J. Kent Layton – författare

On the night of 14–15 April 1912, Titanic, a brand-new, supposedly unsinkable ship, the largest and most luxurious vessel in the world at the time, collided with an iceberg and sank on her maiden voyage. Of the 2,208 people on board, only 712 were saved. The rest perished in the icy-cold waters of the North Atlantic, and the tragedy has fascinated and perplexed the world ever since.This stunning book tells the story of not just the Titanic, but also of its sister ships, Olympic and Britannic. Maritime experts J. Kent Layton, Tad Fitch, and Bill Wormstedt tell the stories of these legendary liners with a compelling narrative alongside original artwork from up-and-coming artists, bringing to life the design, construction and service of the ships together with the wrecks of the ill-fated Titanic and Britannic.From the cold, starry night when Titanic collided with her iceberg to the tragic wartime loss of Britannic and the impressive reliability of the long-lived Olympic, this cinematic and immersive new study captures all of the glory and drama of the Olympic-class age and allows readers to visualise Titanic and her sisters like never before.

A brief illustrated history of the great Atlantic liners from Lusitania and Titanic to Queen Mary 2.Since the end of the nineteenth century there has been a stunning succession of transatlantic liners, from the White Star Line's Oceanic of 1899 to the Cunard Line's Queen Mary 2 of 2004. These floating palaces often contained luxurious staterooms, ballrooms and lounges for the rich, and noticeably more modest and basic accommodation for poorer travellers. Their designs and powerplants were often cutting-edge as each competed to be the largest, most luxurious and fastest ship on the Atlantic. As the tides of passenger demand rose and fell through the years and the world plunged twice into global conflict, these ships had to adapt to survive. Many of these vessels – including Mauretania, Olympic, the first Queen Mary and France – had long and glorious careers; others – Titanic, Lusitania and Normandie among them – suffered tragic endings. J. Kent Layton describes the heyday of the superliners and explains what life was like for passengers, both rich and poor.

On the night of 14/15 April 1912, a brandnew, supposedly unsinkable ship, the largest and most luxurious vessel in the world at the time, collided with an iceberg and sank on her maiden voyage. Of the 2,208 people on board, only 712 were saved. The rest either drowned or froze to death in the icy-cold waters of the North Atlantic. How could this ‘unsinkable’ vessel sink and why did so few of those aboard survive?The authors bring the tragedy to life, telling the story of the ship’s design, construction and maiden voyage. The stories of individuals who sailed on her, many previously known only as names on yellowing passenger and crew lists, are brought to light using rarely-seen accounts of the sinking. The stories of passengers of all classes and crewmembers alike, are explored. They tell the dramatic stories of lives lost and people saved, of the rescue ship Carpathia, and of the aftermath of the sinking. Never again would a large passenger liner sail without lifeboats for all.Despite the tragedy, the sinking of the Titanic indirectly led to untold numbers of lives being saved due to new regulations that came into force after the tragedy. Profusely illustrated, including many rare and unique views of the ship and those who sailed on her, this is as accurate and engrossing a telling of the life of the White Star Line’s Titanic and her sinking as you will read anywhere. Made special by the use of so many rare survivor accounts from the eye witnesses to that night to remember, the narrative places the reader in the middle of the maiden voyage, and brings the tragic sinking to life as never before.

Since the end of the nineteenth century there has been a stunning succession of transatlantic liners, from the White Star Line''s Oceanic of 1899 to the Cunard Line''s Queen Mary 2 of 2004. These floating palaces often contained luxurious staterooms, ballrooms and lounges for the rich, and noticeably more modest and basic accommodation for poorer travellers. Their designs and powerplants were often cutting-edge as each competed to be the largest, most luxurious and fastest ship on the Atlantic. As the tides of passenger demand rose and fell through the years and the world plunged twice into global conflict, these ships had to adapt to survive. Many of these vessels – including Mauretania, Olympic, the first Queen Mary and France – had long and glorious careers; others – Titanic, Lusitania and Normandie among them – suffered tragic endings. J. Kent Layton describes the heyday of the superliners and explains what life was like for passengers, both rich and poor.

Showcasing photographs and illustrations from a variety of collectors’ archives, The Unseen Mauretania 1907 reveals the Cunard company’s most luxurious ocean liner of the early twentieth century as you have never known her before. When the Mauretania took to the North Atlantic for the first time in November 1907, she was the largest and fastest ship in the world, serving with her sister ship, the Lusitania, for nearly eight years. Although the Lusitania’s life was cut short during the First World War, the Mauretania continued to have an impressive presence at sea, holding the Blue Riband for the fastest transatlantic crossing until 1929. This evocative visual history by maritime expert J. Kent Layton follows her glorious career, which spanned four decades of the twentieth century.

