The 1912 first edition of the rare published report of the United States Congressional hearings into the aftermath of the sinking of the Titanic, described as something of a holy grail for collectors of ephemera relating to the Titanic disaster ,is another gem in the latest acquisitions list of Douglas Stewart Fine Books, Melbourne , at $7500.
An additional point of interest is that the volume , from the Government Printing Office, Washington, is a discarded library copy with occasional stamps of the Public Library of Western Australia .The bookshop says this is the most contemporary comprehensive account of the catastrophe, as the hearings – organised by Michigan Senator William Alder Smith – were opened a mere four days after the sinking.
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| Title page with W.A .Public Library stamp . |
It contains the testimonies of 89 witnesses, most of them surviving passengers and crew members. The first to give testimony was J. Bruce Ismay, managing director of the White Star Line.
