Rating: 
Summary: Thought-provoking and original
Review: Let's be frank. I am the publisher of another excellent Titanic book, "1912 Facts About Titanic," by Lee Merideth, and have read about everything that is readily available on the subject. So I know a little something about it. Pellegrino has penned what is in my opinion the most compelling, fresh, and thought-provoking account of the great liner I have ever read. His careful analysis and reasoned speculation opens new doors for serious study; his gleaning of the various inquiry records and other firsthand accounts that have surfaced recently, when utilized with archaeological and scientific discoveries, damn near definitively solves many of the mysteries that have lingered since 1912. Pellegrino's treatment of the role played by the Californian and Captain Lord is the best I have ever seen in print. His use of witness accounts of the ship's lights, the curvature of the earth, and other factors resolves conclusively that Lord's command was within a seven-mile radius when Titanic sank. There is also evidence that a handful of survivors may have been sighted on an ice flow by officers of the Californian--and left there by Lord. The author also has raised enough significant doubt to revitalize (perhaps "rehabilitate" is not too strong of a description) Captain Smith's reputation. Like the fiasco of a movie "Gettysburg," which depicted Martin Sheen as a General Lee on valium, previous authors and movie directors have portrayed the Titanic's Captain Smith as a confused and benumbed fool once the ship's designer, Andrews, told him Titanic was doomed. In fact, every one of Smith's critical decisions--including sending out half empty lifeboats--were the correct ones. (My hat is off to you Captain, and I apologize for the unkind words I have spread about you. tps) Other compelling issues include learned speculation that the Grand Staircase broke loose and shot to the surface (the evidence for this is very strong); Officer Murdoch did indeed shoot himself (there were several witnesses who did not know each other who wrote the same thing); and Bruce Ismay and his company worked overtime to slander many survivors who did tow the company line (the Duff Gordons were among this select group). Even more interesting is the fact that the "rusticles" adorning the deteriorating ship are actually ALIVE. Yes, they are bacterial colonies in a life form previously unknown. And they are being utilized for medical research that might, ultimately, save more people than Titanic took to the bottom. The only section of the book that caused me to roll my eyes and audibly groan was the very end of the main narrative, where Pellegrino makes a silly over-the-top reference to the political baloney we know today as "Global Warming," accented with a metaphor that the earth is the Titanic and we are steaming toward our own ice field. Sorry, Charlie, but hundreds of qualified scientists think the evidence for Global Warming (and a human connection) is tenuous or nonexistent at best. Politicians anxious to weaken the U.S. at the expense of Third World countries, however, in the name of global Socialism, see it as a terrific opportunity to achieve their goals. These are the same yahoos who argued 25 years ago that TODAY we would be all covered with ice, so our lifestyles had to change radically--or else. (How many of your are now skiing in July? Hmmm?) I borrowed this book, read it, and then bought it. Everyone who enjoys reading about Titanic must own this book. Ignore the silly review that appeared in Kirkus and the hatchet job that was penned in the New York Times. Buy Ghosts of the Titanic, enjoy it, and then share it with another buff.
Rating: 
Summary: all over the map!
Review: Parts of this book are "out there." At times you may feel that you're reading a treatise on the beauty and power of "rusticles." I imagine that's because the author has about 10 different scientific specialities and a wide-ranging intellect that covers every conceivable area. Though I wasn't as interested in some of the over-dramatized reactions to seeing clothing and shoes, I did love his reconstructions of events familiar to most Titanic junkies. Ever since reading Lord's book, I've been a bit of a Titanic junkie -- this book fueled my interest and corrected many false or exaggerated accounts from earlier books. A must-read for Titanic fans -- those not interested in other scientific matters can easily skip the techie sections and concentrate on the purely Titanic stuff. A worthwhile read.
Rating:
Summary: excellent, fascinating accounts
Review: Pellegrino has put together a wonderful, haunting collection of intimate stories of those who experienced that terrible Night to Remember aboard the TITANIC...all juxtaposed with up to date scientific information on the wreck. Beautifully, sensitively recounted proving that often the smallest details are the most poignant.