As the twentieth century got underway, the competition between the three greatest passenger lines in the history of the North Atlantic produced three trios of wonder ships. From the Cunard Line came the Lusitania, Mauretania and Aquitania. From the White Star Line came the Olympic, the infamous Titanic, and the Britannic. From the Hamburg-Amerika Line came the Imperator, Vaterland and Bismarck, which would later find service as Cunard''s Berengaria, the U.S. Line''s Leviathan, and White Star''s Majestic. They were, in turn, the fastest, most powerful, largest and most luxurious ocean liners that had ever sailed that ocean. Some would find great success; others would suffer disaster. Their careers would be affected by natural elements, by mismanagement, and by the brutalities of war. Their fates were also inextricably intertwined. The Edwardian Superliners tells their story.

It is now just over a century since Lusitania made her maiden crossing of the North Atlantic. For seven and a half years, she crossed that rugged ocean with punctuality and dependability. She fast became a living legend, the ship of choice for many of the transatlantic travellers. Since her sinking on 7 May 1915, however, her wondrous career and technological marvels have largely been neglected. Instead, the focus has shifted to her political importance, and on numerous conspiracy theories about her last voyage and sinking. This illustrated biography of the Lusitania discusses her entire story, from her conception and birth on the Clyde to her career and, finally, to her tragic demise off the coast of Ireland; it reveals her as she has never been seen before. Prepare to take a journey back in time - step aboard the decks of one of the world''s largest, finest, fastest and most beloved ocean liners, and relive her history in all its splendour.

It is now a century since the Lusitania sank. For seven and a half years after her maiden voyage, she crossed the rugged North Atlantic with punctuality and dependability. She had fast become a living legend, the ship of choice for many of the transatlantic travelers. Since her sinking on May 7, 1915, however, her wondrous career and technological marvels have largely been neglected. Instead, the focus has shifted to her political importance, and on numerous conspiracy theories about her last voyage and sinking.This illustrated biography of the Lusitania discusses her entire story, from her conception and birth on the Clyde to her career and, finally, her tragic demise off the coast of Ireland; it reveals her as she has never been seen before.Prepare to take a journey back in time... step aboard the decks of one of the world’s largest, finest, fastest and most beloved ocean liners, and relive her history in all its splendor.Today the Lusitania is remembered mostly for her tragic sinking on May 7, 1915, and the political ramifications of that disaster. That sinking, however, was merely the startling and grim finale to an incredibly eventful life, the death of one legend and the beginning of another.This book relives the entire life of the Lusitania, from her beginnings to her demise; it is an unprecedented biography of the great ship and the people who sailed on her. From the ship’s technical design features to the greatest events in her career, her story is told in both words and pictures. Hundreds of photographs and illustrations, breathtaking new artwork, and all-new plans of the ship reveal the liner as never before.

Since the end of the nineteenth century there has been a stunning succession of transatlantic liners, from the White Star Line''s Oceanic of 1899 to the Cunard Line''s Queen Mary 2 of 2004. These floating palaces often contained luxurious staterooms, ballrooms and lounges for the rich, and noticeably more modest and basic accommodation for poorer travellers. Their designs and powerplants were often cutting-edge as each competed to be the largest, most luxurious and fastest ship on the Atlantic. As the tides of passenger demand rose and fell through the years and the world plunged twice into global conflict, these ships had to adapt to survive. Many of these vessels – including Mauretania, Olympic, the first Queen Mary and France – had long and glorious careers; others – Titanic, Lusitania and Normandie among them – suffered tragic endings. J. Kent Layton describes the heyday of the superliners and explains what life was like for passengers, both rich and poor.

On 7 May 1915, one of the most beloved and legendary liners of the North Atlantic was torpedoed by a German U-boat, taking 1,191 of her passengers and crew to an untimely demise. She had become a victim of the First World War, the most brutal conflict the world had yet seen.Lusitania: An Illustrated Biography is a comprehensive two-part look at her entire story, from her origins in the shipyards of Clydebank to her terrible, tragic end. It reveals her as she has never been seen before through words, historical photographs, and breath-taking computer animations.Volume One: Life of a Greyhound tells how Lusitania came to be built, shows her construction, discusses her technical marvels and reveals her incredible seven-and-a-half-year career. As you feel her magic stir in these pages, you will see why passengers travelled on her again and again, even after larger and more comfortable liners like White Star’s Olympic and Titanic came on the scene.Prepare to take a journey back in time. Step aboard one of the largest, fastest and most beloved ocean liners of all time – a triumph of the Edwardian era – and relive her complete history in all its splendour.

On 7 May 1915, one of the most beloved and legendary liners of the North Atlantic was torpedoed by a German U-boat, taking 1,187 of her passengers and crew to an untimely demise. She had become a victim of the First World War, the most brutal conflict the world had yet seen.Lusitania: An Illustrated Biography is a comprehensive two-part look at her entire story, from her origins in the shipyards of Clydebank to her terrible, tragic end. It reveals her as she has never been seen before through words, historical photographs, and breath-taking computer-rendered imagery.Volume Two: A Greyhound’s Downfall joins Lusitania on the eve of war, just days after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. It tells her story through the First World War, to her violent sinking and the repercussions in her wake; it details how her name, once synonymous with technological marvels and magic, became a rallying cry on the battlefields.Prepare to take a journey back in time. Step aboard one of the largest, fastest and most beloved ocean liners of all time – a triumph of the Edwardian era – and relive her complete history in all its splendour.