Remembering the Titanic

The RMS Titanic was a British passenger liner that sank into the ocean on April 15, 1912 after colliding with an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England to New York City. The ship was designed to be the most revered in comfort and luxury, complete with a gymnasium, swimming pool, libraries, high-class restaurants, and magnificent cabins. She was the largest ship of her time and was deemed “unsinkable” by newspapers around the world. Because of a lack of lifeboats (many of which were launched only partly filled), a total of 1,514 people out of the 2,224 on board died. 

In honor of the Titanic's 100th anniversary, we present to you a collection of 20 recently released books about the disaster. These fiction and nonfiction titles, many of which are also appropriate for younger audiences, reveal new and interesting facts about that tragic day, and feature a number of first-hand accounts, bringing back much of the heartbreak and shock that resulted from this catastrophe. As the editors of LIFE Magazine & Books said, “One hundred years later, we are all paying attention again. But then: We have never not paid attention.”