Lynch, Don & Ken Marschall. Ghosts of the Abyss. A Journey Into the Heart of the Titanic. 1st American printing. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press, Madison Press. April, 2003. hardcover. introduction by James Cameron. graphics illustrated by Ken Marschall. isbn: 0306812231. scarcity: common.

The companion book to James Cameron's expedition to the Titanic site to film the wreck with state of the art equipment and techniques. The project was a triumph of engineering achievement. Not only did Cameron film the exterior of the ship with startlingly clear and vivid images, he brought groundbreaking technology that allowed him to explore deeper into the wreck than anyone had ever gone before.

Lynch's book gives the reader an insider's look at the the expedition from his point of view as one of the experts who went along with Cameron and dove to the wreck with him. As with any cutting edge technology, the expedition had its share of setbacks and successes. The author covers the ups and downs not only from his own perspective, but that of other members of the group, most notably Cameron, Bill Paxton and Ken Marschall.

The book begins with a solid 30+ page review of the Titanic story from maiden voyage to disaster. Then the scene shifts to the Cameron expedition. The format thereafter alternates between chapters of Lynch’s text with chapters showing off the photographic highlights of what Cameron caught on film.

The book’s strength and fascination is the amazing photography even though it does not add significant scientific or historical information to our knowledge of the disaster.

Cameron used a huge lighting rig, nicknamed Medusa, as an aid in photographing the exterior of the ship. This system brought a level of light to the bottom of the sea that has never been achieved before. As such, the exterior footage of the wreck is awesome. Lynch’s and Marschall’s extensive knowledge of Titanic describe the images in wonderful detail.

The quality of the images shot of the interior of the ship are not as consistent. Often they are rather murky, but others are impressive, and some are downright stunning. Fortunately, the book contains many period photos and modern artistic renditions alongside the underwater photographs. This side by side comparison is of tremendous help in visually deciphering the harder to understand images.

One of the most disturbing revelations is how much the ship has deteriorated since it was first filmed by Dr. Ballard and company in 1985. If the pace of decay continues at its current speed, it is hard to know how much longer Titanic will survive before the hulk collapses completely. The true legacy of Cameron’s expedition may thus become the vital visual record he captured on film, a record that may be instrumental in keeping the memory of Titanic alive for generations to come.

For information about the children's version of this book, see the listing under author Mireille Majoor.

The British edition published at the same time as the American version, and with the same cover art.

Lynch, Don & Ken Marschall. Titanic. An Illustrated History. 1st printing. NY: Hyperion. 1992. hardcover. color paintings by Ken Marschall. isbn: 1562829181. scarcity: common.

This book was the first major overview of the entire Titanic story to be published since the discovery of the wreck in 1985, and as such had much new material to bring to the reading public. Titanic historian Don Lynch does a masterful job of telling the entire story from the building of the ship to the wreck dives of the Americans, French and Russians in the late 1980’s.

The author based his text on the words of the survivors, and he obviously wanted to tell everyone’s story, not just the officers and wealthy passengers. Rarely has a book done such an excellent job of describing the event from all levels of Titanic’s physical as well as social structure, from the crew and third class to the upper classes and the officers. This effort gives the reader one of the most well rounded accounts of the story ever to see print.

Married to the excellent, very readable text is a spectacular selection of photographs, plus artwork by maritime artist Ken Marschall. When someone is looking for a good general introduction to the Titanic saga, this book is one of the first I recommend.

Lynch, Don & Ken Marschall. Titanic. An Illustrated History. 1st printing. Lon: Hodder & Stoughton. 1992. hardcover. color paintings by Ken Marschall. isbn: . scarcity: fairly common.

The American and British editions published more or less simultaneously.

Lynch, Don & Ken Marschall. Titanic. An Illustrated History. 1st printing. Toronto: Madison Press. 1992. wraps. color paintings by Ken Marschall. isbn: 078688147X. scarcity: fairly common.

As far as I can tell, the first Canadian edition was printed simultaneously with the American and British editions, but was avalable only in softcover.

Lynch, Don & Ken Marschall. Titanic. An Illustrated History. 2nd special edition. NY: Hyperion. 1998. hardcover. color paintings by Ken Marschall. isbn: 078686401X. scarcity: common.

Not sure what exactly is ‘special’ about this 2nd special edition.

Lynch, Don & Ken Marschall. Titanic. An Illustrated History. limited edition. Norwalk, CT: Easton Press. 2005. hardcover. color paintings illustrated by Ken Marschall. isbn: . scarcity: hard to find.

Special leather bound edition printed on acid free paper.