Familiar Titanic fare enhanced by fine images

It often seems surprising that new books are still being published every year about the Titanic disaster, which happened over 110 years ago and is already one of the best-documented events in modern history. But the vessel clearly exerts a powerful hold over the public imagination – as the recent Titan submersible accident demonstrated only too well.

However interested we may be in the Titanic, most of us are not prepared to put our lives in danger to catch a glimpse of the sunken ship, and a well-illustrated book provides a better option. This is certainly delivered in the new work from Amber Books, a publisher known for its high-quality presentation of images.

There are fine illustrations on almost every page of 14 April 1912: Titanic – largely black and white photos, but also paintings, diagrams and reproductions of documents such as a lifeboat inventory. The book also makes use of exhibits from the various Titanic museums around the world, including recreations of cabins and the radio room, and there are images of the wreck in the final 'Aftermath' chapter.

The story told in the text will be nothing new to readers of other Titanic books, and it is rather cheeky that there is no bibliography listing the works that the author must have drawn on. However, picture credits are given, and clearly a great deal of care has gone into sourcing the images and optimising them for print. With its large format and glossy pages, the book would make a good – and safe – gift for an enthusiast.

14 April 1912: Titanic
By David Ross
Amber Books, £19.99
ISBN: 978 18388 62565