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 A GUIDE TO THE LITERATURE OF
JACK THE RIPPER
By Ken Whiteway'

Sommaire serial killer to gain international notoriety. The murders

Ces quelques derni~res ann~es, en particulier, ont vu
une proliferation dans le nombre d'oeuvres non romanes-
ques publices sur les meurtres ayant eu lieu i Whitecha-
pel en 1888-1891. Plusieurs de ces oeuvres abordent des
theories tires par les cheveux et elies ne sont aucune-
ment ou peu basses stir des faits historiques. Celles qui
apportent de grandes contributions I'histoire juridique,
economique et sociale de l'epoque sont en grand danger
d'etre n6gliges. Le but de cet article est de diriger les
chercheurs vers les sources les plus sfires sur ce sujet et de
fournir un point de depart aux bibliothecaires impliques
dans la creation ou le dveloppement d'une collection
abordant le meurtre en serie ou les crimes commis ' la fin
de l'poque victorienne.
Introduction
M ore has been written about Jack the Ripper than about
any other figure in the history of crime. Since the
Whitechapel murders occurred in 1888-91 well over 100 non-
fiction books have been produced on the subject. Jack has
also been featured in thousands of newspaper and magazine
articles, novels, short stories, plays, musicals, operas, radio and
television programmes, and movies. Largely because of his
evocative nickname, and because he has never been identified,
he retains a prominent place in the collective imagination.
The result is that, for many people, he has become a mythic
figure completely separated from his historical reality.
There are, however, several reasons why Jack is the subject
of serious study by legal historians. He was the first sexual
occurred at a time when, because of the Education Acts of
1870, 1876, and 1880, working-class Britons were quickly
becoming literate, and a large number of daily and weekly
newspapers had appeared to meet the needs of the new mar-
ket.1 This gave wide publicity to the events in Whitechapel
and marked the beginning of what has often been an uneasy
relationship between the agents of law enforcement and the
media. The murders also coincided with the advent of mod-
ern forensic investigative procedures. Blood grouping and
DNA evidence were, of course, not yet available, and even
fingerprint identification would not be adopted by Scotland
Yard until 1901.2 However, the police did employ such new
tools as crime scene photography, house-to-house inquiries,
undercover investigators, and the widespread use of the media
to ask for public assistance and to circulate descriptions of
suspects. Equally important is the use to which information
about the murders can be put by social historians. Since
nothing is known about the killer, a great deal of research has
centred on the victims. Consequently, more is now known
about their day-to-day lives than about any other non-elite
women of the late Victorian period.3
But while important data can be gleaned from books
about the Whitechapel murders, the topic has also become a
minefield for the unwary. Ripper research is "notorious for
its cranks and charlatans. ' 4 Many unsubstantiated theories
concerning the identity of the murderer have been promul-
gated and, depending upon the book consulted, a novice
researcher might be convinced that Jack was actually Queen
Victoria's grandson Prince Albert Victor (from 1891, Duke
of Clarence and Avondale),5 Lord Randolph Churchill,6 the
artist Walter Sickert, 7 Lewis Carroll, 8 or any one of 108 other
named suspects. 9 There is no compelling evidence against any

Ken Whiteway 2004.

Law Librarian, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon Sask.
The rise in readership was also aided by the repeal, in 1855, of the Stamp Act, which had placed a tax on newspapers that put them beyond the means
of the average person.
2 Colin Beavan, Fingerprints: The Origins ofCrime Detection and the Murder Case that Launched Forensic Science (New York: Hyperion, 2001).
3 Neal Shelden has been particularly diligent in disseminating new information about the victims in his self-published pamphlets: Annie Chapman:
Jack the Ripper Victim; A Short Biography (Hornchurch, Essex: N. Shelden, 2001); CatherineEddowes: Jack the Ripper Victim (Hornchurch, Essex: N.
Shelden, 2003); and, Jack the Ripper and His Victims: Research into the Victims ofthe Infamous Victorian Murderer (Hornchurch, Essex: N. Shelden,
1999).
4 Philip Sugden, The Complete History ofJack the Ripper, rev. [i.e., 3d] ed. (London: Robinson, 2002) at viii.
5 Frank Spiering, PrinceJack: The True Story ofJack the Ripper (New York: Doubleday, 1978).
6 Melvyn Fairclough, The Ripper and the Royals (London: Duckworth, 1991).
7 Patricia Cornwell, Portraitofa Killer:Jack the Ripper---Case Closed (New York: Putnam, 2002).
8 Richard Wallace, Jack the Ripper: "Light-heartedFriend"(Melrose, MA: Gemini Press, 1996).
9 John J. Eddleston, Jack the Ripper: An Encyclopedia (Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2001) at 195-244.

