3 comments about Murder and Madness: The Secret Life of Jack the Ripper.

1. This is by far the silliest Jack the Ripper book I have ever read (then again, I haven't read Richard Wallace's _Light-Hearted Friend_).

   Dr. Abrahamsen purports to psychoanalyze the Ripper based on his crimes, and decides that the Ripper is really two men: HRH Prince Albert Victor Christian Edward and his tutor, James Kenneth Stephen.

   His evidence? None. Really. Not even a little bit. This is hardly surprising, since research has shown that Prince Albert Victor _could not_ have committed the crimes; his movements are accounted for on every one of the murder nights.

   With this piece of nonsense, Dr. Abrahamsen forfeits his right to be taken seriously, either as a psychiatrist or as an author




2. I checked this book out, and found it to be of little worth. It is hard for me to believe that such an apparently emminent psychologist could possibly believe the preposterous theory he attempts to advance. Abrahamsen even quotes his own books as source material to back up his theories. It seems he takes great pride in having interviewed David Berkowitz (convicted "Son of Sam" killer) extensively, as he can't help but drop the name and details of that case incessantly throughout his writing; from what I've been able to gather, there's little similar between both cases. (I would hardly call the "Son of Sam" murders a "textbook" case of serial murder, though.) On the whole, a disappointing book. Read Sugden's "The Complete History of Jack the Ripper" instead...



3. I felt this was a creative, fly by the seat of your pants theory, that was just as good as anyone else's guess. It's great!

No comments about The Lodger.

2 comments about Ripper Notes: How the Newspapers Covered the Jack the Ripper Murders.

1. Incredible writings that left the boring fill-in uninteresting notes to one side.
   Very informative,well written that both the layperson and the well-versed JtR person can relate to.
   I don't know what words I can use to describe Ripper Notes, other than the most informative, factual and demonstrative magazine I have ever read.



2. January 2005 edition of Ripper Notes #21: How the Newspapers Covered Jack the Ripper. Quite an interesting look into how news sources of the time covered the murders and whom they did and didn't count as victims, suspects, and the gross errors they made or assumed in the covering of the cases.
   
   1. Next day edition coverage of the death of Mary Jane Kelly. Wrong names, locales, and means of death abounded throughout.
   2. How the Irish press covered the JtR murders. Very critical of the police force, Charles Warren and Mr. Matthews in particular.
   3. Snippets involving Frances Tumblety as a politician in Montreal, Carrie Brown murder in NYC involving a request for the Lusk Letter from JtR, and Superintendent Arnold inadvertently 'eliminates' four suspects with an article about JtR still being at large in London.
   4. Here's the real meat of the issue, covering 54 pages of the book. It's a reprinting of the Norman Hastings news accounts written in 1929 between September and November. Many now known myths/stories are included as facts in Hastings' lengthy presentations including 'Marie Jeanette Kelly', ghostly visitations, shiny farthings, and suspects. Hastings claims many more than the "Canonical 5" as victims of JtR including Emma Smith, Martha Tabram, Francis Coles, and even the Whitehall torso. Also extends JtR career prior to just 1888 into a six year reign of terror with a focus on James Sadler and a shipboard cattleman as main suspects. Very interesting but now known to be quite unreliable.
   5. Another article on psychic R.J. Lees
   6. The Ghost Club and a JtR conference regarding paranormal aspects.
   7. The Cloak and Dagger Club Christmas party.
   
   This magazine usually carries 9-10 articles but with the length of Part Four, it reduces the amount of entries. That fourth chapter starts to drag on a bit but is still very interesting for any JtR enthusiast. Parts 6&7 were really pretty worthless and detracts from the rest of the magazine. Could have been done more wisely by combining them into one chapter and giving us another article on the newspapers instead. Virtually no mention of Det. Abberline in this issue. Still worth having for your collection.

No comments about Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper: Tales of Horror.

No comments about JACK THE RIPPER; The Facts.

No comments about Jack the Ripper One Hundred Years of Inv.

2 comments about The Crimes of Jack the Ripper.

1. I got this as a remainder book at my local bookstore. It is quick to read, covers the events and is basically "Jack the Ripper for Dummies". It's the cut and dry coverage of the murders, suspects, conspiracies, and the author's sumation without getting overly detailed and bogged down. Good book for the casual interest in JtR. However, there are errors and bias.
   
   The author appears to include Tabram in the JtR murders along with Coles and the 'canonical five'. Oddly, the author seemingly leans heavily towards Francis Tumblety but on the final page actual calls out multiple individuals for the deaths (which may account for his apparent inclusion of Tabram & coles). Thusly, JtR was not one person but more of either copycat style deaths or random coincidental murders. Decent enough for the casual reader, good enough to put in your collection, but far from being in the top books regarding JtR (still much better than Cornwell's though).



