A Night to RememberA Night to Remember
Score Classic
What it's about
In two hours and forty minutes on the night of April 14, 1912, the Titanic sank in the North Atlantic and more than 1,500 people died. Walter Lord interviewed 63 survivors and reconstructed that night minute by minute, from the iceberg to the lifeboats, through the stories of passengers and crew in every class.
Why it's worth reading
It reached #1 on the New York Times bestseller list in 1955, and it remains the classic account of the disaster. Lord's style, clear, fast and humane, inspired generations of narrative nonfiction.
You'll love it if you liked
The Boys in the Boat
Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and RedemptionGood to know
It's short and can be read in an evening. Some editions also include Lord's follow-up, The Night Lives On.
By the numbers
- Readers91 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller37 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #117 of the 198 history books we rank
- #245 of the 762 classics we rank
- #780 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
True story, Adventurous
If you like this, read next
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West
The Killer Angels
Native Son
The Death and Life of Great American Cities
The Confessions of Nat Turner
The Book ThiefExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is A Night to Remember worth reading?
Yes. It reached #1 on the New York Times bestseller list in 1955, and it remains the classic account of the disaster. It ranks #780 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 75.2 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is A Night to Remember about?
In two hours and forty minutes on the night of April 14, 1912, the Titanic sank in the North Atlantic and more than 1,500 people died. Walter Lord interviewed 63 survivors and reconstructed that night minute by minute, from the iceberg to the lifeboats, through the stories of passengers and crew in every class.
How long does it take to read A Night to Remember?
About 5 hours (182 pages), or about 10 days at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after A Night to Remember?
If you liked it, try The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown, Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster by Jon Krakauer or Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand.