About book The Complete History Of Jack The Ripper (2015)
Is there anything new to say about Jack the Ripper and the infamous 1888 Whitechapel Murders? Well, yes, there is, and Philip Sugden has said it. Most Ripper books suffer from two principle weaknesses: first, they set out to make a case for a favoured and predetermined suspect, and second, they exist in a close, almost incestuous relationship one with the other. That is to say that they are secondary works based on secondary works, which means that when errors appear they are rarely questioned, repeated to the point where fiction becomes fact and legend truth.Sugden is having none of this. He is an historian with the instincts of an historian. He is also, it might be said, a superb detective, sifting through the evidence in a careful and forensic manner. He takes nothing for granted, plowing through the mythology perpetuated by others and taking the source material as his point of departure. He sifts carefully through contemporary police reports and other primary documents, building up his case piece by piece. His arguments proceed on this basis and are mustered with considerable care.The other virtue of this book, at least so far as I am concerned, is that the author manages to humanise the victims, people who in most other accounts are depicted in lurid detail or merely as passing shadows. He makes one sympathise even with these poor and wretched girls. Above all he brings to life a London of long ago and the desperation of so many lives in the impoverished east-end of the city. Altogether it is a thorough, well-written and exhaustive account of the murders and the circumstances surrounding the murders rather than just another piece of vacuous speculation. Those coming to the subject for the first time will obtain no better guide. Even seasoned ‘Ripperologists’ are likely to uncover one or two surprises.In the end there is no definite conclusion because the evidence will simply not allow such closure. It is a mystery that will remain a mystery but one can only hope that Sugden’s magisterial work will help arrest the wilder flights of fancy. If you like good history, if you like a good detective story or if you simply like a good read this book is most definitely for you.
First let me state the categories of people who should (please note the emphasis) study (not 'read') this book: -1. Anybody who is interested in the any or all of the following: the Whitechapel killings, the subsequent frenzy, investigation into the murders, armchair investigations by "Mycroft" wannabes, and the literally literary witch-hunt being carried out over the past century & more to "unmask" the killer;2. Anybody who is interested in understanding the socio-economic dynamics of the world's largest, richest, proudest and yet ruthlessly exploitative (of its own citizens, esp. the young and the women) city at that point of time when the nails were finally being hammered into the coffin of the 19th Century that had experienced the pinnacle of British glory;3. Anybody who, after being overfed on the serial killers (Hannibal et.al) produced by the "hot" American novelists, actually wishes to know how it is like to be chasing a black cat in an enormous dark cavern while blindfolded;4. Anybody who actually thinks that "the truth" might have been out there at some stage, but even with a centuries old "cold" case something can be done (unlike some trashy attempt sub-titled: "CASE CLOSED").This book is not only accurate and free from all the popular & obscure misconceptions, it is also a living proof that history can be made more attractive than fiction while staying rigorously free from falsehoods. Recommended to everybody belonging to the aforementioned 4 categories as well as to all who, after reading some new adventure pitting Sherlock Holmes against Jack the Ripper, start pondering over "what if.."-s.
Do You like book The Complete History Of Jack The Ripper (2015)?
This was my, well frankly I don't know it anymore, I guess my fith or sixth book about the subject. And it took me very long ( ok I have to admit,I had a long break till I re-start reading).And the book was in English with almost 600pages ;)It is a full comprehended , well written book about all the facts regarding the Ripper.For me till now the most accurate look at the facts and mythology surrounding the case.For me it seems extraordinarily well researched ( but ok I'm no expert here at all, I just had the other read books for comparison), an astonishing amount of details.In the same line I should mentioned that because of the high research,details and facts, it could be a book "only' for real fans of the subject. Otherwise it could be possible, to get a little bit tired and bored, reading page over page ( in almost every chapter) every inch , line, statment, detail from investigations,suspects,facts,assumptions and speculations,life and backround of the victims ect.If you are interested in a very good book about Jack the Ripper, I highly can recommened Sugdens compelling narrative and reassessment of all the evidence.
—Nicole
I have read and reviewed this book before, but's one of the best general-purpose introductions to the Ripper murders out there and worth a re-read. It's a little dated by now, originally published in 1994, but I'd definitely recommend it still. It doesn't try to push a particular angle or suspect; the author doesn't have a pet theory involving disgraced royalty, Freemason conspiracies, deranged physicians or the like - he just summarises the material available on the case, relies on written records and not wild guesswork, and weighs the evidence available.There was something in the news recently about potential DNA evidence linking Aaron Kosminski to the crimes, but I hear that has been fairly savaged, and given Sugden's verdict on Kosminski in this book I still doubt it was him. The George Chapman argument is possibly the most convincing, but even there the most one could argue is 'not proven'.Because the truth is that at this remove it's impossible to be able to say with any degree of certainty who Jack the Ripper might have been. If the police at the time had no clue, unless new concrete evidence that they didn't have access to turns up (and after 100+ years of this level of interest such a discovery is unlikely) with every passing year the possibility of solving the case becomes more and more remote.
—Caroline
This book nearly exhausts everything history can give about Jack the Ripper and it pays off. There aren't any strange, over the top theories about who Ripper was, instead he presents historic archives as evidence, gives you a possible suspect list and lets you decide which to believe. There are no straight answers, but he does debate on some of the popular theories. It gets rather confusing though when you read other Ripper books or watch Ripper movies or documentaries because they all start contradicting each other with their theories. Sugden is right in pointing out that all the theories and evidence will not amount to anything conclusive. In the end, Ripper's identity will still remain a mystery.
—Maryse
