The Mammoth Book of Jack the Ripper

by Maxim Jakubowski

Updated and expanded edition of the fullest ever collective investigation into Jack the Ripper and the Whitechapel Murders.This volume collects not just all the key factual evidence but also 20 different arguments as to the identity of Jack the Ripper, such as that advanced by Patricia Cornwell. Contributions are from the world's leading Ripperologists, including William Beadle, Melvyn Fairclough, Martin Fido, Shirley Harrison, James Tully and Colin Wilson.The identity of Jack the Ripper has plagued professional historians, criminologists, writers and amateur enthusiasts. The many suspects include Montague John Druitt, Walter Sickert, Aaron Kosminski, Michael Ostrog, William Henry Bury, Dr Tumblety and James Maybrick. The only certainty is that Ripperologist have not found an invididual on whom they can all agree. The essays are supported by a detailed chronology, extensive bibliography and filmography.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, History, Crime, Horror, Mystery, Historical

512 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Maxim Jakubowski is a crime, erotic, and science fiction writer and critic.

Jakubowski was born in England by Russian-British and Polish parents, but raised in France. Jakubowski has also lived in Italy and has travelled extensively. Jakubowski edited the science fiction anthology Twenty Houses of the Zodiac in 1979 for the 37th World Science Fiction Convention (Seacon '79) in Brighton. He also contributed a short story to that anthology. He has now published almost 100 books in a variety of areas.

He has worked in book publishing for many years, which he left to open the Murder One bookshop[1], the UK's first specialist crime and mystery bookstore. He contributes to a variety of newspapers and magazines, and was for eight years the crime columnist for Time Out and, presently, since 2000, the crime reviewer for The Guardian. He is also the literary director of London's Crime Scene Festival and a consultant for the International Mystery Film Festival, Noir in Fest, held annually in Courmayeur, Italy. He is one the leading editors in the crime and mystery and erotica field, in which he has published many major anthologies.

His novels include "It's You That I Want To Kiss", "Because She Thought She Loved Me", "The State Of Montana", "On Tenderness Express", "Kiss me Sadly" and "Confessions of a Romantic Pornographer". His short story collections are "Life in the World of Women", "Fools for Lust" and the collaborative "American Casanova". He is a regular broadcaster on British TV and radio and was recently voted the 4th Sexiest Writer of 2,007 on a poll on the crimespace website.

Reviews

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book contained mostly "factual" information about the Ripper murders, followed by conjecture and possible suspects. I have to admit that his crimes have fascinated me for quite a while, and I'm always interested in reading new theories and speculations.

[nettebuecherkiste · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whitechapel, London, 1888. Morde sind in den Londoner Slums nichts Ungewöhnliches. Doch solche Morde? Jemand schneidet Prostituierten die Kehle durch und verstümmelt sie anschließend grausam. Vom Täter gibt es keine Spur. So plötzlich, wie die Morde begannen, hören sie auch wieder auf. Und noch mehr als 100 Jahre später lässt uns ein Name erschaudern. Wer war Jack the Ripper?

Dieses Buch habe ich vor einiger Zeit als Kindle-Deal des Tages erworben. Ich kannte zu diesem Zeitpunkt auch die Mammoth-Bücher noch nicht. Eigentlich hab ich es ja gar nicht mit Kriminalgeschichten. Aber diese Geschichte ist anders, der pure Gedanke an die Morde löst Gänsehaut bei mir aus. Wahrscheinlich, weil der Täter nie gefasst wurde und und es so unbegreiflich ist, was jemanden dazu treibt, Frauen regelrecht auszuweiden und… Ich erspare euch die Details. Dieser Mensch muss so krank gewesen sein, dass er faszinierend auf uns wirkt. Was ist im Leben dieses Menschen vorgefallen, was für eine Kindheit hat er erlebt, wie kann es sein, dass jemandem so etwas Befriedigung verschafft?