Rating:
Summary: Quirky, but in a good way
Review: Pellegrino's endnotes get a bit long, becoming whole chapters even after the book itself is supposed to have ended. But these little stories behind the story, including the fates of various Titanic survivors, explorers, and survivors of the exploration are worth trudging through (like Paul Harvey's "The Rest of the Story") and had the author started the story itself with thank-yous to the teachers who helped a child wo could not read at all to the extent that he would eventually WRITE books and be doing science for a living, I would have thought it a little self-indulgent in a Titanic book and best left for what must be another fascinating book all by itself. There must be a life lesson in it. Same with the story of his sorrow after his wife left, which is also in his acknowledgements section and which also seems to be given as a life lesson. Anyone would understand the devastation: "How could the night get any darker? I had asked, never guessing, during my pity party for one, that what served for the moment as the defining tragedy of my life was in fact saving me from a rather broader definition of tragedy." The point he makes is that the worst news he thought he could ever receive was causing him to change his plans to be on an airplane crash which no one survived. Those few sentences saved my son from watching a bitter divorse continue to get worse when I realized that the message of the missed plane, and the message of the Titanic, was that by a quirk of fate my boy might never know his daddy at all, so I made peace with my ex and I guess that message has never been made more clear than by all those orphans created by the New York and Washington bombings of September 11. I do have to say that the most boring parts of the book taught me more about rust and rusticles than I ever wanted to know, but while an article about that stuff would have been interesting in Discover magazine all by itself, it was boring in this book only by comparison to all the information about how the drunken cook became the only man on the stern to keep his balance, how the grand stairway floated up through the crystal dome, and how the Californian just stood seven miles away and watched the Titanic sink, how (with detailed drawings)minute by minute the ship filled and broke apart and how its parts slammed inti the bottom of the ocean at close to 40 miles an hour, and through it all you really feel like you are there. You feel it because you really get to know the people who were there and to feel it through them. No one writes like that. Or maybe not anymore. After Pelligrino missed the plane crash he moved to New York and he is still missing there since September 11, so it's all quirks of chance, isn't it?
Rating:
Summary: An interesting mixture of science and amateur history.
Review: The author of this book is actually a scientist who has personally visited the Titianic wreck. As such the book is a very interesting work that attempts to cover the last few hours of the ship, and his own theories on how it sunk. The science part of the book is very good. He argues well that it was a series of small punctures that sunk the ship, and uses a set of illustraions of the ship at various sinking times to prove this. There are some figures in this book, such as the terminal velocity of the ship as it sank, and the PSI (pressure) exherted on the wreck. These are presented simply- I am not a scientist, but I found his explainations easy to understand. Alongside the scientific narrative he also tells the story of the last hours before the ship sank, from the points of view of various passengers. This is a rather exciting read and does indeed feel more like a movie or action novel. It is well mixed with the scientific explainations, but perhaps a little too mixed- he jumps from science to history very randomly. One moment he will be discussing sea bed bacteria, the next he will be discussing a first class passenger's last words to his wife! My only real criticism is that as a historian he is far to judgemenal- he is attmepting to create heros and villains much in the same way as in the movie "Titanic." Furthermore he seems rather critical of the English, whom he sees as stupid and arrogant and ineffiecient- again something clearly influenced by the movie. This leads to a bias that makes the historical part seem rather too fictional. Occasionally he is wrong on certain details- Lino wasn't a new invention in 1912, for example. He is far too keen to place modern American values (such as attitudes towards class) on an event that took place nearly 100 years ago. Novice readers be aware that he does talk in naval jargon, such as Port/Starbord to Steerage (third class) and smokestack (funnel). Overall this is a good book, well written and easy to read- and it also tells a powerful and compelling story. His scientific arguements are excellent and well put, but his history is amateur and shouldn't be taken as fact.
Rating:
Summary: The closest you will get to acctually being there
Review: The book Ghosts of the titanic goes back to orignal survivor reports and uses them to piece together parts of the final hours of the great liner. The book also talks about the rate of deteriotaion, and covers the untold secrets of what was really found deep inside the ship. I would recommend this book to anyone that would want to know what it was really like that night the liner sank. I liked the book cause it made more sense than some of the other books that wasnt written by Charles Pellegrino. He tells the story and gives out the information in a way to make you understand unlike some books that tells you the same thing but word it where its hard to understand.
