1 comments about The Highways and Byways of Jack the Ripper.

1. Wow! For those diehard "Ripper" enthusist, this book is a
   must!!!
   Beautiful color and B&W glossy photos of past and present!
   Old location photos matched with recent color photos to show
   the Whitechapel district, and how it's changed in over a
   century!
   Color stills, photographed from several differnt angles,
   give you the atmosphere of what was once in 1888!
   If you want to revel and absorb in a time and place in
   history that has so much mystery to it, then this book is
   definately a book for you!

No comments about Jack the Ripper.

No comments about Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper.

5 comments about Jack the Ripper (Mystery Rummy, Case No. 1).

1. This is a great game. Being similiar to rummy its easy to learn yet different enough to make it even more entertaining. The process of collecting evidence and placing victims with scenes as you build a case against a particular suspect is challenging and fun at the same time. My favorite aspects of the game is the explainations on the cards. These explanations give insight into the Whitechapel Murders which occured in the East End of London during 1888. I found them so interesting I am now reading The Complete History of Jack the Ripper to get the full story. An awesome game all around!



2. This game can be fun, but it's also pretty dark. If you really think about what you're playing, it can be a little creepy.
   
   It's a multi-player game where the object is to either catch Jack the Ripper, or ensure the Ripper's escape. Points vary according to which tactic you employ.
   
   Each player creates melds that are specific to Jack the Ripper's victim's: clues, potential murderers and the like - all of these have a certain air of historical accuracy.
   
   The rules take a little practice to figure out, but once you get started it's pretty simple. Like other Mystery Rummy games there's a nice bit of strategy involved.
   
   Out of all the Mystery R. games, this is my least favorite - maybe just because of the theme.



3. This delightful card game is a perfect combination of mystery and rummy. In the first of three installments of mystery rummy the players attempt to solve the Jack the Ripper murders.

   Play truly begins when one of the players plays a Victim card, thus signaling the beginning of the Ripper Murders. Each player tries to form melds (three of a kind or more) of evidence cards against various suspects. As the game progresses new victims are found, evidence mounts, and alabis can be provided. When a player gets rid of all the cards in their hand the round is over. The suspect with the most evidence against them (without an alabi) is Jack the Ripper. Cards pertaining to that suspect are doubled in value for all players. But be careful, if all five victims are revealed, it is possible for Jack to escape, leaving all but one player vitually pointless for the round.

   A little extra strategy is thrown in by allowing a vote during the hand. Each player secretly writes down who they believe will be Jack the Ripper at the end of the hand. Players who are correct score bonus points.

   This is a great rummy game. It's perfect for a quiet night at home with a loved one, or for a small group at a Halloween party. I highly recommend this game.




4. For those unfamiliar with the Mystery Rummy games, the game is played using a special set of cards. The idea is to build melds (as in regular rummy), but game play is affected by a special set of cards (gavel cards) that allow you to draw extra cards from the deck, score extra points, or allow you to retrieve cards from the discard pile. Each of the Mystery Rummy games uses slightly different mechanics and is based on a different mystery.
   
   This is the best of the Mystery Rummy games. It is the most strategically rewarding, offering many opportunities to alter ones position in the game. Also, unlike the rest of the Mystery Rummy games, this game has unique game mechanic which creates tension the longer the game goes on and allows one person to "shut out" the other players even if that player didn't empty their hand (the normal way for ending the rummy game).
   
   Not that the game is difficult to learn, but Ripper is much more complicated than the other games of the series and has many more gavel cards. The complexity creates a wonderful game, but for players looking for something a little less complicated, Mystery Rummy 3 - Jekyll/Hyde offers excellent game play and is much simpler.



5. Takes the traditional rummy game and adds a twist. My husband and I play this game a lot and because of the various ways to get points and win, the game is never the same. We really enjoy it and would like to find a way to put another Case No.

4 comments about Night of the Ripper.

1. The short stories Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper and A Toy for Juliette, as well as the Star Trek episode Wolf in the Fold show just how fascinated legendary writer Robert Bloch had been with the Whitechapel serial killer. This 1984 novel poses an original idea for who the killer may have been and why the crimes were committed. Bloch's voluminous knowledge not only of the crimes themselves but of the Victorian Era makes the novel worthy of repeated readings. A very good book from a great writer. Highly recommended.



