You can really feel the research put into this book and the attention to detail is fantastic. Fifty eyewitness accounts helps us to experience the horrific events, who they were, the backgrounds they came from and what happened onboard, I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the titanic disaster.

I’m not alone in being fascinated by the story of the ill-fated ship billed as ‘unsinkable’ which hit an iceberg and sank on its maiden voyage. I have read books, watched films and documentaries and am always ready to read and learn more so I was very excited to read Titanic-Iceberg Ahead. The focus of this book is very much on the people who travelled on the Titanic:  the first part being an account of events pieced together through the words of passengers and crew; the second part being short biographies of some of the passengers and crew. This book is meticulously researched and pieced together. I discovered so many details that I had not been aware of or appreciated. Reading the story through the words and accounts of others made it feel more real and imaginable. It also gives a greater sense of the human side and the human cost of this tragedy. The two parts of the book are separately fascinating. The biographies flesh out the human lives that populated the Titanic on its first and last voyage. They are an absorbing read. So many themes emerge: lives destroyed by the tragedy; heroes of the Titanic who went on to be heroic elsewhere; passengers and crew who were only on the Titanic by chance. I think this is a worthy addition to Titanic literature. The only aspect which did not quite work for me was the separation into two parts - I felt that they existed entirely separately and wanted them to link into each other more. I read this in an electronic copy so perhaps references in a physical copy are available to switch between the account and the biographies. I would also have liked to see an introduction where the author explains how the book has been researched and its rationale. With thanks to Netgalley and Pen and Sword for a digital copy of this book.

This is a non-fiction book about the Titanic.  It is a well developed account of what happened to the ship and its participants.  The personal accounts help make you feel as if you were right there with them.  This is an interesting, entertaining story of what happened.  It was easy to read and understandable which is one of my favorite things about this, the personal accounts was the other thing.   I loved this book and highly recommend it to all.

"Titanic: 'iceberg Ahead': The Story of the Disaster by Some of Those Who Were There by James W. Bancroft
Release Date: 3.31.2021

On April 10, 1912, people began boarded the Titanic, the best and largest ship ever made.  So much excitement bustled by the passengers.  Many would start a new life in the United States.  This ship was "unsinkable."

But, on April 14, 1912, the Titanic's crew realized they hit an iceberg, and the ship was sinking.  It took three hours for the boat to sink.  With only 16 lifeboats and four collapsible dinghies, more than 1,500 passengers and crew died.  

This book is unique, as it shares the perspective of fifty people who experienced the disaster, sharing eyewitness accounts.  They describe the vessel itself, the people aboard, and the impressions of people.  

There is a list at the end of the book, listing each passenger and crew member, and listing if they survived.  This book made the tragedy personal.



Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this title in exchange for an honest review.

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A bit simplistic for my taste, I find anything about the Titanic very interesting but I couldn’t get excited with this book unfortunately and I can’t recommend it to anyone.

I have read a lot of books about the Titanic and its demise.  I have to say this book is one of the best.  The attention to detail and the research that has been undertaken is stunning.  I found out little known facts about the sinking and also about the people that sailed on her. Crew and passengers alike their stories are all just as important and this book has covered that.  The devastation that it caused their families and loved ones is clear to see and the author has also explored that in detail too.  It also covers the misinformation that was given out in the early hours/days of the sinking causing more heartache but also uniting families that thought had been lost. I will certainly be buying this book when it comes out in print.  I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone that wants to enhance their knowledge of the Titanic and its passengers or if you are just interested in this avoidable disaster.

I have always been fascinated by the Titanic so as soon as I saw that this book was being released I was really intrigued and I had the whole book read from cover to cover in a matter of hours of it landing on my Kindle!

I loved the layout and the authors writing style was perfect, I found it addictive and was reading, just one more chapter after the other which is the sign of a really good book for me.  

