the papers and documents were not ones you could pull out of pockets. I will add that the book is not really for someone who has researched the ship for many years and knows a lot of commonly said facts. There is no new information which can be gained by it if you have Riffenburgh's book.
The information is pretty good. It's clear he did a lot of research on the subject, though some of his information is outdated (such as the legend Thomas Andrews died in the Smoking Room which we now know to be incorrect). Riffenburgh laid a good foundation at the start, talking about the White Star Line, Cunard Line and the world the Titanic came into. He then takes you into the Titanic's construction, maiden voyage, sinking, aftermath, and legacy with interesting facts and details which will keep you interested throughout.
The images in the book are wonderful and while some are common, others are not that well used. Unfortunately, I do have to urge caution with the captions because some images are mislabeled including several photographs being identified as the Titanic when they were actually of the Titanic's sister ship Olympic. I believe you will also recognize some of the computer models as being from Explore Titanic by Peter Crisp.
In conclusion, I believe it would be a great addition to your Titanic library. If you are a Titanic historian who has studied the ship for several years, it may not be for you because you probably won't learn anything. But if you are someone with a casual interest or someone who is just getting interested in the Titanic, it would be great for helping you to get to know the Titanic better. However, it might be better if you just go ahead and purchase "Titanic: The Legend of the Unsinkable Ship."
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