The Man who hunted the Ripper, Edmind Reid: Victorian Detective.

[TomTomKent]

Hey folks, am I right in thinking nobody has started a thread on this book yet, or have I just failed to find it?

I stumbled upon the book over the bankholiday, and once I have had a chance to read it I will pop back and share my thoughts. Er if anyone is interested....

[Stewart P Evans]

Edition?

Hey folks, am I right in thinking nobody has started a thread on this book yet, or have I just failed to find it?
I stumbled upon the book over the bankholiday, and once I have had a chance to read it I will pop back and share my thoughts. Er if anyone is interested....

Is this the first edition or the new paperback? It received a poor review in Ripperologist magazine which, I guess, is why there has been a lack of interest in it.

[Monty]

Tom,

I cannot reccomend this book enough.

Nick and Stewarts research is outstanding, and the presentation is wonderful.

Believe me, its a keeper.

Monty

[Tom_Wescott]

Hi Kent. I was shocked recently to learn this book came out 10 years ago. Doesn't seem that long. It's one of my very favorite Ripper books, full of neat nuggets of information. It is also one of the most 'lean' books I've ever read, which means that not a word is wasted. It would have taken myself 400 pages to present what these authors so capably do in under 200. It did indeed receive two bad reviews in Ripperologist, but those are generally regarded as more of a biased attack upon Evans than anything else, no doubt because Stewart Evans holds views on Sir Robert Anderson that differ greatly from the two authors responsible for the unjustifiably poor reviews.

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

[Celesta]

The Man who Hunted JTR: Edmund Reid and the Police Perspective

I have this little book and am glad I read it. I was happy to see that someone took enough interest in Edmund Reid to write about him. He was an interesting fellow and, obviously, his own man. It's a nicely put together little book and I like Reid. My edition dates to 2000, a hardback with red cover sheet.

[Jon Guy]

I`ll second that, Monty!! It`s a delightful and quirky read. Recommended.

[Tom_Wescott]

I have this little book and am glad I read it. I was happy to see that someone took enough interest in Edmund Reid to write about him. He was an interesting fellow and, obviously, his own man. It's a nicely put together little book and I like Reid.

If I remember correctly, Nick Connell was only 22 when he wrote a Reid biography as a solo project, but failed to find any publisher. He was just about to give up when Stewart Evans suggested he contact Sherlockian publisher and book dealer, R. Dixon Smith. Smith agreed to publish the book if the Reid stuff was cut down and more Ripper stuff was added. It was at this point that Evans joined on as co-author and provided the Ripper material that truly makes this book memorable. I do not yet have a copy of the new edition, but Smith did an excellent job with the first. I very much hope we hear more from Connell on the Ripper front in the future.

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

[Monty]

Tom,

I agree.

If I see anything with Nicks name on then I know its going to be a well researched thorough piece.

Keith Skinner has competition.

Monty

[Stewart P Evans]

Nick's 'Baby'

Tom,
I agree.
If I see anything with Nicks name on then I know its going to be a well researched thorough piece.
Keith Skinner has competition.
Monty

I like to think of this book as Nick's 'baby', he put so much work into it I felt proud to be able to help. It stands as a reminder of how good research can result in a very interesting volume. Many thanks to the foregoing posters for their kind remarks. Nick and I appreciate it.

[Tom_Wescott]

Keith Skinner? What's he done in the last decade? All I've heard about is Diary and Sickert research, none of which has been published.

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

[Tom_Wescott]

I like to think of this book as Nick's 'baby', he put so much work into it I felt proud to be able to help. It stands as a reminder of how good research can result in a very interesting volume. Many thanks to the foregoing posters for their kind remarks. Nick and I appreciate it.

Nick spent hours and hours in dusty archives to obtain the material for his book, as opposed to surfing google on his lunch break. As someone stuck in the states, I'm envious of his proximity to the best archives in the world for our kind of research. It sounds like a blast!

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

[Stewart P Evans]

Professional

Keith Skinner? What's he done in the last decade? All I've heard about is Diary and Sickert research, none of which has been published.
Yours truly,
Tom Wescott

Keith, too, is a formidable researcher, a professional and, as such, much of this work is what he does for a living. He has been working on the update of the A-Z for a few years now and I am sure that the fruits of his labours will be evident in this new work when The New Jack the Ripper A-Z is published in July. It will be a 'must have' book for Ripper students.

[Monty]

Keith Skinner? What's he done in the last decade? All I've heard about is Diary and Sickert research, none of which has been published.

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

Tom,

From what Ive heard about Keith, this by very reliable people, he is a solid pefectionist.

His latest 'assignments' means he is restricted in what he says/releases. This doesnt dimish the fact he is a bloody good researcher. One whose contribution to the field has made a distingushed mark of reliability. His track record needs no defence really.

Nick is made from the same cloth.

Monty

[John Bennett]

Re: the last three posts

Absolutely.

[Celesta]

Sometimes people don't seem to understand that research takes time, and that, if you're worth your salt, then you're not going to put something out there, with your name on it, until you're damned sure it's as good as you can get it, to the extent that you have any control.