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Jack The Ripper: Letters From Hell
Between August and November 1888 six women were found murdered and mutilated in London's East End and Aldgate. All were prostitutes; one was found on a common landing, one in the street, one in a backyard, one in an entry, one in a public square and the sixth in a house. The murders provoked massive interest in the press and dozens of letters quickly appeared, claiming to have been written by the killer. The origin of the name Jack the Ripper itself was a letter, famously written to 'Dear Boss,' the head of the Central News Agency. Certain letters have been reproduced or quoted in previous books but Stewart Evans and Keith Skinner are the first to have read and examined every one. This book reproduces and transcribes all the letters, including the 'Dear Boss' correspondence and the horrific letter sent to the chairman of the Whitechapel Vigilance Committee together with a piece of human kidney. The authors relate the letters to the complete story of the Whitechapel murders, tracing the hysteria and misconceptions that dogged both the police and Fleet Street during 1888-9 and providing revealing insights into the Victorian psyche. For the first time the cases of three people arrested by the police for sending 'Jack the Ripper' letters are explored, including that of Maria Coroner, the attractive 21-year-old Bradford girl. Evans and Skinner also examine the letters of seven suspects, including Dr. Roslyn D'Onston Stephenson and Nikaner Benelius. The story of the Ripper letters ends by posing a controversial question: was Jack the Ripper merely a press invention?
306 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
February 6, 2016
It feels weird to be describing a book about Jack the Ripper as beautiful, but, in fact, this is a beautiful book. Also fascinating. It's about the letters--some 200+ in all--sent to the police and newspapers and, of course, the Central News Agency--purporting to be from Jack the Ripper. Evans and Skinner have transcribed all of them and photographed many of them and written a quiet, careful assessment of what these letters do and do not tell us.
They do not tell us anything about the actual murderer. Evans and Skinner see no reason to think any of the letters (including "Dear Boss" and "From Hell") are from the murderer, and I have to admit I agree with them. But the letters tell us a lot about the police investigation, and even more about public response. They also tell us a lot about the more unpleasant parts of human nature: Evans and Skinner discuss the two letter-writers who were actually caught, both women, both with no better motive for writing letters purporting to be from Jack the Ripper than "for a lark." And the letters themselves range from barely literate, barely intelligible scrawls from people who were clearly about as badly off, sanity wise, as the murderer himself, to hoaxes like the "Dear Boss" letter which were written by someone who knew exactly what he or she was doing.
The photographs of the letters are beautifully done. Some of the letters are themselves lovely--there's one in particular, written in October 1889, which looks more like an example in a handwriting manual than anything else--and even the ugliest of the letters (either in terms of aesthetics or contents) are fascinating to look at.
Evans and Skinner did a marvelous job with this book. If I had a coffee table, I'd totally put this on it.
They do not tell us anything about the actual murderer. Evans and Skinner see no reason to think any of the letters (including "Dear Boss" and "From Hell") are from the murderer, and I have to admit I agree with them. But the letters tell us a lot about the police investigation, and even more about public response. They also tell us a lot about the more unpleasant parts of human nature: Evans and Skinner discuss the two letter-writers who were actually caught, both women, both with no better motive for writing letters purporting to be from Jack the Ripper than "for a lark." And the letters themselves range from barely literate, barely intelligible scrawls from people who were clearly about as badly off, sanity wise, as the murderer himself, to hoaxes like the "Dear Boss" letter which were written by someone who knew exactly what he or she was doing.
The photographs of the letters are beautifully done. Some of the letters are themselves lovely--there's one in particular, written in October 1889, which looks more like an example in a handwriting manual than anything else--and even the ugliest of the letters (either in terms of aesthetics or contents) are fascinating to look at.
Evans and Skinner did a marvelous job with this book. If I had a coffee table, I'd totally put this on it.
July 29, 2015
I LOVED this book. Make no mistake, this book is a heavy read. It also assumes right off the bat that you are familiar with the background and chronological sequence of the Whitechapel murders. If you aren't, you could choose better books to start. If you're not interested in forensic-level checking on fraud and hoaxes, you can skip it. But if you are, by all means make this an early stop on your reading list. It will pay off.
The authors have done diligent research and looked at the original letters sent to various agencies and people around the world. The one thing, and I mean the only thing, these letters have in common is that they claim to be from the Whitechapel murderer. Evans and Skinner date and trace the provenance of every letter in the Metropolitan and City police files and beyond. Many of these are not detailed at all in most other books on the murders. I was fascinated to look at and read these pieces of history.
To put it mildly, anyone who thinks that pranking the police is a new phenomenon needs to read this book! If reading Letters From Hell has done anything for me, it has made me believe that it's probable that none of the letters at all are authentic. Obviously, everyone should read and examine and draw their own conclusions. For me, the history was the most intriguing part, since I believe the murders are at this point unsolvable. Others may have different opinions and they will find good reference material here.
