Is there anything new to be said in the wake of the huge explosion of interest in the doomed ocean liner over the last few years? While there may not be much, the publishers of The Science and Story of Titanic have decided that there are fresh ways to package the by-now-well-known facts usefully.

The emphasis of this book/model kit is on the facts – not the romance. The layout is heavy on text, but avoids overwhelming the reader through the excellent use of photographs and some amazing illustrations of things like the ship’s engine and a cut-away diagram of the search area. One of the strongest aspects of the book is the “Final Hours” chapter, which details in step-by-step fashion how the ship hit the giant iceberg and then sank. The 16-inch (40 cm) scale model that comes with the book has a breakaway front part, so that with a quick shift of a lever, young users can simulate the destruction of the ship’s hull and watch their own Titanic sink in the bathtub.

Authors Susan Hughes and Steve Santini, a Titanic expert who consulted with James Cameron during the making of the movie, have placed a lot of emphasis on the wreck and how it was located.

This is a fine book for young readers who are curious about the real history of the ship’s sinking, and a welcome antidote to the hype surrounding this historical event.