the other ripper diary

[Abby Normal]

the Autobiography of Jack the Ripper by James Carnac

does anyone know about this book?
was carnac a real person?
who is the real author?
when was it written
whats the provenance?

i beleive Mr Begg wrote the forward?

if anyone knows anything about this, whats your take on it?

[barnflatwyngarde]

the Autobiography of Jack the Ripper by James Carnac

does anyone know about this book?
was carnac a real person?
who is the real author?
when was it written
whats the provenance?

i beleive Mr Begg wrote the forward?

if anyone knows anything about this, whats your take on it?

Hi Abby, my recollection is that the book is generally regarded as having been written as fiction, with no attempt to claim that it was in fact the actual diary of the killer.
There are some great articles on the book in Ripperologist, specific references below.

Carnac, James, The Autobiography of James Carnac Alan Hicken talk on 141:66–67 Chinese translation 129:51 provenance and analysis 124:59–67 reviewed 124:138–139, 128:135

[Abby Normal]

Hi Abby, my recollection is that the book is generally regarded as having been written as fiction, with no attempt to claim that it was in fact the actual diary of the killer.
There are some great articles on the book in Ripperologist, specific references below.

Carnac, James, The Autobiography of James Carnac Alan Hicken talk on 141:66–67 Chinese translation 129:51 provenance and analysis 124:59–67 reviewed 124:138–139, 128:135

thanks Barn!

[PaulB]

It was found among some possessions of the creator of Larry the Lamb and Toytown, a writer who has no other known venture into the crime or horror genre, and who, on the face of it, is unlikely to have written a story from the point of the view if the murderer, which was a fairly daring approach back in the late 1920s or thereabouts. So, there is some mystery about the ms which makes it interesting. It's not a particularly well-crafted story, although it merits notice as a work of crime fiction from the Golden Age that approaches the subject from the unrepentant killer's perspective. The original ms shows that it passed through several stages of editing, or maybe the hands of two or more authors. It's not a bad read and is certainly worth the cover price, but good second-hand copies are available on ABE quite cheaply. Overall, I think it has a place in the history of the evolution of 'Jack the Ripper', especially as a figure in fiction.

[barnflatwyngarde]

It was found among some possessions of the creator of Larry the Lamb and Toytown, a writer who has no other known venture into the crime or horror genre, and who, on the face of it, is unlikely to have written a story from the point of the view if the murderer, which was a fairly daring approach back in the late 1920s or thereabouts. So, there is some mystery about the ms which makes it interesting. It's not a particularly well-crafted story, although it merits notice as a work of crime fiction from the Golden Age that approaches the subject from the unrepentant killer's perspective. The original ms shows that it passed through several stages of editing, or maybe the hands of two or more authors. It's not a bad read and is certainly worth the cover price, but good second-hand copies are available on ABE quite cheaply. Overall, I think it has a place in the history of the evolution of 'Jack the Ripper', especially as a figure in fiction.

Yeah Paul, when I was replying to Abby, I had in my head some connection to Larry the Lamb, but I couldn't quite drag it to my brain.
I was bit short of time when I posted, so couldn't check it out, and I thought that if I referenced a connection to Larry the Lamb without quoting sources, Abby would probably think I was a nutter.

The article on the Carnac book by John Bennett in Ripperologist 124 is an absolute cracker.

[Herlock Sholmes]

Abby would probably think I was a nutter.

Only ‘think’ Barn?

[barnflatwyngarde]

"Abby would probably think I was a nutter."

Only ‘think’ Barn?

A fair point well made Herlock.
In the immortal words of Tom Waits, "You must be reading my mail.

[Herlock Sholmes]

"Abby would probably think I was a nutter."



A fair point well made Herlock.
In the immortal words of Tom Waits, "You must be reading my mail.

I’m too young to have heard of Tom Waits of course