William Baird

Mr. Baird is the author of both historical fiction and nonfiction, with a special focus on family history, maritime history, and the American Civil War.

His family-based works include The Story Teller, inspired by his Irish heritage; Unexpected Journeys, based on his English ancestors; and A Coal Miner's Family, which traces his family's roots in Scotland.

Baird's historical fiction also include two Titanic-themed works: RMS Carpathia; The Triumph and Tragedy of the Titanic Rescue ship, which tells the dramatic story of the ship that rescued Titanic survivors, and Captain E.J. Smith: Life After Titanic, a speculative novel exploring how the captain might have lived with the legacy of the disaster had he survived.

His non-fiction works include Dear Rita, a compilation of his father's World War II letters home, and Andersonville: An American Tragedy, a history of the notorious Confederate prison camp where more than 13,000 Union prisoners died in just fourteen months. His most recent book is a biography of Corporal James Gooding of the 54th Massachusetts infantry, a remarkable soldier, sailor, and Civil War correspondent.

Born in Cleveland, Ohio, William Baird now lives in Florida. He is the father of two and the grandfather of two.