R. Michael Gordon

[HelenaWojtczak]

R. Michael Gordon is getting right on my tit.

His inventions, his purporting to know things he cannot know, the excessive exclamation marks, the poor editing, lack of proofreading, spelling mistakes, names wrong, oh the list goes on and on.

Looking at just ONE page (199) of the Torso Murders... 'tarter emeric' instead of tartar emetic, Thames River instead of River Thames, claiming Klosowski had a carriage of his own (where did he get THAT information from?) PLUS 'a torso was found within sight of his barber shop on Pinchin Street, literally across the tracks from his shop in Cable Street.' Quite apart from the awkward and confusing construction, none of Pinchin Street could ever be seen from Cable Street since there is a whopping great solid brick railway viaduct which completely obscures the view.

I honestly feel I cannot trust anything Gordon writes unless it appears in at least one other publication.

[ChrisGeorge]

R. Michael Gordon is getting right on my tit.

His inventions, his purporting to know things he cannot know, the excessive exclamation marks, the poor editing, lack of proofreading, spelling mistakes, names wrong, oh the list goes on and on.

Looking at just ONE page (199) of the Torso Murders... 'tarter emeric' instead of tartar emetic, Thames River instead of River Thames, claiming Klosowski had a carriage of his own (where did he get THAT information from?) PLUS 'a torso was found within sight of his barber shop on Pinchin Street, literally across the tracks from his shop in Cable Street.' Quite apart from the awkward and confusing construction, none of Pinchin Street could ever be seen from Cable Street since there is a whopping great solid brick railway viaduct which completely obscures the view.

I honestly feel I cannot trust anything Gordon writes unless it appears in at least one other publication.

Hi Helena

R. Michael Gordon is an American so perhaps the styling "Thames River" might be expected. I think the problem with Gordon is that he accepted all of the myths about Klosowski expounded by Hargrave Adam plus those of McCormick who extended Abberline's remarks about the suspect from 1903 into making up stuff about Abberline and Godley investigating Klosowski in 1888.

All the best

Chris

[HelenaWojtczak]

What a good person you are, sticking up for him like that.

[HelenaWojtczak]

Dan Norder, Wolf Vanderlinden, Stewart P. Evans

whoopppppsss

[ChrisGeorge]

What a good person you are, sticking up for him like that.

Hi Helena

What? I don't believe I stuck up for R. Michael Gordon in my last post. I pointed out that being an American he might style the names of rivers as "Thames River" just as he would "Hudson River" etc. But I do believe that he got off on the wrong foot in pushing Klosowski's candidacy by accepting the old canard that the suspect worked in George Yard at the time of the Tabram murder, or McCormick's fabrication that Abberline investigated the barber in 1888, etc., etc. You are entitled to criticize Gordon's books for sloppiness. I would criticize him more for publishing a line of books on Klosowski as Ripper and torso murderer on no evidence that he was either.

Best regards

Chris

[HelenaWojtczak]

Ah, but would YOU change Hudson River to River Hudson if you wrote a book about New York murders?

Don't forget, I was only citing one page of one book. The whole series is littered throughout with so many errors they constantly distract me from the narrative. He even calls the period around 1902-3 "Georgian England" <groan>.

How McFarland can call themselves publishers when they send out books without even proofreading them is beyond my comprehension.

I can forgive Mr G the factual errors that he takes from Adam, etc, because after all, we have to start somewhere and believe someone. I can forgive him for banging on about Chapman being the Ripper because he is as entitled as anyone else to have an opinion on who was JtR, and it is his 'job' if you like, to convince us to come round to his way of thinking.

BUT ... and this is a BIG but.... he is only entitled to do this by presenting the facts (and he must try to verify the facts where possible) and NOT mangle the evidence for/against Chapman by invention, suppression and omission.

I listened to the Gordon poscast and am rather disappointed that the others on the programme didn't call Gordon out on his inventions and fantasies. Someone did pick him up once (when he said Yuri was Russian for George) and that was pleasing.

Goddesses, I only hope I can do a little bit better than Gordon with my book. I've got a mate who had offered to proofread fr nothing. She's a Yank though, so I hope she won't go swapping 'Thames' and 'River' about!

[Roy Corduroy]

Helena, since I have been around the message boards awhile, there are stacks and stacks of Ripper books I have not read, and never will read, because these books have been so thoroughly dissed and atomoized here on the boards, Gordon's books being among them.

You probably haven't the time or inclination to locate all these discussions, but I can save you time by saying that Gordon's books have been gone over with a fine tooth comb and found lacking. And I know that without ever having opened so much as a page of one.

l only read these books if free in my public library. For instance, Prince Jack by Sperling. Oh, and the new one about the guy who wrote the old porno. That was there so I read it.

Roy

[HelenaWojtczak]

Nice to see your library stocking only the best quality books for you!