E.J. The Story of Edward J. Smith. Captain of the Titanic

[Gary Cooper]

Hello, as a number of you have been good enough to ask if I could keep you informed as to when my updated biography of Captain Smith becomes available, I'm just writing to say that I have this evening placed it on general release through lulu.com. It is entitled 'E.J.' The Story of Edward John Smith. It is 420 pages long and costs £8.42 (at the moment, I don't know if the price fluctuates) which is not much in anybody's money. It may take a day or so to be listed on the Lulu site. Lulu is print-on-demand, you order a copy and it is printed for you.

I can't say I have added anything too original to the Titanic tale, but I hope the story of his earlier life is of interest to some of you.

Gary

 

[Inger Sheil]

That is fantastic news, Gary! I'll download it.

 

[Ernie Luck]

Gary has now published his long awaited new biography of Edward John Smith. I know Gary has been working on this book - a major revision of his earlier work titled 'The Man who sank the Titanic' - for many years.

This is a steal, a real gift at the price Gary is charging - no more than production costs and gives no indication of the vast amount of research and work he has put into it. A rare labour of love with no profit motive.

I met Gary - must be 5 or 6 years ago now - when I was involved in working on the ancestry of the Mason Pottery family. A chance comment by a Mason/Spode descendant that her grand children were more interested in their Titanic Smith connection than their Mason/Spode ancestry roused my interest. It was in trying to confirm their family connection that I came to catch up with Gary. We have kept in touch ever since and Gary has kept me updated with progress on his new book.

I strongly recommend this book to any one interested in the human side of the Titanic story. A must for anyone interested in knowing the background of this charismatic person who rose from a potters son to be a millionaires Captain

 

[Mark Baber]

I downloaded it last night and then spent about an hour with the chapters dealing with Smith's pre-1900 career. There's a lot of great stuff there, interesting to me as much for what it says about White Star's history as for what it says about Smith.

Great work, Gary.

[Moderator's Note: This message and the one above it were originally posted to a different thread, but have been moved here to keep discussion of this book in one place. MAB]

 

[Allan Wolf]

My copy is due to arrive in Asheville, NC any day now. Looking forward to it.

 

[Gary Cooper]

Inger, Mark, thanks for the comments, I hope you enjoy the book and find it useful. Mark, I answered your email, but am suffering a few email difficulties at the moment, so though I sent it via this site it may not have got through.

Gary

 

[Mark Baber]

Got it, Gary. Thanks.

 

[Gary Cooper]

I have just uploaded the latest and what I hope is the final version of my book. The only variation from the version released a few days ago is a page I have inserted at the front of the book - mostly for libraries - noting that the book is print on demand and can be bought on Lulu and I have corrected mine or Via Voice's more obvious spelling mistakes.

For those who might have previously bought my book, nothing new has been added to the text and beyond the spelling corrections no alterations made. Because of the extra page, though the price has increased just slightly to £8.45.

Gary

 

[Allan Wolf]

Gary,
Kudos! I got my copy in the mail a couple days ago and I'm about 100 pages in. Thanks for this well-written and thorough glimpse into Smith's life. Smith is a character in a book I'm presently writing, and you've already helped me to bring him to life in many new ways. Your book has helped me better understand life in the merchant marines as well. Thanks for all the work you did on this. And thanks for offering all of this at an affordable price!

 

[Gary Cooper]

You're very welcome Allan, and thanks for the comments; I hope the rest of the book helps. Though I don't believe over this distance of time anyone will ever really get under his skin (unless some unknown autobiography is discovered) Smith did have a few interesting quirks that came to light during my research that you might find useful to flesh him out in your own work.

Gary

 

[Encyclopedia Titanica]

E.J. The Story of Edward J. Smith. Captain of the Titanic​

I have wondered and wondered just how a man who lived miles from the sea and with scant maritime connections ever became one of the most famous sea captains?

 

[Ann Roberts]

Message for Gary Cooper: Have thoroughly enjoyed reading 'E.J.' and take my hat off to you for amassing all those facts and all that detail. My only criticism is the lack of an index and a list of sources. Interested parties always like to know where the facts originate. I'm working on a book myself and have been trying to verify some of your stories about weather in the Western Ocean - finding it very frustrating and time-consuming!

 

[Ernie Luck]

Hello Ann

I have been in touch with Gary Cooper and he tells me he was unable to respond on this site. I don't think he has paid his subs? So unfortunately we are deprived of his response

I have emailed you his email address as he has suggested.

 

[Paul Holmes]

Thanks for writing this book! I have been a Titanic enthusiast for years and one interest has been the life and career of Captain Smith. This book isbrilliant, received my copy today and am already half way through!!

 

[Ernie Luck]

Hello Paul,

I have been in touch with Gary Cooper recently and I know that he has seen and appreciates your kind remarks. He has put a lot of work into this new biography over many years - a labour of love with no interest in financial reward.

You may have found his website - under the 'Titanic on computer or on the web' topic. He would be happy to discuss any aspect of this biography should you wish to do so.