The best buy out of this collection was my softback copy of this book, which is undoubtedly the definitive book on Titanic. There is not one item that was amiss, nor one correction that I could throw in. Most Titanic books on the shelves have something in them that in incorrect, and I was pleasantly surprised to find none.

This book goes more in depth into the passenger's stories than any other I have read prior to this. If you are curious about what the passengers were feeling that night, I suggest you run out and purchase this book immediately. I mean NOW! =)

Don also managed to intercede the mechanical aspects of the story as well, without drawing your attention away from the emotional turmoil that the passengers were going through. This is the first historical book on Titanic where I have actually been able to clearly imagine myself upon her decks, running towards a lifeboat with the rest of the frightened passengers, but yet able to know what the crew was thinking and feeling as well. Quite an achievement!

Also in this book are numerous "inserts" which tell mini-stories of various tales surrounding the Titanic, and her sinking. These stories include the mystery third ship and the orphans of the Titanic. All of these stories have fascinating insights, some of which I had never heard before, into various arguments over aspects of the sinking and its aftermath.

Throughout this book are numerous pictures, some of which are from private collections, which help bring life to those on the Titanic, as well as to the ship itself. Many of the pictures were previously unreleased, so seeing many of these is a treat within itself. If you are a picture freak like I am, you will spend hours just pouring over the pictures.

This is all wonderfully wrapped up in the simply breathtaking paintings by Ken Marschall. Ken's genius for art is amazing. The paintings are so lifelike that some of them you could swear were pictures of the ship and the wreck, not paintings. Ballard himself says as much in the forward of this book. His pictures complete the blanks there were left in the heads of many when imagining the Titanic as she was.

This book has quickly steered itself into the number one slot of all my Titanic books, knocking the Discovery Channel's book to a distant second. To any Titanic fan whom is yet to read this book, I strongly suggest that you get this book, and prepare yourself for a trip back in time, to a world far gone, and a place unknown. When you return, you will be a complete different person, I know I was.