2004 Canadian Law Library Review/Revue canadienne des bibliothiques de droit, Volume/Tome 29, No. 5 219
of these people; in fact, for most, there is no evidence at all,
other than in the minds of the authors.
This guide is intended to help researchers find their
way through the labyrinth of Ripper literature. It is also
intended to act as a starting point for librarians involved in
creating or developing a collection based on this aspect of
nineteenth-century criminal history. The inquiry is limited to
an examination of all full-length monographs on the subject
published in English (the first of which appeared in 1929) l"
and to relevant websites. It is not the purpose of this guide
to provide a description of the crimes themselves, since that
information is readily available in the material listed below.
Only what appear to be the most useful items have been
included.
Bibliographies
There are two major bibliographies devoted to Ripper
material.
Alexander Kelly and David Sharp, Jack the Ripper: A Bibli-
ography and Review of the Literature. Rev. & updated [i.e.,
3d] ed. London: Association of Assistant Librarians, 1995.
ISBN 0-900092-90-4 (softcover). 186 p.
According to The Jack the Ripper A-Z (discussed below),
Alexander Kelly is a pseudonym used by three authors, one
of whom is a former librarian at New Scotland Yard. The
bibliography is comprised of nearly 1,000 items. It includes
a general discussion of the case and has separate sections
which list contemporary records, facts and theories, biog-
raphies, fiction and drama, and music, films and television
programmes. The facts and theories section contains, for the
most part, alphabetically arranged citations to newspaper and
magazine articles. They are mixed together with references
to monographs, although these entries are enclosed in boxes,
which make them easily identifiable. There is also a very good
author/title/subject index.
The Introduction, originally written by Colin Wilson for
the 1973 edition, can safely be ignored since it contains several
statements that, although at the time generally accepted as
true, have been proved by subsequent research to be incor-
rect. The descriptions of some of the bibliographic items are
fragmentary and the book contains a few typographical errors.
It does not claim to be exhaustive and, consequently, omits
several relevant items. And, since the cut-off date is October
1994, more recent books are excluded. A new edition would
be helpful, but this is still one of the best places to begin a
literature search.
0 Leonard Matters, The Mystery ofJack the Ripper (London: Hutchinson, 1929).
H Bermant is, however, somewhat shaky on US history since he seems to believe that Benjamin Franklin was a President (p. 75).
12 For more on this theory, see Robin Odell, Jack the Ripper in Fact and Fiction (London: Harrap, 1965).
220 2004 Canadian Law Library Review/Revue canadienne des bibliothiques de droit, Volume/Tome 29, No. 5
Ross Strachan, The Jack the Ripper Handbook: A Reader's
Companion. Irvine, Scotland: Great Scot Services, 1999.
ISBN 0-95369-490-9 (softcover). xi, 188 p.
The cut-off date for this book is October 1999 and it lists
93 factual accounts of the Whitechapel murders. The entries
include excellent printing histories for each title, and some
have short synopses of the contents. Strachan is concerned
with producing a comprehensive list of all Ripper-related
materials, not with their relative merits. As a result, many
unreliable books appear without critical comment.
This is not an easy bibliography to use since most of the
entries are arranged chronologically and there is no index.
It also has quite a few typographical errors (some involving
even such basic things as authors' names) so the information
should be used with care. Other sections of the bibliography
are devoted to histories of the East End, fiction, translations,
magazine articles, comics and graphic novels, audio tapes, mu-
sic, and recordings. A great deal of useful material is contained
in this volume, but it can be difficult to locate quickly.
Background Information
Researchers approaching the Whitechapel murders for
the first time may require some background information in
order to place the subject in its historical context. Hundreds
of books have been written about London, and there are many
histories and reminiscences dealing specifically with life in the
East End. But, for our purposes, five titles are particularly
worthy of note.
Chaim Bermant, Point ofArrival: A Study ofLondon's East
End. London: Eyre Methuen, 1975. ISBN 0-413-28060-8
(hardcover). xii, 292 p.
Published in US as: London's East End: Point ofArrival.
NewYork: Macmillan, 1976. ISBN 0-025-10090-4 (hard-
cover).
This is a social history describing the waves of immigrants
(Huguenots, Irish, Jews, West Indians, and Pakistanis) who
settled in the East End. It concentrates primarily on the
period from the early nineteenth century to the early 1970s.
The book is engagingly written and makes good use of con-
temporary sources." l
Chapter 9, entitled "Jacob the Ripper," explores the
possibility that Jack may have been Jewish. 12 Bermant's brief
descriptions of the murders are full of inaccuracies, but that
is beside the point. The value of the book lies in its vivid
descriptions of East End life.
William J. Fishman, EastEnd 1888: A Year in a London Bor- coverage of the murders, the role of the inquests in sustaining
ough Among the LabouringPoor. London: Hanbury, 2001. the momentum of interest among the public, and the func-
Reprint. ISBN 0-95410-590-7 (hardcover). xii, 343 p. tion of the published letters, purportedly from the murderer,
Originally published: London: Duckworth, 1988. ISBN 0- in focussing societal anxieties. Most importantly, Walkowitz
71562-174-2 (hardcover). ISBN 0-71562-218-8 (softcover; brings a fresh perspective to the study of the Ripper crimes
published 1989). - a field virtually dominated by male writers.14
Published in US as: East End 1888: Life in a London Bor-
ough Among the LaboringPoor Philadelphia: Temple Uni- Paul Begg, Jack the Ripper: The DefinitiveHistory. London:
versity Press, 1988. ISBN 0-87722-572-9 (hardcover). Longman, 2003. ISBN 0-582-50631-X (hardcover). xii,
This is a detailed examination of the social, economic, 310 p.
and political conditions that shaped the East End during the The subtitle of this book is somewhat misleading. For a
late Victorian period. It contains excellent descriptions of the full account of the murders, a better source might be Begg's
various neighbourhoods based on primary sources, newspaper 1988 publication Jack the Ripper: The Uncensored Facts
accounts, and even contemporary novels. It is a very clear (discussed below). But the strength of this book lies in the
exposition of how ordinary people eked out an existence in background information that it provides. About half the text
the workhouses, sweatshops, and crowded tenements during is devoted to the history of the East End and to the social/
the period that included the "autumn of terror." political/economic context of the murders. The book is very
Fishman has no particular interest in the Whitechapel successful in "combining the murders with the key historical
murders, which he discusses briefly (pp. 209-229) only in the events that formed a backdrop to the crimes" and in present-
broader context of his chapter entitled "Crime and Punish- ing "the bigger picture of time and place" (p. xi).
ment." Even in such a short account, Fishman makes several
minor factual errors; however, his focus is on the effect of Geoff Cooper and Gordon Punter, Jack the Ripper Whitecha-
the murders, not on the murders themselves. The book is pel Map Booklet 1888. [London?] UK: ripperArt, 2003.
30 p.
very useful in pointing out that a great deal more was going ISBN 0-9546603-0-7 (softcover).
on in London during 1888 than just the hunt for Jack the Attempting to understand the topography of the vari-
Ripper. ous crime scenes can pose difficulties, and good maps of the
late nineteenth-century East End are not easy to find. This
Judith R. Walkowitz, City of DreadfulDelight: Narratives publication, however, solves that problem by clearly depict-
ofSexual Dangerin Late-Victorian London. Chicago: Uni- ing every building, street, yard, and alley that figured in the
versity of Chicago Press, 1992. ISBN 0-226-87145-2 (hard- investigation, including detailed diagrams of the five canoni-
cover). ISBN 0-226-87146-0 (softcover). xiv, 353 p. cal murder sites. The accompanying text is fragmentary and
For our purposes "this study locates the Ripper story as contains several factual errors, but students of the case will
part of a formative moment in the production of feminist find the maps extremely helpful. Cooper and Punter have also
sexual politics and of popular narratives of sexual danger" (p. created a large (90 x 56 cm.) folded map of 1888 Whitechapel
2). When the book was published, Walkowitz was a Profes- and environs. Both items are available through the publisher's
sor of History and the Director of Women's Studies at Johns website. 5
Hopkins University.
Her meaning in some sections of the book (particularly
the Introduction) is obscured by her occasionally infelicitous Published Primary Sources
style of writing, her use of technical and arcane words, and
her penchant for placing far too many terms in unnecessary Until quite recently, it was necessary for researchers inter-
quotation marks. As a result, some early parts of the book ested in Ripper-related primary materials to travel to London
will likely prove to be incomprehensible to the average under- to consult the files housed in various archives and libraries.
graduate. However, as the work progresses, it becomes more Fortunately, in the last few years, much of this information
lucid and accessible. has been published in book form. If the solution to the crimes
The book contains interesting discussions of contempo- is to be found in the original documents, everyone now has
rary social developments such as the "new journalism," which an equal chance of discovering it. Below are four of the most
was largely responsible for creating the legend ofJack the Rip- useful titles.
per. 3 Walkowitz also offers some unique insights into media

For a more detailed discussion of the treatment of the murders by contemporary newspapers, see L. Perry Curtis,Jackthe Ripper and the London Press
(New Haven: Yale University Press, 2001).
14 Another good, but unfortunately unpublished, example of feminist writing is Kate Karlson, "Jack the Ripper: 100 Years of Terror." Speech to the

Bootmakers of Toronto, 18 September 1988. Typescript. Arthur Conan Doyle Collection, Toronto Reference Library.
5 <http://www.ripperart.com>

2004 Canadian Law Library Review/Revue canadienne des biblioth~ques de droit, Volume/Tome 29, No. 5 221
Stewart P. Evans and Keith Skinner, eds., The UltimateJack
the Ripper Sourcebook:An IllustratedEncyclopedia. London:
Robinson, 2000. ISBN 1-84119-225-2 (hardcover). ISBN
1-84119-452-2 (softcover; published 2002). xii, 692 p.
Published in US as: The Ultimate Jack the Ripper Com-
panion: An IllustratedEncyclopedia. New York: Carroll
& Graf, 2000. ISBN 0-78670-768-2 (hardcover). ISBN
0-78670-926-X (softcover; published 2001).
This book consists of material from the Public Record
Office, 16 the Corporation of London Records Office, the
London Metropolitan Archives, the Archives of the Met-
ropolitan Police, the Royal London Hospital Archives, the
British Library Newspaper Library, the City of London Police
Museum, and the Royal Archives. It includes the text of all
the extant police and Home Office files related to the case as
well as pathologists' reports, witness statements, extracts from
police notebooks, and 32 pages of illustrations. It reproduces
newspaper accounts of the inquests into each of the victims'
deaths and has detailed references to all the original sources.
The Sourcebook also contains important documents not
directly related to the official investigation that have surfaced
more recently, such as the Macnaghten memoranda, the
Swanson marginalia, and the Littlechild letter. The material
covers the deaths of 11 possible victims from Emma Smith
on 3 April 1888 to Frances Coles on 13 February 1891. This
is a remarkable piece of work and an invaluable resource. It
should be included in any Ripper collection.
Stewart P. Evans and Keith Skinner, Jack the Ripper: Letters
from Hell. Stroud, Gloucestershire: Sutton, 2001. ISBN 0-
7509-2549-3 (hardcover). ISBN 0-7509-3770-X (softcover;
published 2004). x, 306 p.
This volume contains the full text of the correspondence
generated by the Whitechapel murders, most of which purport
to originate with the murderer. It includes over 200 extant
letters from the files of the Metropolitan Police and the City
of London Police, with full colour reproductions of the more
important ones, Each file number is noted should researchers
care to consult the originals.
All of these letters are now generally considered to be
hoaxes; nonetheless there is always the possibility that one or
more of them may have been written by the killer and that
is what attracts the interest of students of the crimes. Some
researchers feel that the letters may help to identify a suspect
or lend support to a particular theory. The letters may, in
fact, tell us nothing about the murderer, but they do help to
emphasize the extent of the investigative problem faced by
the police, and the reaction to the killings of some misguided
members of the public.
The first part of the book consists of an essay on the
16 In April 2003, the Public Record Office merged with the Historical Manuscripts Commission to form the National Archives.
17 To my eye, at least, the authors seem to have mistranscribed the occasional word. However all the important letters are photographically reproduced,
so readers can draw their own conclusions.
222 2004 Canadian Law Library Review/Revue canadienne des bibliothiques de droit, Volume/Tome 29, No. 5
content and significance of the letters, while the second part
has transcriptions of each of them. 17 The authors offer a
convincing suggestion as to the origin of the "Royal Ripper"
theory (p. 188), and Chapter 18 deals with handwriting
samples from seven contemporaneously named suspects.
This is quite interesting but, as the authors admit, valueless
as evidence, since we do not know which of the letters, if any,
are genuine.
