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Take a journey back in time, and step aboard the decks of one of the most legendary liners of the 20th Century...
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Updated Date of Release Information
Over a century after her maiden voyage across the North Atlantic, and ninety-five years after her loss to a German torpedo, prepare to relive her life story through words and pictures as you have never, ever, seen her before.
The Lusitania was one of the grandest Atlantic liners of the Edwardian era. For a time she was both the largest and fastest ship in the world. For seven-and-a-half  years, she crisscrossed the harsh North Atlantic between England and the United States. During this period, she came to be both beloved and world-famous; at the time, her name was synonymous with power, progress, and luxury.
When the world was engulfed by conflict in August of 1914, the future of the mighty Lusitania seemed uncertain. As a legendary symbol of British supremacy on the Atlantic, her loss would be a blow to the Allies' morale. Within months, however, the dangers posed to her safety seemed to be greatly reduced. One thing, however, was not taken into account: the threat posed by German U-boats. As the ship was still in civilian service and was carrying innocent passengers from both belligerent and neutral nations, however, it may have seemed unlikely that any sub commander would have the stomach to attack her. If she was attacked, it would have seemed even more impossible that she could be sunk. So the great liner continued  to ply her prewar route.
When the path of the Lusitania crossed with the path of the German submarineU-20 on May 7, 1915, she was attacked without warning. A single torpedo was sent into her side, and she was sunk a mere eighteen minutes later. Of the 1,959 who were aboard her, 1,198 were killed.
Since the sinking, the Lusitania's technological greatness and her incredible career have faded into obscurity, to be replaced with lengthy commentaries on the political ramifications of her sinking, as well as on numerous conspiracy theories.
A new volume by maritime researcher J. Kent Layton, entitled Lusitania: An Illustrated Biography, is being released this summer from Amberley Books. It is a replacement to the author's previous volume on the subject, and has been greatly expanded in its new form. This book attempts to show the entire career of the Lusitania - from conception, to a lengthy and magnificent career, to an untimely premature demise - in context. Through words, pictures and illustrations, many of them never before published, the Lusitania can finally be revealed in a way that celebrates her life as well as commemorates her death, and the deaths of so many innocent men, women and children. Through the pages of Lusitania: An Illustrated Biography, readers will be transported through time, back to the decks of the legendary Cunarder as she cut her way through the waters of the North Atlantic.
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Note: The cover shown at left is currently seen at all retail sites for the new volume, but it is only temporary.
Should you decide to order the new 2010 volume fromother retailers, please make your selection carefully, as the 2007 version is still available at many sites, and the new volume is quite different despite their similar titles. If the item you are ordering is described as being in softcover, it is not the new release. If it bears the following cover, it is not the new release:
NOT:
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Book details:
- Full title: Lusitania: An Illustrated Biography
- ISBN-10: 1848688342
- ISBN-13: 978-1848688346
- Format: Hardcover
- Size: A4 (8.27"x11.69", or 210x297 mm), 380 pages, 400-500 photographs & illustrations, app. 40 in color, all-new foldout general arrangement plans. (Note: All details subject to change before publication.)
- Availability: August 2010, estimated (further details coming soon, pre-orders now available direct from the author).
A preview of the all-new plans by the author can be seen below:
ORDERING INFORMATION
Please carefully follow the links below to be taken to the correct pre-order pages at our virtual partner, TMB Studios. |
| All US Orders (Standard & Signed & Numbered) |
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| Orders for UK Standard Version (Free Standard Shipping) |
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| Orders for UK Signed & Numbered Copies |
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| All other locations (non-US or UK) orders |
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Note: Please follow these links very carefully, as different order pages have been created to ensure proper shipping and handling charges to customers in various countries. Orders placed incorrectly are liable to cancellation.
Please be advised that release of the finished volume has been delayed during production. Although it is impossible to guarantee a specific release date at this time (July 9), it is expected to be available in the UK before the end of August, and should show up on shelves in the Americas during September. Retailers, such as Amazon, have been putting "guesstimated" release dates on their sites for some time, confusing and irritating some who are following the project and who have pre-ordered the volume with those retailers.
Although we are about a month away from release, it is still important to place your pre-orders with the author, through the links provided above, as early as you can. Orders are fulfilled in the order in which they are placed, and stock levels are determined by the number of orders on hand. Late orders may be subject to delays in fulfillment. It should also be noted that orders already placed are safe and have guaranteed quick fulfillment once the volume is released. Specific enquiries about the publication date can be made to the publisher directly. |
Additional Info: The "Survivor's Note" by Barbara McDermott, as well as the introduction by Lusitania researchers Mike Poirier and Jim Kalafus (both for the 2007 volume) have been retained for the new book. As the author, I wish to extend my sincerest thanks to all who were involved or contributed to the finished volume. Bon voyage.
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©2010 J. Kent Layton and Atlantic Liners. Site design by TMB Studios. All Lusitania material on this page is from the author's collection, unless otherwise noted. Not for reproduction without the author's written consent. |
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