I have read a lot of books on the disaster and this one has stood out for me – it is informative, honest and frank in the statements made.  I loved finding out what happened to some of the people that survived too – Charles Lightoller was a revelation and I loved what he was able to achieve after – a remarkable man and the book told me quite a lot I had not read before and particularly enjoyed that the people were the main focus

It is 5 stars from me for this one – it was a great book to read and I loved being able to read the stories of those who were actually involved with the great ship – very highly recommended!

This was a huge insight into the survivors and the whole past surrounding the titanic. It really makes you appreciate how terrible it was and how much it affected the survivors lives and other people in the world at that time and in the future.

I was so disappointed with this book.  I am a huge Titanic fan and was expecting a linear book, that would give us a few tidbits that were not known by most readers.

Instead, I got a book that was all over the place.  I could not make heads or tails of the various chapters and frankly, I totally lost interest.

Its a shame, I was really looking forrward to this one.

The Titanic was a disaster of epic proportions, one that would have lasting effects for many years to come. With the "Unsinkable" ship ready to sail, many flocked to its decks, hoping for better lives, celebrating honeymoons, looking for better employment, or just taking pleasure trips. 
When the Titanic struck an iceberg and sank on 14 April 1912 - no one could believe it. The iceberg should not have caused the amount of damage, but there were several design flaws, ones that would come back to haunt the massive ocean liner. 

Through this book, we get a glimpse inside the ship itself, the people aboard the vessel, and many of their thoughts and impressions on the great liner. What can never be erased is the massive loss of life, due to the fact that there were not enough lifeboats on board for everyone and the lives that were torn apart by the sinking of this ship. This heartbreaking book will keep you captured from page one,  giving you a glimpse into the hopes and dreams that were dashed for many that night. 
At the end of the book, there is an accounting for several of the passengers and crew, whether they lived or died, and even providing some background on them. These stories bring home the humanness of it all, the real live people who had their lives cut short, dreams lost, and for some, the inability to get over the guilt of having survived the sinking. 

I highly recommend this book! It was amazing, and I truly enjoyed it!

So much information. Loved hearing another book about the Titanic. Very detailed book. 

Thanks to author, publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book. While I got this book for free, it had no bearing on the rating I gave it.

240 pages

4 stars

This is a very interesting and informative little tome.. 

I knew that there were accidents during the building of the ship, but did not know that eight men died during the building process of the Titanic in the Harland & Wolfe shipyard. 

I also found fascinating how the firemen/stokers and trimmers kept the ship moving and loaded with coal even after she was mortally damaged. I have seen the movie about the heroic firemen, etc., that kept the lights on as the Titanic went down. Absolutely wonderfully done! And the musicians. 

There is an extensive listing of some of those who survived that awful night, and those who didn't. It talks about their histories, where they came from and a little about their families. 

This is followed by a description of how the press handled the emergency/disaster, and an extensive bibliography for those who would like to further explore the subject. 

And pictures! With captions! 

All in all, this is a good book, told in clear and concise style. It covers aspects about the voyage that no one else (that I have read, anyway), has thought to discuss. Very well done, Mr. Bancroft.  

I want to thank NetGalley and Pen & Sword/Frontline Books for forwarding to me a copy of this very interesting book for me to read, enjoy and review.

James W. Bancroft has done an excellent job of recounting the journey and sinking of the Titanic in his book. His research is brilliant and this definitely shows. 

I very much enjoyed the style of including accounts from 'some of those who were there', it really brought the book to life. Some of the descriptions nearly brought tears and they were woven seamlessly with the author narrative. 

The reason for giving this book 4 stars instead of 5 is that half of the book is given to short biographies of people who were on the ship. Whilst these are interesting to read, it's very heavy to sit and read at least 20 short biographies one after the other and my interest started to stray. Whilst I do think it is important to tell their stories, I didn't expect half of this book to be just that. I'd have preferred the book to explore the inquiries after the sinking, etc, if there was space to fill, and the biographies to be condensed and incorporated into the main text (if necessary).