Das Buch bietet zunächst einen Überblick über die Ereignisse in Stichwortform. Ich habe irgendwo in einer Rezension gelesen, wie schlecht das geschrieben sei, nur kurze Hauptsätze usw. Äh, hallo? Muss ein stichwortartiger Überblick literarisch wertvoll sein? Es geht nur darum, dass der Leser erst einmal die harten Fakten kennt, bevor er sich mit den einzelnen Theorien befasst. Das Buch ist nämlich nicht das Werk eines einzelnen Autors, sondern verschiedene sogenannte “Ripperologists” stellen ihre Theorien vor. Die zu lesen hat mir wirklich großen Spaß gemacht, falls man bei diesem Thema von Spaß reden kann, ich will mal eher sagen, sie haben mich größtenteils fasziniert. Manche sind weniger glaubhaft, manche mehr. Recht überzeugend fand ich Carl Feigenbaum, William Henry Bury und Aaron Kosminski als Tatverdächtige. (Die Theorie über Feigenbaum kannte ich schon und fand sie vorher bereits ziemlich überzeugend.) Der erste Artikel über Joseph Barnett hat mich nicht überzeugt, da ich sein Motiv nicht ausreichend fand, doch im zweiten Artikel über ihn lief es mir dann eiskalt den Rücken herunter, und zwar wegen eines Details, auf das hier schwerpunktmäßig eingegangen wird: Noch bevor Joseph Barnett aus Mary Jane Kellys Unterkunft auszog, ging der Schlüssel verloren. Barnett und Kelly wussten, wie sie durchs kaputte Fenster greifen konnten, um so die Tür von innen zu öffnen. Und jetzt kommt es: Mary Jane Kellys Leiche wurde zunächst nur durch das Fenster entdeckt. Die Anwesenden konnten nicht direkt in das Zimmer, denn die Tür war abgeschlossen… Uaahhahahhahah! Da war wieder der Schauer!

Insgesamt bietet das Buch einen umfassenden Überblick über die im Laufe der Jahrzehnte aufgestellten Theorien und gibt dem Leser so die Möglichkeit, sich ein eigenes Bild zu machen. Insofern hat das Buch sämtliche Erwartungen, die ich an es gestellt hatte, erfüllt. Ich fand es gerade gut, dass der Autor bzw. Herausgeber sich nicht auf eine Person festlegt, sondern allen Theorien einen Platz einräumt. Es werden lediglich Aussagen darüber gemacht, wie glaubwürdig die jeweilige Theorie insgesamt ist.

Das Buch ist daher eine absolute Empfehlung für alle, die ebenso wie ich vom Fall “Jack the Ripper” fasziniert sind. Aber eine Warnung vorweg: Das Buch ist keine geeignete Bettlektüre! Ohne Scheiß, schon abends auf der Couch bin ich bei der Lektüre bei jedem Geräusch zusammengeschreckt…

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Um livro que tem a grande vantagem de nos dar acesso a uma imensa panóplia de teorias, perspectivas e análises sobre a identidade de Jack the Ripper. Por vezes algo repetitivo porque as hipóteses de alguns teóricos coincidem, mas no geral é uma obra com elevado nível de interesse.

[Katherine Addison · Rating 4 out of 5]

its centerpiece is a collection of essays written by prominent Ripperologists discussing their favorite candidates for the mantle of Ripper. The prize must be awarded to M.J. Trow for his deadpan satire, undetectable until the reveal, putting forward the reformer Frederick Charrington. The sad thing is that his satire is better argued and more persuasive than some of the sincere efforts in the collection. Possible Rippers include William Henry Bury, Francis Tumblety, James Maybrick, James Kelly, David Cohen, Thomas Barnardo, an unamed Irish nationalist, a series of copycat murderers (apparently, the only thing that had been keeping the slaughtermen of Whitechapel on the straight and narrow was their failure to realize that their profession allowed them to walk the streets soaked in blood and not rouse suspicion), Walter Sickert, and Carl Feigenbaum. Plus one essay that doesn't attempt to name a specific murderer, but merely to deduce the characteristics which we can be certain the murderer had from the nature of his murders. Sadly, despite the seeming restraint of the project, even this essay bounds wildly into unsubstantiatable Biblical speculation. This collection of essays is fascinating, not so much for what it tells us about Jack the Ripper as for what it tells us about his historiography and historiographers. (I need to find the earlier edition, because Jakubowski & Braund weeded out the Ripper candidates who are now unfashionable, like M. J. Druitt, and I would love to read the essays stumping for them.) It is also extremely instructive, given that the first section of the Mammoth Book is devoted to laying out the facts as we know them, to observe how many of the essayists get basic facts about the murders wrong. I said to my husband that if I were ever to teach a course in argumentation and/or historiography, I would assign The Mammoth Book of Jack the Ripper, because it offers such a compact smorgasbord of rhetorical tricks and logical flaws and the way we bend history when we try to write about it.

[Jessica Fellows · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well I have my opinion 1 of 2 options in my mind. Of course the part that makes the book and of course the mystery so interesting is that it could have been really anyone. Such little evidence from so long ago and so many theories and opinions have been formed. Definitely a comprehensive book. I would even say some details could have been left out.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A huge and in-depth collection of information on the infamous Whitechapel murders. It starts with a very thorough time-line and overview which was handy indeed for reference. It includes sections on the various documents from newspapers to court records and onward to the postcards and letters purported to be from the killer himself. The next section consists of essays from various authors, putting forward their picks for the most likely suspect or debunking others or examining their pet theories. All bring some fascinating research and time-lines of their own. Some are very logical and strong-feeling; others strike one as so convoluted and esoteric that you wonder if the essay was written in all seriousness. (For instance, the last one doesn't bother naming names - instead it opts to develop a labyrinthian theory that the Ripper did it all to bring about the end of the world based on ancient Sun Worship and magic numbers and... Seriously, I'm not kidding. They really put forward this all as well as predicting that the world would end in 1999 because the Ripper failed the main ritual but extended the power so it would come to fruition 111 years later. Seriously. I couldn't make this up.) The book ends with a listing of the accepted victims and possible additional victims, listings of the less high-profile/frequently-vetted suspects, a thorough filmography and bibliography. Overall a bit of a slog at points but really comprehensive and thorough.

