Coward. Brute. Yellow-livered. For over 100 years, J. Bruce Ismay has been the scapegoat of the Titanic disaster. He is the villain of every film and TV drama: a fit and able-bodied man who sacrificed the lives of women and children in order to survive. Some even claim that it was his fault the Titanic sank, that he encouraged the captain to sail faster. But is this the true story? In Understanding J. Bruce Ismay, Clifford Ismay opens up the family archives to uncover the story of a quiet man savaged by over a century of tabloid press. This is a must-read for any enthusiast who wishes to form their own opinion of the Titanic's most infamous survivor.

**WINNER OF THE ELIZABETH LONGFORD PRIZE FOR HISTORICAL BIOGRAPHY 2012** The strange and fascinating story of the owner of the Titanic, J. Bruce Ismay, the man who jumped ship 'Beautifully written, and beautifully deconstructed' Sunday Times 'Wonderfully rich and multi-layered . . . Full of fascinating details . . . Every sentence crackles with intelligence' Mail on Sunday As the Titanic sinks on that fateful day in April 1912, a thousand men prepared to die. J. Bruce Ismay, the ship's owner and inheritor of the White Star fortune, however, jumps into a lifeboat with the women and children and rows away to safety. Publicly reviled as a coward, Ismay became, according to one headline, 'The Most Talked-of Man in the World' and the first victim of a press hate campaign. His reputation never recovered and while other survivors were piecing together their accounts, Ismay never spoke of his beloved ship again. With the help of that great narrator of the sea, Joseph Conrad, whose Lord Jim so uncannily foretold Ismay's fate, Frances Wilson explores the reasons behind Ismay's jump, his desperate need to make sense of the horror of it all, and to find a way of living with ignominy. Wilson's biography of Ismay depicts the indelible stain of public disrepute and a life led in the aftermath of seismic disaster.

Following the Titanic disaster, Bruce Ismay was savaged by both the British and American press for deserting the ship while women and children were still on board. Some papers called him the 'Coward of the Titanic' or 'J. Brute Ismay', and suggested the White Star flag be changed to a 'yellow liver'. History has portrayed Bruce Ismay as a cold, heartless character who showed little compassion for others. Clifford Ismay's new book explores the life and motives of this misunderstood man, delving into family letters and diaries, and revisiting the public enquiries, to reveal a shy, compassionate man, who walked Titanic's boat deck for over two hours, assisting with preparing and loading the lifeboats before finding a spare seat in the last lifeboat to be successfully lowered from the starboard side, and who possibly suffered with post-traumatic stress for the rest of his life.

J. Bruce Ismay was an upper-crust Englishman who always did what was expected of him. He went to the best schools, married the right society girl (even though he was in love with someone else) and vowed to his staunch, unfeeling father on his deathbed that he would take over the family shipping business and build the biggest, most opulent ship the world had ever seen: the RMS Titanic. What an accomplishment! We all know the story of how the ship sank … or do we? Ismay saved as many people as he could on that fateful night, and finally, with no women and children in sight, he stepped into the last lifeboat … and was branded a coward and a traitor forever. The world needed a scapegoat for the sinking of the Titanic and Ismay became the perfect target. He had a powerful enemy in the United States — newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst. Hearst condemned Ismay nationwide before the rescue ship Carpathia even landed in New York. Hearst’s cause was aided by William Alden Smith, a ruthless senator with presidential aspirations, who led a "witch-hunt" investigation into this high-profile disaster. Although there was no solid evidence against Ismay, Senator Smith managed to drag the hearings on for months. More than 3,000 passengers brought lawsuits against the White Star Line for loss of life and property, which only fueled Ismay’s intense survivor’s guilt. When he was forced to resign from the White Star Line, he spent the rest of his days as a recluse at his estate in Ireland, haunted by the ghosts of that fateful night to the point of near insanity. THE LAST LIFEBOAT is the story of the Titanic that has never been told. This epic tale explores not only the tragedy itself, but the sensationalized trials and aftermath of the night that changed the world forever.

Merely a day afterTitanicsurvivors arrived in port in New York City, a United States Senate committee began an investigation into the wreck of the great "unsinkable" ship. For the first time in book form, here is the dramatic testimony of crew and passengers from all walks of life, as they recall the sights and sounds of the night of April 14, 1912.From the manners of the day to the conduct fo those boarding the lifeboats, from acts of kindness to palpable greed, here is an unforgettable portrait of human nature in the face of theTitanictragedy, in the words of the men and women who survived....J. Bruce Ismay,British officer of the White Star Line, who hopped into a lifeboat to save himself and never looked back to see her go down....Second officerCharles Lightoller'sharrowing plunge as the sinking ship's force of suction pulled him under water....On-duty lookoutFrederick Fleet'sadmission that the iceberg might have been avoided if the crew had been equipped with binoculars....PassengerDaisy Minahan,who recalled the refusal of an officer in her lifeboat to aid those adrift in the frigid waters...and many more witnesses to one of the most shattering events of our century. Illustrated with historical photographs, TheTitanic Disaster Hearingsis a vital piece of the puzzle that has sparked worldwide fascination.

The Ismay Line charts the rise and fall of one of the most eminent British shipping companies - and tells the story of the family behind it. The founder of the White Star Line, T H Ismay, pioneered a revolutionary design of iron steamships, built for him by Harland & Wolff of Belfast. By the time of his death in 1899 he had become the most successful steamship owner in the world. He was succeeded by his son, Bruce Ismay, who in April 1912 was aboard his latest ship, Titanic, when it collided with an iceberg on its maiden voyage. Ismay survived by boarding the last lifeboat to leave the starboard side of the sinking liner: and thus began one of the greatest witch-hunts of modern times. The Ismay Line draws on many previously unpublished family diaries and correspondence and offers a robust defence of Bruce Ismay's conduct. Originally published in 1961, the book has been out of print for many years and is now a sought-after collector's item.

A Titanic Love Story, is the story of Ida and Isidor Straus. Their tragic death on the Titanic ended the lives of this remarkable couple devoted to business, family, and philanthropy.