2. For anyone who loves mysteries, this book is for you.
   For anyone who loves Rober Bloch, this book is for you,
   For anyone who is fascinated by the Jack the Ripper murders this book is your bible.
   Bloch is one of the best writers out there today and he weaves a giant web of mystery and suspense that keeps the reader turning the pages. This is one of those books that grabs you and holds in in place until you turn the final page. You can't put it down. Soon, as the story deepens you find yourself sweating and biting your nails. With each turn of a page you tell yourself you don't want to know what happens next, that you want to put the book down and stop reading. This possibility, of course, is impossible. Whether you like it or not you are along for the ride with no exits.
   If you're looking for a page-turner sure to give you goosebumps this is the book for you. You won't regret reading it.



3. Working from the facts of the Whitechapel murders, Robert Bloch takes on Jack the Ripper in The Night of the Ripper and proposes a novel, logical, yet highly imaginative solution to the crimes. This is pure fiction, so one should not think that Bloch proposes a reasonable theory behind the Ripper murders and the identity of Saucy Jack. A number of entirely fictitious characters find themselves at the heart of this tale of murder. Mark Robinson, a young American doctor working at London Hospital, becomes the centerpiece of the action, working in conjunction with Inspector Abberline to find a solution to the horrific crimes sending London into fits of panic. Eva Sloane, a young nurse at the hospital, catches his eye early on and becomes the object of his unrequited affections and concern. With several of the doctors at the hospital initially considered suspects of a sort, particularly the eccentric Dr. Hume who seems to enjoy his surgical work just a little too much, Robinson adopts the role of Eva's protector, but this aspect of the story could have been much better incorporated into the larger picture of the murders. While this novel failed to win me over completely, I must say that the ending, highly imaginative as it is, does provide a surprise or two and in its way manages to explain some of the discrepancies in the Ripper evidence, particularly that surrounding the most brutal slaughter of Mary Jane Kelly. One interesting touch that I did like was Bloch's means of introducing each chapter; working his way through history, he gives short descriptions of some of mankind's most brutal and horrifying activities.

   It may well be that someone unfamiliar with the details of the Ripper murders would enjoy this novel more than I did. Being an armchair Ripperologist myself, the true facts of the actual murders in this novel fail to shock or horrify me; rather, I tend to dwell on the facts that Bloch left out and the general incompleteness of the facts he chose to play with. Bloch also chose to mention all manner of past theories over the course of the novel without attempting to explain the real significance (or impossibility) of some of them. Also, I can't say I care for the insertion of such well-known characters as Arthur Conan Doyle, Oscar Wilde, George Bernard Shaw, and John Merrick (the Elephant Man) into the narrative. These characters serve no purpose at all in this novel beyond making it more sensational; each of them makes a brief, wholly unimportant appearance and is then forgotten. As talented a writer as Bloch was, I can't imagine why he would resort to such needless sensationalism. The main problem I have with the novel is in fact the shallowness of all the characters. These characters never come alive; for the most part, we merely watch them come and go like puppets controlled by the author. The presentation of such historical individuals as Inspector Abberline, Sir William Gull, and Sir Charles Warren is superficial and more misleading than insightful. Abberline remains quite inscrutable, although Bloch chooses to repeat ad nauseum the conditions of the poor man's troublesome stomach.

   Only a certain breed of author would attempt a fictionalized explication of Jack the Ripper's crimes. Bloch was certainly one of that rare breed, but I believe his fictional engine was not clicking on all cylinders as he wrote The Night of the Ripper. His determination to bring in some of the actual facts of the murders, give lip service to all manner of Ripper theories, and insert a number of famous men having little or no connection to the crimes seemed to distract him from the more important issue of character development; that deficiency makes this novel a superficial read that fails to impress this reader.




