Rob wrote: Well if your new to Ripperology I would recommend Rumbelow and then Sugden. Rumbelow is great for beginners as he covers just about everything.
I'm a newbie, but have been perusing casebook for over a year (mostly when procrastinating from writing a paper on deadline, or when sick in bed, or in other such productive moments), so I don't know if I'm a complete beginner (yeah, doesn't everyone hate that label?!). Rumbelow's book looks a bit basic to me, but I'd definitely take one of his tours, although I've heard that he doesn't do them anymore. Sugden (from what I've perused from his book online) sounds a bit more scholarly, and it has often even been described as “monumental“, which sounds promising, so I think I'll go with that. And despite a certain amount of theorising, argumentation, and speculation, I like the fact that Philip Sudgen doesn't “push“ a suspect on the reader, but lets him come to his own conclusions.
As for Begg's book, I don't really see how one could keep Kosminski as a prime suspect and I don't agree with his quick dismissing of Barnett. When considering the Jewish suspect, I'd definitely prefer the Fido book and his theory of a possible mix-up of names and identities, plus I've heard that his book has the best maps of East End. (But no idea if this is a fact.) ?
By the by I've just ordered “The ultimate“ from a second hand seller in Illinois for $8. It'll take an entire month of shipping, but “the price was right“. As a reference book, i wanted to have something containing transcripts of (some of) the primary sources.
Wow, so Hutts was a proto-animal-activist, kinda? Good for him.

Thank you, and many apologies to all for the silly jokes and for having drifted off-subject (again).

Maria
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