Return to Titanic

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing....could have been so much more
Review: A very fast read. Got it on Christmas and was done the next day. Ballard calls it Return to Titanic, but if you are looking for lots of photos and discussion about that topic, you will be very disappointed. It took Ballard over 100 pages to get to finally showing a picture from his 2004 return to the ship. Everything up to that point was historical, other sources, or his 1986 photos. The book was structured in the same way that his other books have been presented. History of the ship in the first part, discussion of methods, equipment, and finding the ship and the dives in the second, then finally a presentation of his findings. In all his other dive books, this has been a GREAT format and I have enjoyed them immensely. However, it just didn't work for me here. The story of Titanic has already been presented ad nauseum in many other books, including Ballard's first Titanic book. The first 50 pages of his 2004 book are just a rehash of the story with very few new facts or tidbits of info.

And the previous reviewer is very on the mark when he mentions Ballard's strong opinions about leaving the ship alone, making it a museum, etc. Ballard is entitled to his opinions, and they may help shape the future of marine archeology, but they are so strongly presented and so often reiterated, that they become somewhat of a turn-off. If Ballard is so interested in keeping the ship intact and turning it into a museum, then he needs to satisfy my desire to see the objects in context in the "museum". I want lots of pictures! He states he did a complete mapping of the objects in the debris field, including areas where no one else has been before. So show me lots of pictures. But he doesn't. There are only 30 2004 ocean floor photos presented in the entire book. Several of those were exciting new items that have never been shown in any of the other books (by Ballard or other authors). But there could have and should have been so much more. If you want it to be a museum, then share your findings with us. We don't all have access to telepresence or deep sea submersibles.

If my review sounds like a diatribe against Ballard, I suppose it probably is. I love his books. But this one could have done so much more and it kind of made me angry that it didn't, especially after his going on and on about making it a "look but don't touch" museum. For the novice who hasn't read a ton of Titanic material, it's good, for just the format that I mentioned early in my review (provides history etc). However, if you are a Titanic or shipwreck buff, I think you will find this book frustrating for its lack of sharing a significant amount of what Ballard saw during his 2004 dives. However, you'll still want to add this to your library for the info and pics he does present.

Rating:
Summary: Deja vu all over again....
Review: First off, I am an avid fan of the whole Titanic story, and went to the Titanic Artifacts exhibit to see items brought up from the ship. But this book is very disappointing, especially if you have Ballard's book 'The Discovery of the Titanic' (1987) because this book repeats so much of what was in that book. So for those who do not have that book, this book will make a fine addition. I was hoping for so much more in the way of new pictures but really was not safisfied with what was offered. I feel the book was put together quickly to make the case for preserving the site and the ship and with so much filler from old material was not a good value. A book simply focusing on the threats and the current state would have been better. However, for those new to the whole saga, this book will suffice.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful pictures and strong opinions...
Review: Since I find the whole Titanic story fascinating, I checked out Return To Titanic - A New Look At The World's Most Famous Lost Ship by Robert D. Ballard with Michael S. Sweeney. It's a beautiful book with a definite agenda.

Ballard was the person who originally discovered the sunken remains of the Titanic in 1985. He returns for another look at the ship in May 2004 and undertakes a project to get as complete of an external photo record of the ship as possible. He has definite opinions about the large number of visitors and scavengers who have, in his view, greatly accelerated the deterioration of the ship over the last few years. By comparing photographs of certain key areas, you can see where damage has occurred. Certain popular spots on the ship have become defacto landing areas for submersibles, and they've broken down decking and walls. Pirate scavengers have literally torn open parts of the ship or cut off sections in order to get prized souvenirs, like the phone system from the crow's nest where the first iceberg sighting occurred. The photography is beautiful, and the story of the return trip is interesting.

The only thing that keeps me from giving this book a full five stars is the fact that the author is *very* opinionated about the damage to the ship being caused entirely by human visitors. He's adamant that things should be a "look but don't touch" situation, and I'm inclined to agree. But writing off all deterioration to people instead of the ravages of being submerged for over 90 years is a bit extreme. Since there's no baseline from 1912 forward, you have to assume that pictures from 1985 chronicle the way the ship was during all that time. I don't know that you can prove that conclusively. Regardless, if the Titanic is of interest to you, you should enjoy this book quite a bit.