4. This is a rather predictable mystery novel that benefits from an interesting premise. The mystery is mixed with solid historical fiction concerning the enduring enigma of Jack the Ripper, in the London of 1888. Fans of unsolved mysteries in history can have fun with this premise, remembering the fact that Bloch advances a culprit out of his own sense of writing a fun novel. However, one of the reasons that the Jack the Ripper story remains so fascinating with enthusiasts is the cover-up angle, as many investigators (in many non-fiction books) suspect a person of high standing in British society who benefited from a cover-up. In Bloch's story here, the conspiracy angle is examined but the perpetrator turns out to be someone far less interesting. Also, the motive (the key to any strong mystery story) is weak and under-explored. Add to that Bloch's very formulaic construction of the story, as if he was working straight from a "How to Write a Mystery" manual, along with completely unnecessary cameos by historical personages like Arthur Conan Doyle and the Elephant Man. This treatment of the Jack the Ripper legend is a fun read but is not an especially strong example of the mystery genre. [~doomsdayer520~]

No comments about Jack The Ripper - The Pocket Essential Guide.

5 comments about The Many Faces of Jack the Ripper.

1. I liked the photos, some of the murder sites no longer exist today, so it was neat to see the sites of the murders. The text was interesting, but the high point of this book for me was the photographs.



2. For a book that touted the fact it would be full of interesting pictures, the promised photos weren't that prominent! Don't get me wrong--there are a lot of interesting images--but I expected them to be larger, with more direct commentary ... a focus on the images, the photos, and their connection to the history.

   Instead, the book reads like a typical JtR book, with a lot more illustrations. Trow makes a few good points, though, and the last chapter is really, really interesting. Worth reading, but don't expect too much on the picture front.




3. Informative with a lot of interesting pictures, This is the first book for me about "Jack the Ripper" and I will really recommend this book. Great and easy reading,



4. Informative with a lot of interesting pictures,



5. Jack the Ripper continues to taunt us over 100 years after his murder spree. Theories come and go, but if you're looking for THE reference book on the Ripper, order Philip Sudgens book.

5 comments about Jack the Ripper: The Definitive History.

1. From one of the most respected authors on the issue of the Whitechapel Murders, Paul Begg's second solo [attempt to solve] the mystery of Jack the Ripper avoids the mere endless recital of established facts, forays into wild speculation, and terse, musty retelling of a somewhat-worn tale. 'Jack the Ripper: The Definative History' is something far more fascinating and insightful than the musty tomes we've become accustomed to.

   Philip Sugden and other respected authors (Begg included) have previously offered solid, factually correct, and meticulous accounts of the [killing] of five prostitute during the Autumn of 1888; however, Begg is the first to take a step back from those few months of Jack the Ripper's rampage, and by doing frees himself to explore the wider social, historical, and political causes, conditions, and impacts of the crimes. While every shred of information is given equal precedence in 'Jack the Ripper: A Definitive History', Begg takes greater care in preserving the overall picture of the era, woven throughout the wonderfully written narrative of history's most notorious 'whodunnit?'; the result of which is ultimately a greater understanding of the crimes for both novices to the case and seasoned 'Ripperologists'. Begg effortlessly maintains a smooth flow in his writing, and though fusing both the specifics of the crimes with a broader investigation into the general time of the murders, the balance between these two elements remains harmonious.

   Sugden's 'The Complete History of Jack the Ripper' remains the top authority on every fact and canard of the case, however readers will walk away from 'Jack the Ripper: The Definitive History' with a far greater respect for one of London's bloodiest chapters in history. Begg has again raised the standard for authors on the topic of modern 'Ripperology'!




2. Paul Begg has written the most insightful volume on The Whitechapel Murders to date. Putting the whole series of events in to historical context is something that has been terribly lacking in other histories surrounding the events of 1888. Bravo to Mr. Begg for his ability to avoid speculating or casting the facts in a slanted light. This book should be the first purchased by anyone with interest in the subject. Thank you, Mr. Begg, for such a thorough and refreshing book.



3. Jack the Ripper is the not quite the definitive history that the sub-title promises but there is much fascinating information in this book by Paul Begg. For the best history on the Jack the Ripper case, the reader is strongly advised to read Philip Sugden's The Complete History of Jack the Ripper. Begg's book would then make an interesting follow-up for the beginning Ripperologist and a must-have for the more devoted follower of Saucy Jack. The author provides a great deal of context (perhaps a tad too much, did the story truly need to begin in Roman times?) which other Ripper books never provide and gives important political thumb nail sketches of the political personalities and issues at the time which directly and indirectly affected the investigations. It would have been nice if the information on the victims and suspects had been expanded a little as one could always feel the author wanting to let loose with his opinion and other facts, particularly noticeable in the chapter on Mary Kelly. An interesting enough addition to the Ripper lore.



