The Mammoth Book of Jack the Ripper (Mammoth Book of S)

If you have an interest in Jack the Ripper/Victorian London, but are somewhat overwhelmed by the flood of theories, counter-theories and media sensationalism (like myself), this book is essential. The authors have laid out the Chronology of the five murders (the "accepted" Ripper killings), along with bios of the victims, and their autopsies. The most interesting part though is the chapter relating theories of Jack's identity, by the Ripperologists themselves. The authors don't critique these theories, simply provide them for the reader's edification. A small criticism might be that the theories aren't cross-referenced. Some of the Ripperologists destroy other theories published in the book, and it becomes confusing to determine what the "current" theory is regarding Jack's identity.Overall though, for those with that general interest noted above, or simply want a single-volume compendium of Ripper literature, this book is highly recommended. I would suspect that those with a deep knowledge of Ripper theories, and the details of the murders might find this a rehash...

This is an excellent introduction to Ripperology for the uninitiated; likewise, it is very useful for someone, like myself, who has read about Jack the Ripper fairly extensively in the past and just needed a good brush-up before taking up the mantle of amateur detective again. Don't worry--I'm not going to name a suspect here in this review (partly because I certainly do not know the true identity of Jack the Ripper). I leave the theorizing to the writers who contributed to this book. These contributors come from different walks of life, and their proffered theories range from the ludicrous to the seemingly substantive. Thankfully, no chapters are given to Stephen Knight's wild "royal conspiracy," although it is mentioned on occasion for the purpose of repeating how ridiculous such ideas are. The subject of the Maybrick diary is broached, with a good balance of positive and negative reactions to it (personally, I think it is a fake). There is one chapter that did annoy me somewhat, even though I can understand the point of it. Basically, and I won't identify him here, the contributor argues that X was the Ripper, presents evidence (circumstantial, of course, which is really the best that any theorist can offer in this case) of why this person was the Ripper, then ends the section with a Gotcha!. See how easy it is to build a case around any "suspect," he says--while that is a valid point, anyone who has read anything about this case knows the fragility and circumstantial nature of virtually every piece of evidence extant in the field, and I for one would not have chosen to waste my time reading a chapter that, in the end, was essentially nonsense.The first section of the book , I should point out, consists of a very useful timeline and summation of the events and evidence, what the editors call the "undisputed facts." While no single piece of evidence is truly "undisputed" among Ripperologists, this section does provide an objective look at the subject matter. It is followed by sections specifically addressing the witness statements (many of which are of course contradictory and/or unreliable, which the editors point out), autopsy reports, the controversial "Ripper letters," police views, and disputed texts. Anyone who reads through that introductory session will have a useful foundation of knowledge to draw upon when interpreting the competing theories that make up the bulk of the book. That being said, any reader would really benefit from having another source of an encyclopedic nature handy (and there are such books out there) because it can be confusing to keep all of the names straight when there are so many suspects that the contributors ask us to consider. All in all, this is an excellent source of information on Jack the Ripper. The background information provided by the editors is quite objective and fact-oriented, which is a rare find in books on this subject. In most cases, someone decides who the Ripper surely was and

I entered the Ripper world with little specific information about the case. However, after reading this book so much about the Jack the Ripper came into clear focus. The authors clearly outline the murders, suspects, police and newspaper accounts, witness statements and finally present a series of well written essays by Ripperologist, criminal historian and police detective alike. The book's greatest strength is how a variety of theories are offered in an attempt to finally unmask 'Saucy Jack'. The theories range from the plausible to the ridiculous. Yet each one leaves the reader with tremendous insight, intrigue and curiosity. In the end, The Mammoth Book of Jack the Ripper is a perfect read for either the Ripperologist or anyone who has had an interest in the Whitechapel murders of 1888 which continue, to this day, to be unsolved.

As I read this book for the first time I havent't got any knowledge about Jack the Ripper, but after this book I've a got a good view and description about the Ripper and London in the 19th century. In some sections of the book, I felt like ''overinformed'' by the pathological descriptions, you almost must have studyed some semestras in medicine to understand everything. On the other side , it comes along very well,without pictures, because of the explicit descriptions. You are impressed by all of these theories ,given in the book, and the sections are logically seperated from each other. At the end, a good book for a beginner.

I enjoyed reading all the different theories, most of which I have previously encountered, but some were new to me. This story always intrigues me, especially since it seems like new facts are coming to light as the years go by and opening up other possibilities to the Ripper's identity.