What is the worst Ripper book you've ever read?

[Sam Flynn]

Sorry everyone I should have made a stipulation that Portrait of a Killer should not even be mentioned

I don't see why not, Elizabeth. I'm by no means a fan, but at least Portrait of a Killer is well written and coherent in its (admittedly one-eyed) arguments. That's more than can be said for some of the dreck mentioned so far in this thread!

PS: I should add that, by "dreck", I emphatically don't mean Rumbelow or Harris.

[aspallek]

Plimmer's was the worst. I gave up when he had the Ripper fleeing over Tower Bridge which hadn't even been built yet!

[Mike Covell]

Thanks Guys;

Who's the author of that book about D'Onston? Is it Melvin Harris? The one with all the sacrificial rites and thieves' candles? The True Face of Jack the Ripper? That's pretty dreadful.
Elizabeth

If your thinking of Robert D'Onston Stephenson, Harris presented a readable book on him, in The True Face, but then Ivor Edwards presented his spin on Harris's suspect by adding weird charts and vesica pescies in Black Magic Rituals!

John Plimmer's Whitechapel Murders-Solved gave me real fits, "wine glass of blood )

Ephiphany of the Whitechapel Murders by Karen Trenouth is awful, I did read it, and I am still suffering!

More recently, "JTR Celebrity Suspects" by Mike Holgate was lacking and on seeing "Jack the Gorilla" on the first page I wasn't sure wether to take it seriously or not!

[JustForJolly]

Sorry everyone I should have made a stipulation that Portrait of a Killer should not even be mentioned and so be treated with all the contempt it deserves and NOBODY bring up that Diary.

[anna]

hmmmm.
You're just going to pursuade me to go one step away and go for
Stephen Knight's "Royal Conspiracy" crap......but you see,it did have bits and pieces that weren't like you are reading the facts only.
Oh blimey,in the minority again.....so what's new chaps!!!
Greetings anyway.
ANNA,

[anna]

Hi guys,

No,'fraid I found it a boring dictionary of facts.....nothing that gave me the excitement of all the little bits of gossipy things about the witnesses etc that add that extra bit of something to the story.
We all know the basics....and once you've read 'em once,you have them.
What is great are all the characteristics of the characters,and what they were doing...but not so formal...but bits that make you laugh aswell and add that tingle of glee to read more....very few have this...which is a shame.
In my 'umble opinion,that is!!!!
Regards,one and all

ANNA.

[JustForJolly]

Thanks Guys;

I thought you only needed 4 JtR books; Begg, Sudgen, Letters from Hell and the Source Book, now I'm intrigued. I'm defintely goiing to read Epiphany in Whitechapel because I've completely forgetten how to field dress a deer and none other than the Daily Express (owned by a pornographer) gave a very favourable review to Jack the Ripper Revealed and indeed Revisted. I really think you're being unduly harsh.

Who's the author of that book about D'Onston? Is it Melvin Harris? The one with all the sacrificial rites and thieves' candles? The True Face of Jack the Ripper? That's pretty dreadful.

Mr Flynn, you must know that I posted this thread en plaisantant. Mr Evans, you are no more a newbie than I'm an Ayatollah. And Anna, I won't hear a word against Donald Rumblelow, his The Complete Jack the Ripper was the first JtR book I read and I'm very sentimental.

Elizabeth

[John Bennett]

hmmm....

PLEASE....nobody put in Pat!!!!

You just know where gonna be here all day,argueing that one.

Patty's book is pretty bad, but to be honest, there's a lot worse. John Morrison anyone?

P.S. Complete JTR? Surely shome mishtake!

[Stewart P Evans]

Are You Sure?

hmmm....
PLEASE....nobody put in Pat!!!!
You just know where gonna be here all day,argueing that one.
Blimey......eeny,meeeny,miney,mo!!!!....
Have to have a think.....all my ripper books are pointing at one another,
going no.... not me!!!
Hmmm....made a decision.....
"The Complete Jack the Ripper" by Don Rumbelow....lacked any ooomph of little bits of info...pure dictionary with a few photo's put in for good measure.
(I'm sure he's a very good tour guide though)
ANNA,

Are you sure that you have the right book? When it appeared in 1975 The Complete Jack the Ripper was the best book to be found on the subject.

[anna]

hmmm....

PLEASE....nobody put in Pat!!!!

You just know where gonna be here all day,argueing that one.

Blimey......eeny,meeeny,miney,mo!!!!....

Have to have a think.....all my ripper books are pointing at one another,
going no.... not me!!!

Hmmm....made a decision.....
"The Complete Jack the Ripper" by Don Rumbelow....lacked any ooomph of little bits of info...pure dictionary with a few photo's put in for good measure.
(I'm sure he's a very good tour guide though)

ANNA,

[Stewart P Evans]

Pop

Oh, 'Jack the Ripper Revealed' was a stinker as well. Anagrams, for God's sake. Christ knows what the 'revisited' version is like, I couldn't bring myself to invest a second time.
But it's still nowhere near as bad as 'Epiphany'.

Melvin Harris critiqued Wilding's first book so in Revisited Wilding takes the opportunity to take a pop back at Melvin.

[John Bennett]

Oh, 'Jack the Ripper Revealed' was a stinker as well. Anagrams, for God's sake. Christ knows what the 'revisited' version is like, I couldn't bring myself to invest a second time.

But it's still nowhere near as bad as 'Epiphany'.

[The Good Michael]

The Last Victim, sort of a Ripper book. I am still trying to replace brain cells through nasal injections. It isn't working.

Mike

[Sam Flynn]

'Epiphany of the Whitechapel Murders'. Without a doubt. Had me grimacing for hours.

You have my sympathy, JB. I only skimmed a look at the first page whilst the book was being passed around at the Wolverhampton conference, but even this brief glimpse left me paralysed on one side from the ankle down.

[John Bennett]

'Epiphany of the Whitechapel Murders'. Without a doubt. Had me grimacing for hours.