[K. Anna Kraft · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have arranged my takeaway thoughts into a haiku:

"Sleek as a new knife,
Leading as a diary
Penned by a stranger."

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very well laid out introduction of the Ripper murders. It has a timeline of overall events in the beginning and then covers each of the “canonical five” victims in chronological order, first going over a short background of the victim, then giving an account of the day/night of their murder, and following it up with a description of each post mortem and inquest.

It then provides all the “Key Text” from the case. Witness statements, autopsy reports, the ripper letters, and more.

Then comes the bulk of the book: Current Views. This is a comprehensive look at the different theories about who Jack the Ripper might have been from many established “ripperologists”. With so many different viewpoints put forward, it is far from one-sided. I did think Stephen P Evans contribution was weak and seemed to be more about his personal life than it did any evidence and theories. And some of the chapters seemed redundant when more than one supported the same suspect. But most of the contributions were worth reading and it more than familiarizes the reader with the main suspects.

At the end, there is a bit more on “Further Evidence” which goes over some of the lesser suspects not focused on in the bulk of the Current Views as well as the possibility of other victims.

The book has no agenda, which is exactly what I was looking for. As an introduction to the topic, I wanted something that laid out all the facts and theories without any one bias so I wasn’t walking away from the book with a one-sided point of view. And this book definitely accomplished that.

[Jeb · Rating 3 out of 5]

A compilation of essays by various writers that detail the possible identities of Jack The Ripper. Some are far-fetched, and poorly argued, others have me convinced they know who the real killer was. A very interesting read that approaches Jack The Ripper from numerous angles.

[Rob Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a great book. Different writers, each offering their theory on the murders. Some made sense and others seemed totally ridiculous.

[Christa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really good book that I've been seeing on the library shelf for months. I grabbed it finally and over all I'm glad I did. While slightly repetitive and maybe slightly outdated, it provides a lot of useful information for someone writing a book or someone (like me) who is just interested in the legend of Jack the Ripper.

The "current views" essays make up the bulk of the book. For the most part they were well researched and though I don't agree with their "candidates" I still found their cases pretty interesting.

"The Jack the Ripper Whitechapel Murders" by Sue and Andy Parlour was far and away my favorite essay in the book. I don't think their theory is correct, but I love a good conspiracy. I plan on reading their whole book sometime soon because I think it will be a good story.

Some of the other essays stood out to me too, but not for the best of reasons.

"Catch Me When You Can" by Paul Harrison posits that Jack was Mary Kelly's homicidally jealous lover, Joseph Barnett. That's fine on it's own (though I don't think it's true) but there is an awful lot of victim blaming in this essay, aimed at Mary Kelly. Basically the theory is that she drove Barnett to commit these murder/mutilation crimes by not walking the straight-and-narrow and not loving him as he felt he deserved.

"The Facts Speak for Themselves" by Bruce Paley was annoying to me because it felt very repetitive and boring.

"The Way to Hell" by M.J. Trow was frankly insulting to me as a reader. I didn't fall for it, I'm annoyed that he assumed I'd fall for it, and I feel that he should be apologizing to me and other readers along with Mr. Charrington. 😡

As for the most "What the Fuck" essay, that award goes to the crazy "Guts 'n' Roses: The Coming Apocalypse of the Ripper Millennium" by Simon Whitechapel. I've never seen so much wtf packed into such a short writing. He takes so much from different occult areas and tries to mush it together into a proper theory, but he fails.

At one point when he hits a snag, he says, "Must the theory be discarded? No it must merely be enriched..." No sir, please just discard it and save us all the trouble.

Finally, I quite liked "A Lifetime in Ripperology" by Colin Wilson. It was a pretty good read.

[Skye · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve been hearing about Jack the Ripper for as long as I can remember. I always knew that there were many different theories surrounding who, what, why… but nothing is truly known. So, I thought it might be about time to read a little more about this infamous serial killer. Especially since I have a few books based around him and I really wasn’t quite adding up the hints and information that was found in some of the short stories I’ve been reading.

