Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania

Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania, Larson, Erik. Published by Crown Publishers, New York, 2015. First Edition. 8vo up to 9½" tall., 430pp. with index, bibliography and chapter notes. Black boards with gilt titles, mapped endpapers. Volume has a small remainder dot tail outer edge and is otherwise in fine, unread condition; unclipped dustjacket has light scuffing.

The sinking of the Cunard ocean liner RMS Lusitania occurred on Friday, 7 May 1915 during the First World War, as Germany waged submarine warfare against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The ship was identified and torpedoed by the German U-boat U-20 and sank in 18 minutes. The vessel went down 11 miles (18 km) off the Old Head of Kinsale, Ireland, killing 1,198 and leaving 761 survivors. The sinking turned public opinion in many countries against Germany, contributed to the American entry into World War I and became an iconic symbol in military recruiting campaigns of why the war was being fought. DEAD WAKE: THE LAST CROSSING OF THE LUSITANIA was published in 2015 which marked the 100th anniversary of the disaster. Based on extensive research, esteemed writer Erik Larson provides insights into personal and political events prior, during and after the sinking of Lusitania. He uses historical records, letters, and journal entries to tell the stories of: a) German Unterseeboot-20 and its Captain Walther Schwieger and the policies and directives under which he acted; b) British Winston Churchill, then First Lord of the Admiralty, whose ultra-secret spy group failed to convey crucial naval intelligence that might have saved the and its passengers; c) American President Woodruff Wilson's personal and political thoughts and actions; d) the passengers that died and those who survived; e) Lusitania's Captain William Thomas Turner.