It is Titanic’s close association with her older sister Olympic that brought about the title of this book. Maritime historians will immediately recognize “The Ship Magnificent” as the advertising phrase used for Olympic in White Star Line brochures later in her career. Such catch phrases were created for some of the other great liners as well. Because Titanic’s career was cut short on the morning of April 15, 1912, after striking an iceberg in the North Atlantic on her maiden voyage, she never had the opportunity to carry such a phrase of distinction. Given the fact that these two ships were near-identical twins, Olympic’s catch phrase has been used as the title for this book.

  Even the dedicated historian is hard-pressed to find anything containing more than a cursory description of the details of Titanic’s design, appearance and fittings, or how she was constructed. For those interested in Titanic’s interiors, little information is detailed in period sources beyond descriptions of the grandest of her public rooms and deluxe staterooms.

  Titanic - The Ship Magnificent covers every area of Titanic, from her structural members to her luxurious appointments, all organized by subject matter across 37 individual chapters. Volume I of the book covers the details of her construction, fittings and specific areas by subject matter, beginning with her construction. Volume 2 covers the layout of the ship deck-by-deck. While the book can readily be read cover-to-cover, a reader with a specific interest may also skip a chapter or chapters, going directly to a subject of interest. A comprehensive index will readily guide the reader to a detailed explanation of a term or subject that may be referenced elsewhere in the text, or to assist the reader in returning to a subject later. Featuring over 1,550 drawings, plans, builder’s photographs and other images illustrate the text (118 alone in the chapter on PropellingMachinery). Additionally, the majority of the images carry detailed explanations and additional information. The author’s own General Arrangement plans (deck plans) are used to illustrate the deck chapters throughout.