Maiden Voyage

In the 84 years since it sank in the north Atlantic, the Titanic has become a powerful symbol of 19th-century hubris and a generator of multiple myths. Cynthia Bass adds to the store of legends with this engaging tale of a young passenger who, in surviving the disaster in which some 1,500 of his shipmates perished, discovers something steely and enduring in himself. Bass' latest book, with the excitement of a good thriller and the depth of fine history, should find a harbor with Titanic buffs and non-buffs alike.