DISASTERS AT SEA: THE BOOKS Just ONE page on the Collecting Books and Magazines web site based in Australia.  A selection of books which put you on the scene of shipping disasters of the 20th Century, both in war and peace; please write in with your selections and reviews. EXTERNAL PAN PAPERBACK SITE Brilliant!

SAVED! By William Hoffer, Pan paperback (see above) 1981, hardback Macmillan 1980.
So far my personal favourite for its brilliant recreation of the sinking of the ANDREA DORIA after its collision with the STOCKHOLM. July the 25th, 1956. I remember few events so early in my life and this is the most memorable. Arguably Italy's most beautiful and modern ship, the ANDREA DORIA was, just as the TITANIC was, regarded as 'unsinkable'. The book itself I read in one night, the entire 224 pages, unusual for this reader. J's Rating: 100%

DISASTER AT SEA By James Croall, Day paperback (see above) 1981, hardback Stein & Day, 1980.
The last voyage of the EMPRESS OF IRELAND which came to grief on the St Lawrence River May the 28th, 1914. It would sink in 14 minutes with a greater loss of life than the TITANIC after coming into collision with the Norwegian coal freighter STORSTAD. An in-depth account of the event and aftermath. 237 pages. J's Rating 70%

FIRE AT SEA By Thomas Gallagher, Pan paperback 1962, hardback Frederick Muller, 1959. On a night in September, 1934, MORRO CASTLE burst into flames off the New Jersey coast. The fire raced through the superstructure and soon hundreds of passengers and crew had either drowned, been burnt to death, or were floundering in the sea. Was the fire planned or accidental? Why had the captain died mysteriously a few hours earlier? Though lacking the page by page excitement of SAVED!, this book, slow to begin due to the theoretical nature of the author's investigation into the whys and wherefores, is intensely interesting. The author lists every known passenger and crew member, together with their injuries and whether or not they survived. 192 pages, illust. J's rating 90%

SURVIVAL IN THE SKY By Ralph Barker, Pan paperback 1977, hardback William Kimber, 1976. Fifteen "dramas of the air". The cover illustrates the rescue of the survivors from the 'Bermuda Sky Queen' which permits this book an entry on the page! Well-documented dramas of the air, mostly, with some amazing survival tales. Includes a useful list of sources. 206 pages, illust. J's rating 75%

SOS By Keith Jameson, Monach Books paperback USA, 1962, 1st edition The World's Great Sea Disasters, illustrations from WIDE WORLD Eight disasters MORRO CASTLE, VOLTURNO, TITANIC, ATLANTIC, ANDREA DORIA, VESTRIS, LUSITANIA and EMPRESS OF IRELAND. More in-depth accounts would appear later on of several of the above disasters, but this gives more concise reports which are often of more interest. 174 pages, illust. Overall, a good book. J's rating 80%.

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