The author reconstructs the story of his grandfather, Jock Hume, the Titanic's violinist, and his grandmother, Mary Costin, including their last days together onboard and how these events shaped their family's life as well as those of other survivors.

On 14th April 1912 the Titanic struck an iceberg on her maiden voyage and sank. Fifteen hundred passengers and crew lost their lives. As the order to abandon ship was given, the orchestra took their instruments on deck and continued to play. They were still playing when the ship went down. The violinist, 21 year-old Jock Hume, knew that his fiancée, Mary, was expecting their first child, the author's mother. One hundred years later, Christopher Ward reveals a dramatic story of love, loss and betrayal, and the catastrophic impact of Jock's death on two very different Scottish families. He paints a vivid portrait of an age in which class determined the way you lived - and died. An outstanding piece of historical detective work, AND THE BAND PLAYED ON is also a moving account of how the author's quest to learn more about his grandfather revealed the shocking truth about a family he thought he knew, a truth that had been hidden for nearly a hundred years.

The movies, the documentaries, the museum exhibits. They often tell the same story about the "unsinkable" Titanic, her wealthy passengers, the families torn apart, and the unthinkable end. But never before has "that glorious band," the group of eight musicians who played on as the Titanic slipped deeper and deeper into the Atlantic Ocean, been explored in such depth--until now. Join renowned biographer Steve Turner as he shares an extraordinary portrait of eight men who were thrown together on a maiden voyage, never having played together as a band, and whose names will be forever linked because of an extraordinary act of courage in the face of death. In The Band that Played On, Turner asks and answers key questions, including: How did the faith of the band members allow them to react with grace under pressure? Why does the story of the Titanic continue to fascinate? How does the legacy of that glorious band live on today? Praise for The Band that Played On: "The Band that Played On is, surprisingly, the first book since the great ship went down to examine the lives of the eight musicians who were employed by the Titanic. What these men did--standing calmly on deck playing throughout the disaster--achieved global recognition. But their individual stories, until now, have been largely unknown. What Turner has uncovered is a narrow but unique slice of history--one more chapter of compelling Titanic lore." --Marjorie Kehe, Book Editor, Christian Science Monitor

A cloth bag containing eight copies of the title.

Capturing the disbelief, the chaos and the terror of the fateful night the Titanic sank 100 years ago, Titanic on Trial brings to life the tragedy through the voices of those who survived it. Stories about the sinking have become legendary - how the band played to the end, how lifeboats were lowered half-empty - but amongst the films, novels and academic arguments, only those who were there can separate truth from fiction. This book gives the story back to those people. After the sinking, inquiries into the loss of 1,517 lives were held in both the UK and US. The 1,000 or more pages of transcripts represent the most thorough and complete account of the sinking, told in the voices of those who were there. For the first time, these transcripts of the courtroom questions and answers have been specially edited and arranged chronologically, uncovering and drawing out the real drama of the Titanic's final night. The witnesses are transformed into characters in a much bigger story, and the events are described from the perspectives of people in every part of the ship, from a stoker in the boiler room escaping just before the watertight doors sealed behind him, to first class passengers trying to buy their way onto lifeboats. This compelling book provides a unique insight into what really happened on the night, and the terrible, courageous, cowardly and tragic choices individuals had to make.

Good leaders walk a tightrope between doing and daring – often in the glare of the public spotlight. In Leadership in the Headlines, Andrew Hill, the award-winning Management Editor of the Financial Times, shares his insider insights into the who’s and how’s of effective leadership. Packed with practical lessons, this book divides the best of Andrew’s wry and insightful columns into eight ‘acts’ of leadership, with new commentary enhancing each one. Whether you’re new to Andrew Hill’s columns or a loyal reader, you’ll gain fresh perspectives on the tough job of leading and take away tips about how to refine your own management skills.

It has been more than one hundred years since the RMS Titanic sank to the bottom of the North Atlantic ocean. The disaster has captivated history buffs and non-history buffs alike, and it is easy to see why. Some of the most illustrious people of the day were on board: some survived, and some did not. Legends abound about whether the ship’s maiden voyage was cursed. And then there is the ship itself: arguably the most luxurious vessel to ever travel oversea. Inside you will read about... ✓ Conceiving of and Building the Titanic ✓ The Ship of Dreams ✓ Setting Sail ✓ The Passengers ✓ The Iceberg and the Sinking ✓ The Aftermath ✓ The Titanic Remembered and Re-Discovered The disaster holds secrets and stories of love and bravery, cowardice and greed. Explore these and other themes that surround the sinking of the grand ship, Titanic.

“A fascinating historical account…A snapshot of the American Dream culminating with this country’s mid-century greatness” (The Wall Street Journal) as a man endeavors to build the finest, fastest, most beautiful ocean liner in history. The story of a great American Builder at the peak of his power, in the 1940s and 1950s, William Francis Gibbs was considered America’s best naval architect. His quest to build the finest, fastest, most beautiful ocean liner of his time, the SS United States, was a topic of national fascination. When completed in 1952, the ship was hailed as a technological masterpiece at a time when “made in America” meant the best. Gibbs was an American original, on par with John Roebling of the Brooklyn Bridge and Frank Lloyd Wright of Fallingwater. Forced to drop out of Harvard following his family’s sudden financial ruin, he overcame debilitating shyness and lack of formal training to become the visionary creator of some of the finest ships in history. He spent forty years dreaming of the ship that became the SS United States. William Francis Gibbs was driven, relentless, and committed to excellence. He loved his ship, the idea of it, and the realization of it, and he devoted himself to making it the epitome of luxury travel during the triumphant post-World War II era. Biographer Steven Ujifusa brilliantly describes the way Gibbs worked and how his vision transformed an industry. A Man and His Ship is a tale of ingenuity and enterprise, a truly remarkable journey on land and sea.

Fifteen-year-old Samuel Scott died while building the Titanic. As the ship sails to her doom, his ghost moves restlessly alongside the passengers and crew: Frederick Fleet: the young look-out who spotted the iceberg and who survived in a life-boat with (the unsinkable) Molly Brown; Howard Hartley Wallace: the heroic band-leader who played ragtime music as the freezing waters lapped at his feet; Harold Bride: the junior radio operator whose messages echoed on, long after the ship had disappeared to its icy grave ...

The sailing, sinking and discovery of the Titanic on the ocean floor.