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Summary
Summary
Robert Ballard's best-selling, award-winning history of the disaster of the century is now available in a special hardcover edition. This volume combines fascinating photographs and paintings with gripping "you are there" text to satisfy Titanic buffs of all ages.
Author Notes
Robert Ballard was born in Wichita, Kansas, in 1942, and was educated at the University of California at Santa Barbara, the University of Hawaii, the University of Southern California, and the University of Rhode Island, where he received his Ph.D. in 1974. Part explorer, part geologist, part oceanographer, and part marine engineer, Ballard has worked at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in Falmouth, Massachusetts, since 1969. He is currently director of the Center for Marine Exploration there.
Ballard is perhaps best known to the general public in connection to the luxury liner Titanic. Ballard organized and participated in the expedition that discovered the ship in 1985. More important, however, is his work in designing underwater survey vehicles and in participating in dives to explore the ocean floor. His work in marine design and engineering, in particular, has led to a dramatic increase in the scope of deep-sea exploration. In the 1960s, Ballard helped develop the Alvin, a deep-sea, three-man submersible equipped with a remote controlled mechanical arm for collecting specimens from the ocean floor. The device played an important role in mid-ocean studies, including exploration of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and dives to the Cayman Trough, a 24,000-foot-deep gash in the ocean floor south of Cuba.
Ballard was part of the Galapagos Hydrothermal Expedition in 1977, which discovered and investigated deep-sea thermal vents spouting mineral-rich water from volcanic cracks in the Earth's crust. In the 1980s, Ballard helped develop the Argo-Jason unmanned submersible system, the most advanced craft of its kind. Argo is a 16-foot submersible vehicle and Jason is a self-propelled robot tethered to Argo. The search for the Titanic was undertaken as a test of the Argo-Jason system; the success of the expedition demonstrated its capabilities and, according to Ballard, "ushered in a new era of undersea exploration."
The author of several bestselling books on deep-sea exploration, Ballard also contributes regularly to National Geographic and other magazines and he has produced several videotapes of deep-sea expeditions. His reputation as a "science populizer" has prompted harsh criticism from some of his scientific colleagues.
In 1985, Ballard was one of four scientists awarded a Secretary of the Navy Research Chair in Oceanography, an award that carries with it an $800,000 grant for oceanographic research.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-8 In straightforward prose, complemented by excellent illustrations, the story of the Titanic 's first and final voyage as well as that of her rediscovery and exploration is told. The text captures the drama of both the night of the sinking as well as that of the discovery of the great ship on the ocean floor. The technically accurate and lucid explanations are greatly enhanced by Marschall's stunning paintings, as well as by diagrams and current and period photographs. Giving a wealth of detail on both the Titanic 's sinking and the exploration of the wreck 74 years later, this is the title of choice for both report writing and browsing on this topic. Although the glossary is good, it does not cover all unfamiliar words. ``Funnel,'' for example, is not defined and may confuse readers who do not realize that this refers to the smokestack. This is a minor quibble, however, given the general excellence of the work. Exploring the Titanic gives more depth of coverage in better style than does John Dudman's The Sinking of the Titanic (Bookwright, 1988), and is more colorful and compelling than Frank Sloan's Titanic (Watts, 1987). Ann Welton, Lake Dollof Elementary School, Auburn, Wash. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
The focus of this book is the recent recovery of the most famous shipwreck of this century. Taller than the Empire State or any building of her day, the Titanic carried three anchors (one weighing 15 tons), had three million rivets and was nicknamed ``The Millionaire's Special.'' Details of her building and maiden voyage are accompanied by photographs and drawings of the ship's many staterooms, ballrooms, lounges, dining rooms, the swimming pool and the huge glass dome over its grand, curving, wrought-iron stairway. All the ship needed was more lifeboats. The night of April 14, 1912, when the ship slowly sank after hitting an iceberg, is retold in equal detail. Then Ballard narrates the years of search using modern technology, which located the ship in 1986 at a depth of 12,690 feet, more than two miles down. Graphs, drawings, sketches, photos and text combine for an excellent book on the famous disaster. Ages 8-12. (Oct . ) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Kirkus Review
A riveting account of the author's successful search for the Titanic and his subsequent examination of the remains. Not just a digest of Ballard's Discovery of the Titanic, this is a new, heavily illustrated version with a text aimed at younger readers. After a moving summary of the ship's first and only voyage, Ballard describes his own exhausting search and dramatic, last-minute sighting in September 1985. The following year, he returned with a small submarine to explore the wreck and the debris-field around it. The immediacy of his narrative is bolstered by a combination of well-chosen photographs, both new and old, and Marschall's crystal-clear paintings--giving the book stunning visual impact; this is not only an exciting, well-told story but a browsing item extraordinaire. For various reasons, Ballard took no artifacts from the site (he deplores the fact that a later, French expedition did), but--with this--he brought back treasure nonetheless. Glossary; bibliography; dust-jacket poster. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Gr. 4-8. Following the acclaimed publication of his adult book, Discovery of the Titanic [BKL D 1 87], Ballard here produces a compelling narrative for young readers about his undersea search for the lost luxury liner. On its maiden voyage the magnificent Titanic struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic and sank two and a half miles to the ocean floor. Ballard re-creates the splendor and pageantry of the ship's fittings and passenger accommodations. Nicknamed ``the Millionaires' Special,'' the Titanic's Turkish bath evoked images of a sultan's palace. In recounting the final tragic hours of ``the unsinkable ship,'' the text gives a sense of immediacy that is heightened by period photos and scale drawings. In 1985, a French-American expedition led by Ballard utilized video cameras to scan the ocean bottom and locate the lost vessel. Returning in 1986, Ballard explored the wreck in a tiny submarine aided by Jason Junior (a remote-controlled underwater robot) and photographed the interior. The well-captioned camera work merits close inspection. An engrossing, informative account-- ideal for research and browsing. Bibliography, glossary, and time line appended but no index. PW.
