Reviews

Gr 4-8 In straightforward prose, complemented by excellent illustrations, the story of the Titanic 's first and final voyage as well as that of her rediscovery and exploration is told. The text captures the drama of both the night of the sinking as well as that of the discovery of the great ship on the ocean floor. The technically accurate and lucid explanations are greatly enhanced by Marschall's stunning paintings, as well as by diagrams and current and period photographs. Giving a wealth of detail on both the Titanic 's sinking and the exploration of the wreck 74 years later, this is the title of choice for both report writing and browsing on this topic. Although the glossary is good, it does not cover all unfamiliar words. ``Funnel,'' for example, is not defined and may confuse readers who do not realize that this refers to the smokestack. This is a minor quibble, however, given the general excellence of the work. Exploring the Titanic gives more depth of coverage in better style than does John Dudman's The Sinking of the Titanic (Bookwright, 1988), and is more colorful and compelling than Frank Sloan's Titanic (Watts, 1987). Ann Welton, Lake Dollof Elementary School, Auburn, Wash.

The focus of this book is the recent recovery of the most famous shipwreck of this century. Taller than the Empire State or any building of her day, the Titanic carried three anchors (one weighing 15 tons), had three million rivets and was nicknamed ``The Millionaire's Special.'' Details of her building and maiden voyage are accompanied by photographs and drawings of the ship's many staterooms, ballrooms, lounges, dining rooms, the swimming pool and the huge glass dome over its grand, curving, wrought-iron stairway. All the ship needed was more lifeboats. The night of April 14, 1912, when the ship slowly sank after hitting an iceberg, is retold in equal detail. Then Ballard narrates the years of search using modern technology, which located the ship in 1986 at a depth of 12,690 feet, more than two miles down. Graphs, drawings, sketches, photos and text combine for an excellent book on the famous disaster. Ages 8-12. (Oct . )