4. I was a bit confused in the beginning by this book and it's history of London dating back to the Romans but as I read on I found it an incredible history of not only London but in particular the East End leading up to the Haymarket Riots and the Whitechapel Murders. If you are interested in what brought the East End to it's knees in the Autumn of 88 this is the book to read.



5. I read this book about three quarters of the way through before I could no longer stand it. When I had officially picked it up, I thought it was about the case itself. I'd read the story multiple times before, but still, it comes out different from each author's pen.
   
   And then I had to trudge through this book. I was freaked out at first simply from the fact that it had started talking about the history of London beginning with the Romans. I figured that he was just starting out this way to bring anyone who'd been under a rock forever up to speed or something, but then it continued on, and on, and on, and I could trudge no more.
   
   This book is definitely Definitive. It tells you how London and Whitechapel became what it did, but it really doesn't touch much on Jack the Ripper, which, considering he's listed in the title, doesn't seem to be mentioned as much as he should. Heck, while Rebecca was indeed never a tangible character in the book by Daphne de Maurier, she was a character metaphysically.
   
   I suggest this book if, and only if, you care about the history up to Bloody Jack and the setting around it, but not about him himself. Or, if you're particularly bored and need something to make you fall asleep.

No comments about Jack the Ripper: Media, Culture, History.

5 comments about The Bell Tower: The Case of Jack the Ripper Finally Solved... in San Francisco.

1. "The case of Jack the Ripper finally solved in San Francisco",is a false statement that brings disappointed to any one that knows anything about Jack the Ripper. Mr.Graysmith brings upon an absurd connection between the Ripper murders which took place five years earlier in England and the Emmanuel Baptist Church murders which happened in America. Just because the description given about Jack the Ripper matched John "Jack" Gibson, Mr.Graysmith draws his own conclusion that shows lack of research. There was never an investigation ever done on John Gibson or any proof of a connection. Reading this book confused me on the great mystery of Jack the Ripper and a possible killer.



2. I have read many books dealing with the Jack the Ripper murders; however, I believe that this book does not solve the mystery. Granted, the theory that Pastor John George Gibson (who liked to be called "Pastor Jack") was the Ripper proved to be interesting. Who knows, maybe his roommate in England, Reverend Jesse Gibson , did assist him in committing the murders; but, there is just not enough evidence to prove this. The author is way too optimistic in his claim that the mystery is solved.
   Also, I found it very frustrating to be reading about the crime and then having the story interrupted with the "De Young vs. Hearst" newspaper battle. I could have done without this; it added nothing to the book.
   ...
   **Overall: The book will give you quite a few hours of interesting reading, but it's disappointing for true Jack the Ripper history buffs**



3. This book is basically about the "Bell Tower Murders." They aren't really interesting crimes, although the story of the innocent suspect who was convicted and hanged is. Another suspect happens to be a minister from England with ties to Whitechapel, his first name is John, and he is called Jack. This is pretty much Graysmith's basis for "solving" the Ripper's identity. I expected better from Graysmith.



4. I really enjoyed the book, but the title was very misleading. If the Jack the Ripper subtext had been left out, I would have enjoyed this book far more. I'm from northern California and so a lot of the locales in the book were familiar. As a well versed Ripper reader, I was rather unimpressed with Graysmith's conclusions. I also have a copy of Zodiac sitting on my book shelf, so I know that Graysmith is quite capable of both good writing and good investigative skill. Perhaps the editor should've stepped in and worked with the author about the direction of this book.



5. I am a Jack the Ripper buff, and that is why I got this from the library, but I found it more interesting if I didn't think about the Jack the Ripper subplot. It is written well, and an interesting case. If you're only interested in Jack the Ripper, go elsewhere. But if you're interested in William Hearst, San Francisco in the early 20th century and well-written "true"-crime, this is a great example.