2. This is by far the best book that I have read about `Jack the Ripper' and his crimes. Of course, they only total five and I am by no means an expert on the subject. Perhaps that's why I found the book to be of such interest. It simply contains a lot of information about which I was unaware, particularly with regard to the numerous suspects.
   
   Three of the previous books which I had read tried to convince their readers that a particular suspect, or suspects, was actually Jack the Ripper and, in the process, introduced a lot of presumed evidence which the reader had no way to verify. The fourth (Uncovering Jack the Ripper's London) took its readers back to the Whitechapel District in the 1880s and walked them through that time and place during the reign of terror. This book went beyond that book and presented a much more comprehensive study of the crimes including a review of 1880s London; an assessment of the crimes, including the autopsy reports; the thoughts of the principle investigators, many reflecting back in their later years; and finally a discussion of the "usual" suspects and Scotland Yard's prime suspects.
   
   I liked the way the author presented his material and his fairly consistent objectivity. But I can't say that I agree with all of his conclusions, particularly those concerning James Maybrick and 'Jack the Ripper's Diary.' And I was more than a little surprised when, at the end of the book, he introduced his own, previously unknown, suspect.
   
   With regard to Maybrick, I couldn't help but wonder: If I had been a workman in Maybrick's old house and had found the diary, would I have told anyone? I don't really know that I would. And I'm not sure that modern FBI profiling can really be applied to a man becoming psychotic through his addiction to strychnine and arsenic. Furthermore, if the presumed forger of the diary was the scrap metal dealer Michael Barrett, Barrett must surely have been the most remarkable scrap dealer in world history. For besides being able to sell scrap metal he was also a world class expert in the psychotic behavior of the human mind. If he could also write, there must surely be samples of his handwriting for comparison with the diary. That would be more conclusive evidence as to whether, or not, he actually wrote it. Still further, I couldn't help but wonder about the two items, said to be unknown to the public, which were mentioned in the diary. I would also have liked to have heard a little something about the twist in the supposed word 'Juwes' as scribed on the wall (but copied and erased), and 'James' as used in the diary. Simply stated, I'm not convinced that Maybrick can be so easily ruled out as a suspect. But, what do I know?
   
   As for the author's introduction of Jacob Levy as a new suspect, previously unknown to the police: I found this to be quite remarkable and a little amusing, especially when he concluded that Levy's death in a mental asylum in 1891 may have been the reason that Scotland Yard officially closed their files on the Whitechapel murders. Why would they do that if they didn't know he was a suspect? And why wouldn't they tell the public? That struck me as particularly strange considering the fact that it followed a chapter in which virtually all of the principle Scotland Yard investigators, many reflecting back years later, said they had no idea who `Jack the Ripper' really was. But still, I can't help but wonder: Who had enough power and influence to close the case and seal the records for 100 years? And why would they do that? No wonder the Royal Family is, and will likely continue to be, a prime suspect.
   
   Bottom line: This book presents an excellent overview of the `Whitechapel Murders' and is quite thought provoking. If you have even the slightest interest in `Jack the Ripper,' you will certainly enjoy it.

1 comments about The Cases That Haunt Us From Jack the Ripper to JonBenet Ramsey, the FBI's Legendary Mindhunter Sheds Light on the .....

1. A true crime buff, I enjoyed this cross-section of cases, as presented by a longtime detective. The cases, which include Jack the Ripper, the Zodiac Killer, Lizzie Borden, and JonBenet Ramsey, are presented in a straightforward, factual manner, which nonetheless manages to give readers a sense of understanding about the victims -- and the killers, too.
   
   Even if you aren't really into true crime, I'd recommend picking up this book -- it's important to know about some of the most well-known crimes in history, which in turn shaped popular culture and society.

2 comments about JACK THE RIPPER : and the Whitechapel Murders [BOX SET] (Document Pack).

1. This is not a book, but a reproduction of documents from the public Records office in London. For those that are serious about Ripper research, you need to have this. Since many of us will never get the chance to go to London, this will be as close as we get to what is left of Ripper Documents. Evans and Skinner are some of the best Ripper Researchers their are!



2. As a big Jack the Ripper-ologist, I was really excited about getting this but when I opened the box, I'm must admit I was a wee bit disappointed.
   
   I got the impression from the item description that these would be "aged" like the declaration of independence and constitution replicas you get in the Washington DC souvenier shops. They are not, and rather on fancy photo type paper instead. Out of the 16 document reproductions, some of the police reports are on a high quality copy paper. Also there are little black circles the size of a hole punch with page numbers in the corners of each document (drat!). These are not display pieces. I feel this was a result of my own false hopes and mis-interpretation of the description... so I won't dock any stars for this.
   
   My only legitimate complaint is that I wish there were more documents in it! Otherwise, this set is really nice for studying handwriting and gathering facts. I'm giving this 4 stars as the collection is an excellent "Saucy Jacky" study piece.

No comments about The Private Life of Jack The Ripper.