Book Collecting

[Stewart P Evans]

Many Ripper aficionados are also bibliophiles. It was mainly my interest in the subject of Jack the Ripper that led me into the collecting of non-fiction crime books. Early inspirations for me in this this collecting were provided by the great crime historians Richard Whittington-Egan, Jonathan Goodman and Colin Wilson. I was reminded of this recently when I discovered some photographs that I took when I first visited the late Jonathan Goodman many years ago. Below is a shot of the bookcase that contained his collection of Ripper books and ephemera - but what is in that large red box, lying on top of the books, with a black label with gilt lettering 'Jack the Ripper'? I don't recall looking a minor mystery indeed.

[Stewart P Evans]

The Red Box

The red box labelled 'Jack the Ripper' -

[Fisherman]

No idea - but it looks very much related to the green box on the shelf under it, does it not? But I canīt read what it says on that one!

The best!
Fisherman

[Stewart P Evans]

The Green Box

No idea - but it looks very much related to the green box on the shelf under it, does it not? But I canīt read what it says on that one!
The best!
Fisherman

The green box is on top of the Sherlock Holmes books and the label reads 'Holmesian Ephemera' -



From this may we assume that the red box contains 'Ripperian Ephemera'?

[Fisherman]

Hmmm... On the net, there is something called "Holmesian Ephemera" published in the beginning of the seventies by "New English Library" And, as it happens, it seems that the "New English Library" has published something called "Jack the Ripper" at the approximate same time.
Would that fit timewise?

All the best,
Fisherman

[Stewart P Evans]

Books From Floor to Ceiling

Out of interest, here's the whole photo - literally books from floor to ceiling -

[Fisherman]

Itīs a sight like this that can console me, realizing that autumn is creeping nearer - a small side table with a glass of fine malt whisky on it, and Iīm ready to move in!

The best!
Fisherman

[Stewart P Evans]

Jonathan Goodman

Hmmm... On the net, there is something called "Holmesian Ephemera" published in the beginning of the seventies by "New English Library" And, as it happens, it seems that the "New English Library" has published something called "Jack the Ripper" at the approximate same time.
Would that fit timewise?
All the best,
Fisherman

Jonathan Goodman never wrote a Ripper book, he was rather disdainful of the whole subject. This photograph was taken around 1991 and I should imagine that both boxes contained cognate material of an ephemeral nature. Jonathan had several of his books privately bound and material placed in folders with tooled labels. The great man with his collection -

[Stewart P Evans]

I Agree

Itīs a sight like this that can console me, realizing that autumn is creeping nearer - a small side table with a glass of fine malt whisky on it, and Iīm ready to move in!
The best!
Fisherman

I agree, I how I wish that I had visited Jonathan more often. Here I am in my element -

[dmcdonald@onwight.net]

Looks intriguing Stewart - if only we could open it!

[Monty]

Stewart,

With great fear of a brutal berating, I know little of Jonathan Goodman, could you give me a brief bio?

Thanks

Monty


PS My own bookshelf is around 50% of that shown....but Im getting there. Hurry up and write another Mr Evans.

[Stewart P Evans]

Books

Stewart,
With great fear of a brutal berating, I know little of Jonathan Goodman, could you give me a brief bio?
Thanks
Monty

PS My own bookshelf is around 50% of that shown....but Im getting there. Hurry up and write another Mr Evans.

Surely you haven't got that many books! Jonathan for many years vied with Richard Whittington-Egan (his old mate) for the title of 'the doyen of British crime writers.'

Jonathan was a theatre director and TV producer, amongst his noteworthy past achievements was the fact that he was the producer of the 60s police TV series No Hiding Place. He was latterly the secretary of 'Our Society' or The Crimes Club and authored a number of books on crime. His favourite case was the Liverpool Wallace mystery of the 1930s and his masterwork was The Killing of Julia Wallace published in 1969 - a cracking read. He also produced many crime anthologies including Masterpieces of Murder (1992) to which our own Jeffrey Bloomfield contributed an essay 'The Killer in the Rye.' This volume is well worth seeking out as it also contains Jonathan's own classic essay 'Remarks on Ripperology.'

He lived at Ealing Village that wonderful 1930s art-deco development built for the Ealing film industry near Ealing Broadway tube station.

[Monty]

Stewart,

I was just refferring to the photo of the book case...you mean theres more?

Seems like a really interesting Guy, I shall check out the works you refer to. Ive spent many a summer in Ealing, near the common. Its one of my favourite areas in London. Such a villagy feel about it.

Thanks for the SP, SPE.

Monty

[The Grave Maurice]

Oooo. What mouth-watering pictures. I wish my eyesight were better, since I can't make out all the titles, but the Matters (in a dust wrapper, no less) and the Cullen both appear to be in good nick and would be worth a bob or two. Any idea what happened to the collection, Stewart?

[Stewart P Evans]

The Ripper Collection

Oooo. What mouth-watering pictures. I wish my eyesight were better, since I can't make out all the titles, but the Matters (in a dust wrapper, no less) and the Cullen both appear to be in good nick and would be worth a bob or two. Any idea what happened to the collection, Stewart?

The Ripper collection was a very minor part of Jonathan's unique library. On the 'Ripper shelf', left to right are the following books - Jack the Ripper The Bloody Truth by Melvin Harris; The Complete Jack the Ripper by Donald Rumbelow (1987 edition); Jack the Ripper Summing Up and Verdict by Colin Wilson and Robin Odell; The Identity of Jack the Ripper by Donald McCormick (1970 hardback edition); The Mystery of Jack the Ripper by Leonard Matters (First edition in original dust wrapper - the one that was scanned and has provided facsimile covers for other editions, note the ink blot at the lower left of the spine); Jack the Ripper by Daniel Farson; Jack the Ripper The Final Solution by Stephen Knight; Jack the Ripper A New Theory by William Stewart (no dust wrapper); Jack the Ripper In Fact and Fiction by Robin Odell; not sure of this one; Prince Jack by Frank Spiering; Autumn of Terror by Tom Cullen; Clarence Was he Jack the Ripper? by Michael Harrison; The Crimes Detection & Death of Jack the Ripper by Martin Fido (no dust wrapper); Jack the Ripper the Uncensored Facts by Paul Begg; then eight volumes with soft wraps including the Alexander Kelly, When London Walked in Terror by Edwin Woodhall, Will the Real Jack the Ripper by Arthur Douglas; Hands of the Ripper by Spencer Shew (paperback); Jack the Ripper by Stuart James (paperback); A Casebook on Jack the Ripper by Richard Whittington-Egan; The Complete Jack the Ripper by Donald Rumbelow (paperback); two unknown; The Jack the Ripper Walking Tour Murder by Albert Borowitz (an American lawyer friend of Jonathan's); and a copy of Melvin Harris's Ripper File and the red box lying on top.

Part of the collection has already gone to the USA and the rest will be auctioned.