Highly recommended.
The authors have done diligent research and looked at the original letters sent to various agencies and people around the world. The one thing, and I mean the only thing, these letters have in common is that they claim to be from the Whitechapel murderer. Evans and Skinner date and trace the provenance of every letter in the Metropolitan and City police files and beyond. Many of these are not detailed at all in most other books on the murders. I was fascinated to look at and read these pieces of history.
To put it mildly, anyone who thinks that pranking the police is a new phenomenon needs to read this book! If reading Letters From Hell has done anything for me, it has made me believe that it's probable that none of the letters at all are authentic. Obviously, everyone should read and examine and draw their own conclusions. For me, the history was the most intriguing part, since I believe the murders are at this point unsolvable. Others may have different opinions and they will find good reference material here.
Highly recommended.
January 27, 2016
I originally bought and read thisbook whenit was first published. Jack is one of my favorite historical cases and I OWN about 25 books on the case and have read even more. This book was well written and researched, and for that reason I give it 5 stars, but if I were to compare this author's conclusions with those of other books on the same case, I don't recall finding it as convincing as some of the others that I've studied.
If you are new to the study of Jack the Ripper and Letters from Hell is one of the first books you've picked up, this is a good book to give you an overall rehashing of the case & its history. But honestly you can't stop at just one. And I do believe that there are better ones out there.
If you are new to the study of Jack the Ripper and Letters from Hell is one of the first books you've picked up, this is a good book to give you an overall rehashing of the case & its history. But honestly you can't stop at just one. And I do believe that there are better ones out there.
July 2, 2008
Great book. A lot of letters you won't find anywhere else. Most of the letters were fakes, of course, but this is a fascinating read.
April 25, 2022
A fascinating collection! As far as books on Jack the Ripper go, it can be hit or miss, and most are misses. There is no pointless speculation in 'Jack the Ripper: Letters from Hell', however. Instead, this book is an important historical archive of crime reporting and its public response. Evans and Skinner collect a significant portion - although not all, as declared - of the letters written by people claiming to be 'Jack the Ripper'. Although they could have gone more in-depth, I did enjoy reading this collection more than I expected. I also appreciated that the authors reproduced large photographs of many of the letters
My main criticism is the author's disagreement. Halfway through the collection, the dual authorship becomes singular because the two writers could not agree. On the one hand, I appreciate the honesty and divulging of opinions. I feel as though it was slightly out of place in this collection, however. It is a shame the authors couldn't find common ground. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed this book. Any book on the Ripper is unlikely to get five stars from me, although not impossible. I would still recommend this book to anyone interested in crime or the era, though.
My main criticism is the author's disagreement. Halfway through the collection, the dual authorship becomes singular because the two writers could not agree. On the one hand, I appreciate the honesty and divulging of opinions. I feel as though it was slightly out of place in this collection, however. It is a shame the authors couldn't find common ground. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed this book. Any book on the Ripper is unlikely to get five stars from me, although not impossible. I would still recommend this book to anyone interested in crime or the era, though.
February 23, 2020
An analysis of the more than 700 Jack the Ripper letters. Most of the letters are regarded as hoaxes, including the famous "Dear Boss" missive that introduced the name "Jack the Ripper" (investigators credit this moniker to a tabloid journalist). Though perhaps frauds, the letters make interesting reading. In addition to an analysis of their texts, this volume includes complete transcripts of all the letters held in the police files along with numerous outstanding pictures of the original notes
May 17, 2024
La transcripción de las cartas atribuidas al asesino más famoso - junto con su estudio comparativo interesante - hacen del trabajo firmado por Skinner y Evans un documento valioso para cualquier aficionado. No solo por su extensa relación documental (respaldada en un contundente apoyo fotográfico) sino también al proponer la división de dos temas: Los históricos asesinatos ocurridos en Whitechapel y la figura de Jack el Destripador, creada en buena parte por la prensa.
April 2, 2019
A book detailing all the various letters that were sent supposedly from Jack the Ripper.
This was an interesting read and I'm sure many ripperologists will enjoy the story. For me it just didn't grab me. I think I prefer reading more of the dramatic side to the story. That being said its fascinating to realize just how many there were in total.
This was an interesting read and I'm sure many ripperologists will enjoy the story. For me it just didn't grab me. I think I prefer reading more of the dramatic side to the story. That being said its fascinating to realize just how many there were in total.
June 2, 2020
Great collection of original material from the Jack the Ripper case. A must have for Ripper aficionados
September 23, 2022
Interesting read.
February 10, 2021
Interesting read, over two hundred letters were written to the police and my newspapers during Jack The Rippers crime spree. This is their story.
