Description:
Included in these 316 pages are some 300 photographs and illustrations of the ship and the people who sailed aboard her. Additionally, there are over a dozen plans and technical drawings of the ship and her various features, including full general arrangement plans (non-foldout) for the ship.
Also included is a special introductory note from Lusitania survivor Barbara McDermott, and an unforgettable Introduction by Mike Poirier (of the Titanic International Society) and Jim Kalafus (maritime researcher and co-author, with Mike Poirier, of the groundbreaking Lest We Forget articles on the Lusitania).
There are six informational appendices, including:
-
A complete sailing schedule for the Lusitania, 1907-1915 -- all 202 Crossings from beginning to end.
-
-
A First Class passenger list for the maiden west-bound crossing.
-
A passenger and crew list for the final crossing.
-
A study of the ship's years in service, including busiest years and lightest years.
An entire chapter is devoted to a study of the liner's specific design and technical features. Another chapter is devoted to her career from its beginning in September 1907, through to the beginning of the Great War in August of 1914. This chapter has been hailed as a masterpiece of research and writing, bringing never before revealed highlights of the liner's life -- from stormy crossings to famous passengers and events of note -- to light. No book about the Lusitania has ever given this amount of detail on the years of the ship's career before her demise.
Another chapter is devoted to her wartime service, her final crossing, and her demise. Included herein are many fresh, previously unpublished accounts of those who were aboard during her last days, all of this woven into the running narrative.
Contained within the 100,000+ words of this volume's primary text is information that has never been published before. It lays to rest in a logical and factual manner many of the half-truths, rumors, misinformation and conspiracy theories that have surrounded the ship, her design, and her sinking.
A sequentially signed & numbered limited-edition of each format, softcover and hardcover, is being presented for purchase directly from the author. You may arrange to acquire your copy via our virtual partner, TMBStudios; the author also runs frequent sales of these on eBay. Please see the appropriate links above for further details.
Breaking News:
July, 2007: Lusitania: An Illustrated Biography of the Ship of Splendor has just been reviewed by TIS in their quarterly journal, Voyage, Issue No. 60. Click here to read the review.
May 24, 2007: The hardcover version is now in stock at our virtual partner, TMBStudios.
Remember that the hardcover will not be available at major retailers / distributors. It is a special-order item available only through this site and through the publisher direct.
May 12, 2007: This evening, a docu-drama on the Lusitania disaster aired on the Discovery Channel in the United States. ("Terror At Sea: The Sinking of the Lusitania" / UK title "Lusitania: Murder on the Atlantic, released May 27th -- not to be confused with the previous A&E Channel Documentary released in the United States under the same name.)
May 10, 2007: The hardcover version has now been released! See above for ordering information!
My local newspaper, when they heard about this project, wanted to do an article on it. It ran in the April 2, 2007 issue of The Citizen in the "Lake Life" section.
Follow this link to read the article online.
Book Feedback:
After some months with Lusitania: An Illustrated Biography in print and circulation, there has been opportunity for readers to share their thoughts on this publication with me. Feedback has been more extraordinary than could ever have been imagined; those who have strong family ties to those who were involved in the tragedy have been enormously supportive of the book and their comments have been very heartening to read.
See feedback here.
Have you already had the opportunity to read this publication? Would you like to drop off some short comments on your impressions? Please feel free to e-mail via the "Contact" page.
Note: Comments may be edited for length, etc.
Note this recent sales ranking at Amazon.co.uk: (click thumbnail for full version)
*April 13, 2008:
A very sad announcement: Barbara McDermott, the last survivor of the Lusitania living in the United States, has passed away. She was 95 years old. Mrs. McDermott was kind enough to provide a "Survivor's Note" for Lusitania: An Illustrated Biography. More details on her life and passing are available here.
Back to top
