Iceberg, Right Ahead! The Tragedy of the Titanic by Stephanie Sammartino McPherson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This book is highly browsable, with each header providing a self-contained 'story' about a person or an aspect of the ship's story. While organized in chronological sections, anyone who already knows the order of the story won't be thrown off by browsing around. It was good to see the contemporary photos, illustrations, and diagrams from the time of the sinking, but just as interesting to see some of the underwater photos and museum exhibit pieces.
Overall, I find the staying power of this story strange. There are thousands of well-documented shipwreck stories and many lives lost. In its own way, this book has become almost a genre. There's a clear set of expectations for a sense of darkness and tragedy, a theme running around the possibility the sinking could have been averted, the hubris of the builders, the injustices of lost lives. So why is this story so iconic?
Some masterful design choices made the book compelling. The sea-green and black color scheme in particular seems to be lifted from many of the actual underwater photos, and contributes to the tone. These colors were used for the text vignettes and the diagrams to good effect. No designer was credited, which is a shame.
Sources: The book is very well sourced, with a thorough page sourcing section, a two-page bibliography, and a full page of outside resources for further information. While all of this information might be found on the internet if one were to look up specific topics or people, having it all compiled and organized in one place is a handy strength.
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I spoke with Lu Benke about this at length, and she says it traces directly to James Cameron's movie. Titanic wasn't a 'thing' at the library until then, but since then it's like a required book to cover the market for any house that does children's informational books.
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