Gilded lives, fatal voyage : the Titanic's first-class passengers and their world
(Book)

Includes bibliographical references (p. [311]-317) and index.

Brewster, who created several bestselling books on the "Titanic," uses original research to intertwine, for the first time, the lives of the rich and famous within the powerful arc of the ship's demise to convey the poignance of this disaster. "The Titanic has often been called 'an exquisite microcosm of the Edwardian era,' but until now, her story has not been presented as such. In this book, the author seamlessly interweaves personal narratives of the lost liner's most fascinating people with a haunting account of the fateful maiden crossing. Employing scrupulous research and featuring 100 rare photographs, he accurately depicts the ship's brief life and tragic denouement, presenting the very latest thinking on everything from when and how the lifeboats were loaded to the last tune of the orchestra, to a convincing evocation of the table talk at the famous Widener dinner party held in the Ritz Restaurant on the last night. Millionaires John Jacob Astor and Benjamin Guggenheim, writer Helen Churchill Candee, movie actress Dorothy Gibson, and a host of other travelers on this fateful crossing are also vividly brought to life. With them, we gather on the Titanic's sloping deck on that cold, starlit night and observe their all-too-human reactions as the disaster unfolds."--From book jacket.