The Darksome Bounds of a Failing World: The Sinking of the “Titanic” and the End of the Edwardian Era

When the ship of dreams sank, so did the Edwardian era. In this original and meticulously-researched narrative history, Gareth Russell considers the real story of the Titanic, and the seismic shift of modernity the 1910s have come to mark in the West. Had she survived her first voyage, The Titanic probably would have dated like other ocean liners. Instead, within a week of setting sail on 10th April 1912, the disaster of her sinking had turned her into one of the biggest news stories of the century. Writing in his signature prose, Gareth Russell peers through the portholes of six first-class travellers to immerse us into the Edwardian era while demonstrating how modernity shook up the class system of the age. Lucy Leslie, Countess of Rothes; “son” of the British Empire, Tommy Andrews; captain of the industry John Thayer and his son Jack; Jewish immigrant Ida Straus; and model and movie star Dorothy Gibson. Each subject's unique story offers insights into the established hierarchy during the fin de siècle of pre-war Britain and America, the Titanic's respective spiritual and economic homelands. Through these entwining lives, Russell investigates social class – its mores, its foibles, its accents, its etiquette, its benefits, its casual or intentional cruelties, its potential nobility. Those nuances also invite analyses of the shipping trade, the birth of the movie industry, the aristocracy, the American Gilded Age, the Irish Home Rule crisis, and Jewish-American communities. The Titanic is the vessel in which we can extrapolate lessons on hubris, folly, greed, love, class, magnificent courage and pitiable weakness. She carried thousands of people and, in that way, she still has thousands of stories to tell. Drawing on brand new and unpublished materials, journal entries and film archives from the time, The Darksome Bounds of a Failing World focuses on the symbolism of the Titanic as the floating symbol of Anglo-American success, its clientele an apt illustration of the limitless – technological, financial – possibilities of its time.

About the Author :
Gareth Russell read Modern History at St Peter's College at the University of Oxford and completed his postgraduate at Queen's University, Belfast with a study of Catherine Howard's household. He has written for the Sunday Times, Tatler and the Irish News and is the author of two novels set in his native Belfast and several books on royal history. He divides his time between Belfast and New York.

Review :
‘A fascinating look at life during a doomed era … Like spending time with an amusing conversationalist aboard what the Edwardians called ‘a ship of dreams’ … Russell’s social observations are sharp and witty … the wider history he presents is packed with interesting details.’ Times ‘Gripping …. the attention to detail is astonishing.’ Sunday Times ‘Engrossing … This masterly reconstruction renders the Titanic story vital again’ Mail on Sunday ‘Russell sets out to look at the night through the experiences of six first-class passengers … Russell reminds us no one thought the Titanic could sink … The belief in the infallibility of bigness is the most striking feature of Russell’s darksome failing world’ Daily Telegraph ‘Brilliantly narrates the story of the Titanic … with admirable research and rhetoric … Anyone fascinated by Erik Larson's Dead Wake or by James Cameron's Titanic will be drawn in by Russell's well-crafted wit and reportage.’ Publishers Weekly ‘It is a wonderful, multi-angled view of history and grips the reader as compellingly as a pacey historical or epic movie … Russell has written a wonderful book, full of personalities, history but most of all suspense.’ Independent ‘Mr. Russell’s conceit works magnificently … Debunks many of the conspiratorial myths promoted over the decades.’ Wall Street Journal ‘Deeply researched and lushly detailed, the book shines new light on both the bygone Golden Age and the iconic tragedy that marked the beginning of its end.’ Lynn Vincent, #1 New York Times bestselling author ‘This absorbing account proves that there are many levels to the endless fascination of the Titanic story … Gareth Russell skilfully constructs an eloquent and gripping narrative that is essentially a microcosm of the moribund Edwardian class system that would go down with the Titanic and finally be obliterated by war in 1914.’ Helen Rappaport