Rating:
Summary: A blend of science and humanity
Review: The first book concerned with archeology that ever caught my interest was the classic 'The Source" by James A. Mitchener. What drew me to this book was a potentially dry subject such as archeology was tempered with a touch of humanity. The same holds true for Charles Pelligrino's latest work on the Titanic, Ghosts of the Titanic. Dr. Pelligrino brings out not only the most recent scientific discoveries concerning this tragedy but also reveals the human toll the events surrounding this massive ship had upon the survivors and families of the ship's compliment. Much of Pelligrino's work on the subject of the Titanic is surrounded by controversy. Just go to any of the computer news groups concerned with the Titanic and you cannot help but to notice the huge among of space devoted to debates of Dr. Pelligrino's work. One thing that is difficult to deny is Charles Pelligrino is first and foremost a scientist. Sure he can write an excellent story but this does not detract from the facts, Dr. Pelligrino knows what he is doing. While the conclusions may inspire discussion his techniques are impeccable. He has journeyed to the resting-place of the Titanic, interviewed the few remaining survivors and the families of the unfortunate passengers no longer alive. This research is the basis for his conclusions but what sets this book apart form so many others on the topic is Pelligrino's care in factoring in the human side of the equations. As Pelligrino points out in the book it is far easier for an archeologist to dissociate himself when the events took place hundreds or thousands of years ago. It is altogether another matter when you actually had an opportunity to speak with first hand witnesses to the events. Some of the official records made during the inquest of the sinking where biased, sometimes to cover up actions and promises of the White Star line. For example some accounts where discounted because survivors stated the ship broke in two. This is now known to be fact. The legend of the Titanic is steeped in erroneous conclusions that this work helps to shed new light. Pelligrino details his trips to the Titanic with the care of a scientific journal while preserving the dignity deserved by its victims. One case is the emotional toll in finding a small piece of cloth had upon Pelligrino. When he realized that this was part of a tiny tee shirt that most likely belonged to one of the youngest victims of the sinking he was moved in a way that any of us would be. This work treads the line between scientific detachment with human concern. One of the most exciting discoveries that Pelligrino was part of was a new type of life, the rustlicle. This is basically a group of single cell organisms that form various layers that serve the colony almost as organs do in higher forms of life. They digest iron and are slowing eating away at the remains of this once great ship. A side note to this is these rusticles appear to posses a means to fight infections that affect those of us on the surface. This book heralds a new avenue for genetic, zoological and microbiologic research. Much of Ghosts is told through accounts based upon the known records and personal interviews with the survivors. Each story helps to weave a tapestry that helps the reader gain a very personal perspective of this tragic night. The stories help the reader to understand the motives and consequences of incredible acts of bravery and cowardice displayed by the passengers and crew. Such events as a boat full of society matrons refusal to allow a man on board due to his race. The separation of extremely young fraternal twins, permitting only the girl to survive. Men placing their wives and children in the relative safety of a life boat knowing that they were soon to face a cold and dark fate. Each story will burn itself into your consciousness and forever change what you imagined occurred that fateful night. Ghosts of the Titanic is a work that will appeal to both those interested in a scientific work detailing the events of this ship and those interested in a humanized view of those same events. Pelligrino moves backward in time as he tells what happened. This reverse chronology comes across as the way many people talk about a horrible event they have lived through, remembering first the most recent events and moving steadily back to the causes. Without a doubt this work will and has inspired controversy but it should rapidly become one of the must read volumes on the subject.
Rating: 
Summary: A disappointment
Review: This book broke my heart, and not because of the subject matter. Mr. Pellegrino, what has happened to you? Unlike his previous work, 'Her Name, Titanic,' this book is not about the events of April 15, 1912, the people aboard the ship, or the impact of the disaster on peoples' lives and ideals (both then and now). Far, far too often, this book reads like a spin docotr's prescription for some of the shadier actions of RMS Titanic, Inc. In addition, it displays gaping holes in its research, its historical accounts, and other errors. Far too much time is spent talking about George Tulloch and James Cameron. If you are anti-salvage, this is not a book for you. If you are looking for an accurate historical account of the Titanic's sinking and its aftermath, this is not the book for you. If you actually want to read about the Titanic, this is not the book to buy. The sole reason I give this book two stars is because of the detailed information is gives about the rusticles. As I am not a scientist, I have no way of determining the accuracy of material, but there's enough there that a curious person might be able to use it as a springboard--or as an example of what not to do. Allegedly, Pellegrino is planning a third Titanic book. I can only hope he actually writes about the *ship* and the events this time, and not try to build a fan club.
Rating:
Summary: A MUST FOR A SERIOUS STUDENT
Review: This book is fabulous. It is very technical in places so would only reccommend for the serious student. Dr Pellegrino puts you right there with the survivors and the unfortunates who did not survive. allot of first hand accounts. i completely enjoyed this book.
Rating:
Summary: My favorite of my 59 title Titanic library!
Review: This book is the newest of my 59 title Titanic library. It had me absolutely glued to every word and I even had to take notes and tell my husband about the events as I read along. I am currently doing research for an article for, and am a mamber of the Titanic Historical Society. I have been reading and visting every museum and web site I can for the past three years. This book is the most interesting I have read so far. I would say that this is one of the most essential books one must have for their Titanic library! Charles Pelligrino truely knows how to blend perfectly, the threads of scientific ,archiological, historical, and humanistic truth of this puzzling and sad event. He tells of his intuitive thoughts and experiences, and backs each up with facts from Walter Lords research, eyewhitness accounts, scientific information from his diving to the wreck site,retrieval of artifats and mapping the debris field. He gives you every layer possible to this very complex story, from the rusticles that live on Titanic today,to the proof of looting on board that fateful night, to the unthinkible possibility that maybe some survivors were left behind on an ice flow. Truely an enthralling read!! Thank you Charles! Tami Agnello Stickney
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