Legendary Lusitania brought to life

No less than five authors, Titanic experts and artists have come together to create two definitive (and rather beautiful) coffee table books about the Lusitania.

This legendary Edwardian North Atlantic liner – so famous in its time that several songs were written about it – also played a key part in 20^th century history. When a German U-boat torpedoed Lusitania in 1915, the sinking turned public opinion in many nations against Germany, and it was later used in Allied propaganda and military recruiting campaigns.

This is volume one of the biography of the ship. It explains why Lusitania was built, shows it in construction at the Clydebank shipyards, and gives an insight into its technical marvels – all illustrated with never-before-seen photographs and computer-aided recreations that bring the details to life. Charting the vessel’s seven-and-a-half year career, the authors provide a full list of voyages and share fascinating stories from passengers and crew.

A second volume will explore the ship's wartime experiences, eventual demise, and the aftermath of the sinking – with fresh insights into what happened promised by the authors.

Lusitania: Life of a Greyhound
By J. Kent Layton, Tad Fitch, Michael Poirier, Tom Lynskey and Levi Rourke
The History Press, £40
ISBN: 978 18039 95236