I love the way that this book is broken up. To start with it outlines the very basics of the known facts of the case. The five known, canonical victims. It tells us the very basics and all those little clues which have lead to theory upon theory being built up. Then, it takes you in for a deeper look at each of the five victims. Showing testimonies, court statements and aspects of the coroners report to give you even more facts. I ended up taking quite a long time to read the first part of this book, just because the sheer number of facts and figures was a little overwhelming. But in the best sense possible, considering that this is a non-fiction book…

Finally, the different popular theories are highlighted in small chapters by “Ripperologists”. They take the facts that you’ve spent an age reading and present them to you in a whole new light. Which made things kind of difficult for me…since every single version sounded plausible. This is another one of those books that I will pick up again and again, learning something new and different each time. Being fascinated and drawn in over and over.

[Zelena Hope · Rating 2 out of 5]

Finishing this book felt like a chore, not a pleasure.

The good: The timeline of events and details of the murders. This happens very on in the book, so I'd suggest listening that long, and then moving on to something else.

The bad: Everything about the murders is repeated at least a dozen times. The Ripper letters are repeated to the point that I'm now quite sure I can recite them in my sleep. The manner in which the murders were committed is also repeated way too much.

The awful: The Narrator attempting to do accents, especially female accents. A hefty portion of this book is essays from so-called "Ripperologists" and the narrator tries to stop them from blending together by giving each one a slight accent - on top of giving the main characters in the Ripper story their own accents too. His Mary Kelly was especially hard on the ears.

If you want to listen to "Ripperologists" throw shade at each other, then this book is for you. If not, then I highly suggest finding another Ripper book.

[David Ellery · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating, engrossing volume that tells you just as much about Ripperologists as it does Saucy Jack. Sift through the inevitably variable contributions, the single-mindedness, the contradictions and the assumptions, and you'll find no shortage of things to ponder over. As a multi-perspective overview of the Whitechapel Murderer, strongly recommended.

Weakest: The Facts Speak for Themselves, Jack the Ripper: Man or Myth, Catch Me When You Can.
Strongest: The Diary of Jack the Ripper, The Way to Hell, A Lifetime in Ripperology.

[Mark Gannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a mammoth book indeed, with a high number of contributors. Interesting, informative and at times thought provoking- but there were times it dragged. Many of the contributors, however, did not focus on the 'case' of Jack the Ripper, preferring to speak about their own lives and how the Ripper case affected them. Some of these elements were so similar I tended to skim. Otherwise, a good purchase.

[Isla Acton · Rating 4 out of 5]

1. Who was your favourite character and why?
The answer to question 1: my favourite character was Dr Steve m. Jofgh
2. What surprised you?
the answer to the question 2: That Jack had a bullet through the head and still survived
3. Would you change the ending Why/Why not
the answer to question 3: absolutely not it was way too good how she killed her self at the end like what????????????

[Sérgio De andrade · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting loose facts and anecdotes.
However most of the book consists of writers trying to plug their own books and theories on Jack, the Ripper. And some of those said theories have been debunked anyway.

[Matt · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very disappointed with this book, I can see why it was in the bargain basement. Very boring, flat, repetitive writing. Much better books on this subject.
This was very much like a cheap school textbook.

[John R. Goyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

a good summary of the most likely theories on Jack. A few are plausible, most are very tenuous. After reading the evidence I'm of the opinion there wasn't a Jack, just a series of similar murders - lots of possibilities...

[Jo Glasgow · Rating 5 out of 5]

**Audiobook**
Very interesting read.
Really enjoyed this book. The first section focusing on the known facts in great detail, followed by essays written by others with their theorys.
great read for a Ripper idealist

[Nichola · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a lecturer this was so interesting to read, it made me so aware of good versus bad essay writing.

When I do read essays or collections, I can’t help but get into marking mentality and these are… not good.

I feel like I need to give my students more credit.

[Mark Sohn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good starting point for those willing to travel a very dark path; armchair investigators will find this book useful, lots of facts and information. Not a flowing read, however.

[Marcus Gavin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant book. Well put together and well worth the read.

[Nanci Pattenden · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok, but a lot of info was repeated, a lot.

[Malcolm Jarvis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

I would recommend to anyone interested in the ripper murders. A superb collection of theories presented clearly and logically. Excellent.

[dbt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ripperologists must be the absolute fucking WOOOOOOOORST.
This book is like the most fucked up Rashomon shit, and I am depressed and angry just thinking about it.

[Neal Fandek · Rating 2 out of 5]

Strictly for Ripperologists. If you enjoy tumbling down rabbit hole after gory rabbit hole, sometimes with authors that seem unhinged, this book is for you.

[Heather Theisen · Rating 4 out of 5]

It gave me some good ideas of who it could have been other than the fantastical ones of conspiracy theories

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

Very detailed, while still not trying to convince the reader of anything. This book lays out all the facts and let's the reader come to their own conclusions.

[Mirhanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I didn't agree with all of the conclusions obviously, but I discovered new-to-me information. If you are interested in Jack the Ripper, you should read this book!