October 27, 2016
This has a possibly unique angle to the Whitechapel murders as it deals with the letters that were sent purporting to come from the killer. Many of these are barely mentioned in other books which concentrate on the Lusk letters which have for the most part been proven to be highly likely to have been the invention of a journalist rather than Jack The Ripper. looking at these letters a few things stand out, there seems to be the idea that the killer didn't work alone appears to be a common one apart from a few mentioning accomplices quite a few use we to describe murder, quite a few have the idea of including drawings alongside the text, even a few have the same drawings of a knife and a coffin, there are various letters claiming that he would quit after a certain amount of victims, and the idea that the killer moved from country to country before and after the killings seems to be well known.
Looking at these you get an idea of what the general public at the time believed was the theories about the killer, that is if none of them actually came from the killer himself, as to that we can rule out those that are regularly quoted as most likely they are hoaxes, and there are two which resulted in prosecutions that are definitely hoaxes, we can probably also rule out those which claim that a victim will be killed later that day or in a specific place as no victims were found there, remove also those that are merely fragments and sentences, finally remove those that just use the name Jack The Ripper to threaten people and you are left with a very small amount of possibilities as to letters which could have come from The Whitechapel Murderer.
So if you are looking for a book that isn't merely a listing of the main facts and an un-provable killer then this is the book for you, and maybe just maybe you might be looking at the actual signature of Jack The Ripper.
Looking at these you get an idea of what the general public at the time believed was the theories about the killer, that is if none of them actually came from the killer himself, as to that we can rule out those that are regularly quoted as most likely they are hoaxes, and there are two which resulted in prosecutions that are definitely hoaxes, we can probably also rule out those which claim that a victim will be killed later that day or in a specific place as no victims were found there, remove also those that are merely fragments and sentences, finally remove those that just use the name Jack The Ripper to threaten people and you are left with a very small amount of possibilities as to letters which could have come from The Whitechapel Murderer.
So if you are looking for a book that isn't merely a listing of the main facts and an un-provable killer then this is the book for you, and maybe just maybe you might be looking at the actual signature of Jack The Ripper.
September 8, 2010
A strange book--- an examination of the letters sent to the press and police during the era of the Whitechapel Murders, letters purporting to be from Jack the Ripper. Evans manages to combine a very decent account of the killings with a look at the role of the letters in shaping the popular vision of the Ripper. That a couple of thousand "Ripper letters" got sent says a lot about the birth of celebrity culture and the rise of a mass newspaper audience--- and that so many of the letters obviously fed on previously published letters says a lot about what might or might not ever have been real in the case. Jack the Ripper is the single most overdone figure in popular crime/conspiracy literature, but "Letters From Hell" is a worthwhile read--- it manages to both look at the frenzy of the time and the way the Ripper's image was shaped.
December 11, 2008
Let's hope that this one is better then the last one I read. And way better then the one Eliz read!!
Okay.... so it took me awhile to get this book read. It was alright, it was nice to see most of the letters and to get a feel of the hype and the copycats that wanted to keep "Jack" alive and going on with his "job".
If you're looking for a juicy Jack the Ripper book... this is not the one to read. If you want some insite into what it was like back then and to see that people and crime were not all that different in 1888 then they are today, this is a book to add to your Jack collection.
Okay.... so it took me awhile to get this book read. It was alright, it was nice to see most of the letters and to get a feel of the hype and the copycats that wanted to keep "Jack" alive and going on with his "job".
If you're looking for a juicy Jack the Ripper book... this is not the one to read. If you want some insite into what it was like back then and to see that people and crime were not all that different in 1888 then they are today, this is a book to add to your Jack collection.
February 20, 2014
El personaje de Jack the Ripper será toda la vida una incógnita. Quién fue y por qué lo hizo nunca lo sabremos. Sólo nos queda seguir descubriendo sobre su "leyenda" con libros como éste. Una buena recopilación de todas "sus cartas", con fotos de las mismas. Si te apasiona la época victoriana, es una buena manera de adentrarte un poco más en esos últimos años del siglo XIX en Whitechapel.
June 19, 2016
A lavish collection of reprints of each of the letters that purported to come from the Ripper himself. This includes the famous ones and the lesser know ones. A pretty valuable addition to any Ripper collection.
February 27, 2015
Not bad, breaks down the letters and takes a deeper look into them and possible motives. 90 pages of letters received by the London police about the incident, mostly from those claiming to be Jack.
April 10, 2015
Πως τα μέσα μαζικής ενημέρωσης (οι εφημερίδες εκείνη την εποχη) διαμόρφωσαν μια πραγματικότητα που βόηθησε έναν δολοφόνο να κάνει τα εγκλήματά του και να ξεφύγει... Εξαιρετική έρευνα
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews