Logan Marshall (1883–1937)

When I first picked up this book, it seemed newer than it was. It had been recently republished to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the titular tragic story, but I did not realize that it had been originally published within a year of the disaster. So I was taken aback by the "old-fashioned" writing. But once I figured out the reason for the old-fashioned writing style, I really enjoyed it.

The book is divided into lots of short chapters and are refreshingly readable. Some of the diagrams leave something to be desired (the map of the St. Lawrence, for instance, was tiny and difficult to read), but others, such as the diagram showing how the Empress of Ireland collided with the Storstad, were more useful. There are chapters discussing the sinking itself, the recovery efforts, the commission of inquiry, and even the geography of the St. Lawrence (this contained some very nice writing). There is also "bonus material" about the Titanic, which admittedly I skipped over because I already know about the Titanic, and the book concludes with some notes on ship design and lifeboat/life raft standards that are probably best suited to a more specialist audience.

I would recommend this for people who like to read about maritime disasters, Canadian history, or contemporary accounts of historical events.… (meer)