Top 3 Recomendations

[clark2710]

Hello everyone, i hope this hasn't been done already and i want to hear from as many people as i can, i have seen many books on Jack the Ripper, but i have my tax return coming and i honestly want to buy serious books on the case. Having said that are there any written by those that were there, maybe a reprint, maybe part of a larger book, but are there any from people of the time? What are your Top 3 all time favorite and best books on Jack the Ripper that doesn't necessarily focus on ONE suspect specifically but on the case as a whole while still telling as much as possible on the victims?

[Scorpio]

The only book you really need is " The ultimate Jack the ripper sourcebook " by Stewart P Evans & Keith Skinner . My copy cost thirteen pounds.

[The Grave Maurice]

Clark,

I admire your desire to get back to primary sources, but the books written at, or near, the time were rubbish. For good overviews of the case, spend your tax refund (BTW, how come you get one in January?) on Sugden or Begg. Then, you can move on to more detailed books like Evans & Skinner.

[Adam Went]

Hi Clark,

The suggestions already made pretty well cover everything you need to know, but i'd also suggest browsing your local second hand book dealers - you can easily pick up half a dozen second hand copies of Ripper related books for the same as it would cost you to buy one brand new one. There's often gems hiding around those shelves!

Cheers,
Adam.

[TomTomKent]

I enjoyed the Mammoth Book of JTR (some nice essays in there, by most the names you will probably already be familiar with), the AtoZ (Fido Skinner and Begg) and Jack the Ripper: The Facts (Begg I think, but I sold my copy in the bootfair season). Or for a general "easy reading" kind of book the Pocket essentials is not the greatest and most accurate book but has a certain charm (or maybe it is just me).

As for JTR fiction, oooh, a much harder prospect as most JTR fiction has become cliched or just plain bad. The stand out for me is From Hell (the comic, not the film) on account of it being Alan Moore doing what he did well before he suddenly started doing it very badly (it is much more at the "Watchmen" or "Future Shock" end of his spectrum than the "Hey, you know what Peter Pan was missing? Shed loads of Sex! Lost Girls!" end of his writing). Other than that? The Lodger is pretty easy to find. Sorry, no third "must have" book springs to mind. (Or does the Ripper Code count as a fantasy?)

[kensei]

As a primary source, "Jack the Ripper- The Facts" by Paul Begg and "The Complete History of Jack the Ripper" by Philip Sugden are near equals, though Sugden does almost reluctantly conclude that George Chapman is a likely suspect but the book does not focus strongly on him.

For finding one's way around the Whitechapel of today if you ever want to visit the sites, "Uncovering Jack the Ripper's London" by Richard Jones and Sean East and "The London of Jack the Ripper- Then and Now" by Robert Clack and Philip Hutchinson are, again, close to equal. The second one has more information and photos, but the first has large color photos and an excellent map of the area as it is today. While on vacation in London, I brought a copy of the map from Jones & East and the actual book by Clack & Hutch and they were all I needed.

And if you are interested in the most possible information on the victims, don't miss "The Victims of Jack the Ripper" by Neal Stubbings Shelden. It is the only book to focus exclusively on the women and hardly at all on their killer, managing to cram tons of info on their lives and the lives of their descendants plus ample photos into just over 100 pages.

[Fisherman]

Sooner or later, somebody is going to add "Scotland Yard investigates" by Evans and Rumbelow, so I may as well do it myself and get it overwith. A very good read and lots of high quality pics!

The best,
Fisherman

[The Grave Maurice]

You make a good point, Tom. I assumed that Clark, given the content of his question, had simply posted on the wrong thread. I'm not a fan of comics, sorry, graphic novels, but I enjoyed Moore's work.

And people don't have to post their favourite fiction/non-fiction book here. That has already been dealt with on several other threads. Clark can consult those or, better yet, look at the books listed under "Ripper Media" on the left.

[TomTomKent]

Don't be sorry. If you bought the collected volume it is a graphic novel,ifyou bought the 12 individual issues they were comics. I wont get snobby over the term, as I don't particularly worry about looking an idiot when i queue up for my dose of Batman and Mouseguard. I'm glad you liked From Hell though. The world becomes a dull place when people stop trying the books they would not normally read.

[clark2710]

Replies

Scorpio, Thank You ver much i appreciate the answer and i'll look that up...

TG Maurice...thank you for your response too i'd have thought that books written at or around the time would have an element of accuracy modern books would not...but right on...i appreciate it oh and (the reason i get mine in january is because the job put up the w2's last week and i filed electronically just after midnight when said w2's posted on the site...the federal said right away i'd get it january XX) thank you for the suggestions.....

Adam Went: Good Idea....

TomTomKent: Good suggestions as well...i'll be looking at those....

Kensei: Thank You i like the real life references for today...if i get over there i'm making note of this before hand....

Fisherman: Right On...I am so writing all this down....

[garydobbs]

Is this fiction or non fiction you seek? If you want fiction with a twist then may I be so bold as to suggest my own novel, A Policeman's Lot currently available as an eBook with a print version to follow. A Policeman's Lot by Gary M. Dobbs...solve the mystery.

[The Grave Maurice]

Hmmm. I think we'll soon have to put up a sign here that reads "No hucksters".

[Phil H]

My "reference shelf" on my desk as I type, holds the following which I refer to constantly:

JtR A-Z latest edition (Begg, Fido & Skinner)

The Ultimate JtR Sourcebook ( Evans & Skinner)

Complete History of JtR (Sugden)

JtR The Facts (Begg)

JtR The Definitive History (Begg)

Mammoth Book of JtR (original & latest editions) (Jakubowski & Braund)

The Complete JtR (Rumbelow)

By Ear & Eyes (Magellan)

JtR Location Photographs (Hutchinson)

London of JtR Then & Now (Clack & Hutchinson)

Uncovering JtR's London (Jones)

JtR Letters from Hell (Evans & Skinner) - essentially a complement to the Sourcebook

JtR Scotland Yard Investigates (Evans & Rumbelow)

I've a LOT more on my shelves (most that's been published since the late 60) but those are the one's I find most useful at the moment, if I need to check a fact or gain a context.

Hope that might help,

Phil