Daniel Allen Butler

Daniel Allen Butler is the author of "Unsinkable"—the Full Story of RMS Titanic; The Lusitania: the Life, Loss and Legacy of an Ocean Legend, Warrior Queens: RMS Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth in World War Two, and The Age of Cunard.

Education

Butler was educated at Hope College, Grand Valley State University, and the University of Erlangen.

Military Background

Butler spent eight years as an officer in the United States Army, six of them in Intelligence. His service in the military was cut short after an altercation with a superior officer.

During his military service he began laying the foundation for a career as a military and maritime historian by taking every opportunity to do research into a wide range of subjects. He delved into museums, historical archives, public and private records and corporate archives in such diverse places as Dublin and Cobh (Queenstown), Ireland; Belfast, Northern Ireland; the Clyde, Glasgow, Inverkeithing and Perth, Scotland; and London, Liverpool and Southampton, England; Brussels and Mons, Belgium; and Bonn, Germany.

Writing Career

Butler was working at the Sunrise Presbyterian Church in Miami Lakes, Florida, as evening security and custodian, which allowed him time to write his first and most significant book, Unsinkable. This book covering the history of the RMS Titanic, was published by Stackpole Books of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, in March 1998, just as James Cameron's film was making its first-run in theaters. The book enjoyed considerable critical acclaim and public acceptance. Hailed for its breadth of scope as well as depth of analysis, "Unsinkable" went through four printings in as many months, and sold almost one hundred thousand copies in less than two years, reaching Number 3 on the UPI Bestseller List in late March, and Number 20 on the New York Times Bestseller List in mid-April of that year. The late Walter Lord, dean of Titanic historians, called the book "a masterful retelling of the Titanic story."

Butler’s second, "The Lusitania," published by Stackpole in October 2000. "Warrior Queens: RMS Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth in World War Two," was released by Stackpole in February 2002. In January 2004 his fourth book, "The Age of Cunard--a Transatlantic History, 1839-2003" was published under the Lighthouse Press imprint of ProStar Publications. July 2006 saw him return to print with "Distant Victory: the Battle of Jutland and the Allied Triumph in the First World War," this new work published by Praeger International. "The First Jihad--the Battle for Khartoum and the Dawn of Militant Islam" published by Casemate Publishing, was released in 2006.

Following the success of "Unsinkable" Butler became a commentator on maritime history, in particular the Titanic disaster, on both radio and television. He was featured in the Miramax Studio’s edition of their IMAX film "Titanica" (released on video in the fall of 1998) and in A & E’s documentary "Beyond Titanic," first broadcast in September 1998. He has also been a featured speaker in Belfast, Northern Ireland, as well as a guest lecturer for Norwegian Cruise Lines, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, and Cunard. He currently lives and works in Los Angeles, California.