If you've read Steven Biel's Down With The Old Canoe: A Cultural History of the Titanic Disaster, then you will be prepared for Titanica. It expounds on the articles and references in the previous book, including everything from a early articles from Mother Jones, to a version of the Shine taost, to commentary about the disaster from Joseph Conrad, George Bernard Shaw and Arthus Conan Doyle. The only missing items would be a lack of a more complete table of contents, and an index.

This is very interesting and poses some interesting questions. However, British readers should note that it is very US-centric. This is not a book for those who are not already enthusiasts about the Titanic.

This is one of the few Titanic books currently in print which does more than rehash the same old sinking story. Instead, it looks at the reaction of society to the greatest marine tragedy of all time.

The success of Biel's book hinges on his meticulous research and thorough reporting of his findings. One chapter examines how the New York press reported the tragedy in the days following the sinking. Many authors are content to re-state what the New York Times said (accurately reporting that the ship had sunk), and what the New York Sun said (inaccurately reporting "All Saved From Titanic After Collision"). Biel digs deeper, and presents a range of reactions that vary from honest, dedicated journalism to wild speculation.

Biel's also examines how the Titanic affects us to this day. His analysis of Titanic movies such as "A Night to Remember", "Titanic" (1953), and "Raise the Titanic" give the reader a new perspective on these often-overlooked films. More than cinematic re-tellings of the sinking, they reveal the feelings and values of the people who made them.

Although it is not the most exciting of novels, it is a brave work that, like prospectors looking for gold, successfully finds new material in a world of tired, re-hashed, and looked-over facts.

Steven Biel writes with a detail and depth of knowledge of his subject. The disaster becomes a touchstone for aspects of popular American culture, a prism through which various 20th century concerns are seen, even as Titanic-as-metaphor becomes increasingly mythic and removed from the actual event.