New book - 'The Five' by Hallie Robenhold.

[Psych_Nurse]

I've just finished reading a new book, 'The Five' by Hallie Rubenhold. It's a really good book that argues that the victims of JTR were not prostitutes but that the police and others at the time assumed that they were. I can highly recommend the book, the author has clearly researched the subject fully and I learned lots about the victims, despite having read loads of book on the subject previously.

[jmenges]

It sounds wonderful. I must get myself a copy.

JM

[caz]

It sounds wonderful. I must get myself a copy.

JM

Thanks Jonathan. I just spat my tea out.

[Michael W Richards]

I thought that The 5ive were a London based boy band in the 90's?

[Ginger]

Let the games begin!

[richardh]

Oh, God No!

[PaulB]

Thanks Jonathan. I just spat my tea out.

That's another sin that can be levelled at The Five, the waste of good tea. That's sacrilege in my house, that is. With respect, Psych Nurse may have read loads of books on the subject, but seems to have been singularly unlucky in the ones chosen if they haven't taught anything about the victims.

[Ozzy]

I haven't read The Five but I'm sure if Rubenhold had turned up a photo of Polly I would of heard about it.
So I take it that the photo credited as Polly in the BBC piece linked to below is not really Polly.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/art...lly-being-told

I also noticed on the BBC website, for opera lovers, on Radio 3 last Saturday and on iPlayer at the moment is Jack the Ripper: The Women of Whitechapel.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00057g5

[Sam Flynn]

I haven't read The Five but I'm sure if Rubenhold had turned up a photo of Polly I would of heard about it.
So I take it that the photo credited as Polly in the BBC piece linked to below is not really Polly.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/art...lly-being-told

That's some researcher's mistake, probably, as no "life photograph" of Polly is known to exist. What's worse, that woman looks nothing like her. I've sent the BBC some feedback to that effect.

Thanks for spotting this!

[Ozzy]

No change to the BBC's page I see. Maybe they don't work weekends and bank holidays!

[Sam Flynn]

No change to the BBC's page I see. Maybe they don't work weekends and bank holidays!

I got an automated acknowledgement, but that's about it!

[Albert]

I find it ironic that the image the BBC uses on its website for Annie Chapman is the one that I believe was discovered by Neal Shelden and used on the cover of his excellent 2007 book 'The Victims of Jack the Ripper', and I think was the first book dedicated to the women and not the murderer!

[richardh]

I posted a question about this photo on Twitter and the lady herself replied with this:

"Ah, no, that's not Polly Nichols and no again, I had no say in the selection of the photos and was unaware that the piece was even being written. But hey, any excuse to question my research and abilities, yet again."

I haven't read The Five but I'm sure if Rubenhold had turned up a photo of Polly I would of heard about it.
So I take it that the photo credited as Polly in the BBC piece linked to below is not really Polly.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/art...lly-being-told

I also noticed on the BBC website, for opera lovers, on Radio 3 last Saturday and on iPlayer at the moment is Jack the Ripper: The Women of Whitechapel.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00057g5

[Sam Flynn]

I posted a question about this photo on Twitter and the lady herself replied with this:

"Ah, no, that's not Polly Nichols and no again, I had no say in the selection of the photos and was unaware that the piece was even being written. But hey, any excuse to question my research and abilities, yet again."

I don't recall anyone here using this as an excuse to question her abilities. I assumed the error in the montage was down to a BBC researcher's error, and wrote to them in like vein.

[Ginger]

I posted a question about this photo on Twitter and the lady herself replied with this:

"Ah, no, that's not Polly Nichols and no again, I had no say in the selection of the photos and was unaware that the piece was even being written. But hey, any excuse to question my research and abilities, yet again."

"We glorify the Ripper [...] We have fixated on this, and never really thought about the women, who they were when they were killed."

If the Telegraph has quoted her correctly, then "poor research skills" and/or "inability to write a clear expository sentence" seem among the more charitable explanations for such a statement.