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Titanic  By  cover art

Titanic

By: Colonel Archibald Gracie
Narrated by: Frederick Davidson
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Publisher's Summary

It was one of the most traumatic events in maritime history, and Archibald Gracie was probably among the last to leave the sinking Titanic on that cold April night in 1912. In this unique account, he describes his personal experiences and remarkable escape from death in the icy waters of the Atlantic, painting a vivid picture of what it was like on board the Titanic in its final hours.

Tracking down other survivors for their stories and attending court hearings to obtain the official record, Colonel Gracie filled in the details of his account, struggling to complete it in spite of illness. Largely due to the effects of his ordeal and exposure in the frigid Atlantic, he finally succumbed on December 4, 1912. His book was published in 1913 to universal acclaim and remains one of the most vivid first-hand accounts of the disaster.

(P)1998 Blackstone Audio Inc.

Critic Reviews

"A definitive account." (Los Angeles Times)

What listeners say about Titanic

Average Customer Ratings
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I sure hope the book tasted good!

Would you try another book from Colonel Archibald Gracie and/or Frederick Davidson?

maybe

What didn’t you like about Frederick Davidson’s performance?

He keeps salivating and we seem to hear the pages turn. His voice sometimes is too uneven - we can't hear the end of sentences.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

The true stories

Any additional comments?

Despite being a fan of the story of the Titanic, I didn't finish the book. I couldn't; the narration being so bad (inadequate).

6 people found this helpful

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Amazing Detail from a Survivor

This book goes into alot of detail about who was on which lifeboats, and the hearings, and actual quotes at those hearings, into the sinking of the Titanic.
That part, quite lengthy, does drag on a bit, but as this was written by a survivor in the same year as the sinking, it is a very credible and interesting account.

5 people found this helpful

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It's a heartbreaker

This story is told by a person who was there. So many things went wrong. It's hard to imagine.

3 people found this helpful

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A Bit of History

Reading the differing opinions about certain happenings on the doomed ocean liner is eye opening. There was so much happening all at once during the sinking that a full knowledge about any one instance would be impossible. Also, there were forms of prejudice, both of nationality and concerning ones job, at play at certain times as well. Concerning the ship breaking apart, people didn't want to believe it broke apart partly because it could mean the work had been shoddy and in part because they expected more commotion from the ship than they heard. Although we know so much better today that she did break apart, it seems perfectly reasonable to me that the majority of the day found that hard to believe. Concerning "President Ismay's" conduct, as most beginner historians (and it seems the majority of the Titanic's day, excluding the author of this book) I spent a lot of time believing that he was largely to blame for the accident and was utterly wrong to enter a lifeboat. Nonetheless, the facts point toward him just trying to do his best given each situation and only going in so the boat would be more filled. I think those assertions are more visible when you take into account the manner of Mr. Ismay's brokenness proceeding the American and British tribunals. I have come to feel more for the man. This book has been truly eye-opening. I hope to read other accounts, especially those from different classes of people.

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Irritating naruto

I had to discontinue listening after the 1st chapter the narrator has the most irritating ,and off putting cadence to his voice 🤬 like a bad British Thurston Howell

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  • Mr A J CROOK
  • 04-28-22

great listen

loved every minute of this book, the crew and the people in the life boats were true heroes

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  • Anonymous User
  • 11-11-18

Must read for a Titanic fan

Col Gracie's personal experience is great for any Titanic fan to listen to. His first hand experience and research to include as much testimony to what happened that night is excellent.

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  • Tamy R. McDonald
  • 07-14-22

Narration should have been better

could not continue to listen to Frederick Davidson his monotone commentary was to hard to listen to

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  • Amazon Customer
  • 03-27-22

I appreciate the tremendous level of detail and research that went into writing this book.

4stars
I appreciate the tremendous level of detail and research that went into writing this book.

This is the third (or maybe fourth???) NF book I have read in quick succession about the sinking of the RMS Titanic. What is different about this book in comparison to the others that I have read are a couple of things:
1. It was written by a survivor.
2. It was written almost immediately after the sinking.
3. The author had access to many primary sources from other survivors that he specifically referred to (e.g correspondence)

What I appreciated about this account in that not only was Colonel Gracie adamant about telling his own story, he also wanted to share the stories of those that had lost their lives and also other survivors.

Brace yourself, this was written in the early 20th century and Colonel Gracie does have a view of women that probably does not fit with the way women would describe themselves. He honestly believed it was his duty to save helpless women and children and was prepared to die for that belief.

Some truly remarkable accounts are recorded in this book. It is well recommended if you are interesting in Titanic history, or just in history in general.

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  • Anonymous User
  • 09-12-18

The individual experiences of those who survived

An incredibly detailed survivors account. Gracie is intensely preoccupied with minor details, which can sometimes drag the story on. But when the broad strokes of the disaster are so ubiquitous in culture, this provides an insight into the people who were actually on the ship, the experiences of the survivors and the sacrifices of the victims. Given that this book was written in only 8 months before Gracie himself died, it's a remarkable compendium of information. Davidson is a very listenable reader.