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Dave Gittins. For more information, see the author's website, All at Sea with Dave Gittins.

Gittins, Dave. Titanic: Monument and Warning. 1st printing. Adelaide, Australia: by the author. October, 2005. . Cd-rom format for Windows computers. isbn: none. scarcity: hard to find.

This is not a book, but a cd-rom. The type is sharp and of a size comfortable on the eyes, the images as well. It uses digital methods to produce a comprehensive index, plus more than 1,200 footnotes and references that appear on-screen on demand. These pop-up notes and footnotes are excellent use of the format as is the active links throughout the index. The cd-rom can be read by Windows computers only at this time.

The author’s writing style is often wry, yet informative and on-point, making for an enjoyable reading experience. He is not afraid to burst the bubbles of “common knowledge” that has crept into the public’s collective consciousness when that information is misinformed. Even on contentious topics, Gittins works hard at being fair and balanced in his presentation. The volume of information covered is impressive, as well, and often thought provoking. I am particularly intrigued by his very novel solution to the lack of damage to the starboard side of the ship beyond boiler room five.

This work is being advertised as the first major re-examination of Lord Mersey's British inquiry, but there is much more to the text than that. There are six chapters on the story of the Titanic herself and her maiden voyage. Two chapters cover the US Senate investigation, four cover the British inquiry. There is a chapter on the Californian, which will have Lord’s detractors cheering and the captain’s defenders boiling. Further chapters cover the futures of those involved, a chapter on Titanic's supposed effect on maritime safety, and a chapter on debunking legends and myths.

There are three appendices; one on navigation, one on terminology and one on statistics. The text finishes with a bibliograpy and an index. All told, it amounts to more than 230,000 words (that’s 400 to 500 printed pages!).

There is a sample of the text on Gittins' website.