Alexander Chisholm, Christopher-Michael DiGrazia and
Dave Yost, eds., The Newsfrom Whitechapel:Jack the Ripper
in the Daily Telegraph. Jefferson, NC; London: McFarland,
2002. ISBN 0-7864-1385-9 (softcover). xi, 237 p.
Of all the London newspapers, it was, perhaps, the Daily
Telegraph that devoted the most space to the Whitechapel
atrocities. By 1888 it had a circulation of about 250,000.
(In comparison, the circulation of The Times was about
50,000.)
Each chapter deals with one of the five canonical victims
(Mary Ann Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catha-
rine Eddowes, and Mary Jane Kelly), covering the murder, its
investigation, and the subsequent inquest. This arrangement
allows researchers to follow the story more or less as it unfolded
to contemporary London newspaper readers. The editors cor-
rect, in footnotes, much of the misinformation that appeared
in the pages of the Daily Telegraph. This is particularly useful
since many writers have been led astray by accepting as fact
questionable information that was churned out by newspa-
per reporters working to a deadline. The footnotes include
references to helpful books and explain words or phrases with
which a modern reader may not be familiar. Also included in
the text are passages from other newspapers such as The Star,
The Times, and the East London Advertiser. The illustrations
are good, if sometimes rather graphic, and include the only
known photograph of a victim (Annie Chapman) taken prior
to her death.
The commentaries at the end of each chapter offer
thoughtful insights into various aspects of the case, such as
the time of Annie Chapman's murder (pp. 81-86). Another
commentary makes a very persuasive argument that Elizabeth
Stride was killed by someone other than the Whitechapel
murderer (pp. 138-39). The authors also quite perceptively
point out (pp. 36-37) that the coverage of the search for the
suspect nicknamed Leather Apron following the Nichols and
Chapman killings sold a lot of papers, but that Leather Apron
was profitable only as long as he could not be found. When
John Pizer was identified, located, arrested, and then exoner-
ated, interest flagged. This, perhaps, gave some enterprising
newspapermen the inspiration to boost sales by producing
hoax letters and inventing the sobriquet Jack the Ripper.
Stewart P. Evans and Keith Skinner, comps., Jack the Rip-
per and the Whitechapel Murders. London: Public Record
Office, 2002. ISBN 1-903365-39-2. Kit.
Although, strictly speaking, this item is not mandatory
in a Jack the Ripper collection, it does add an interesting
sidelight. The folder includes a 12-page booklet that briefly
outlines the facts surrounding the murders of six victims from
Martha Tabram on 7 August 1888 to Mary Jane Kelly on 9
November 1888. The rest of the booklet consists of a short,
but good, chronological bibliography and descriptions of the
contents of the kit.
The kit itself contains 16 colour photoreproductions of
some of the most important documents housed in the Public
Record Office, the Royal London Hospital Archives, and the
British Library Newspaper Library. Among the most signifi-
cant are copies of the "Dear Boss" letter, the Lusk letter, the
"Saucy Jacky" postcard, and a handwritten memorandum
by (later Sir) Melville Macnaghten, Chief Constable of the
Criminal Investigation Department, dated 23 February 1894
which defines the popularly accepted five victims, and names
three men (M.J. Druitt, Kosminski, and Michael Ostrog) re-
garded by the police as suspects. It also contains handwritten
reports by Chief Inspector Donald Swanson and Inspector
Frederick Abberline who were in charge of the Metropolitan
Police investigation.
This item is more of a novelty than a research aid since the
texts of the documents are reprinted in virtually every recent
book written on the subject. However, it does allow research-
ers who are unable to travel to London the opportunity to
experience the look and feel of the original sources.
Histories and Theories
Philip Sugden, The Complete History ofJack the Ripper. Rev.
[i.e., 3d] ed. London: Robinson, 2002. ISBN 1-84119-397-
6 (softcover). xxviii, 532 p.
US ed.: New York: Carroll & Graf, 2002. ISBN 0-78670-
932-4 (softcover).
This is, quite simply, the best book yet written on the
subject.' It first appeared in hardcover in 1994 and was fol-
lowed by a second revised paperback edition in 1995. The
book, which is meticulously researched and engagingly writ-
ten, contains the most comprehensive and accurate discussion
of the case currently available. Sugden takes a completely fresh
look at the primary sources and clarifies many of the errors
and misconceptions that have accumulated over the years.
Sugden began his research from scratch, without relying
on previous secondary sources, and harbouring no precon-
ceived theory. He makes excellent use of the primary mate-
8 It is also one of the longest books about the Ripper. In addition, Sugden wrote the smallest book on the subject: Philip Sugden, The Life and Times
ofJack the Ripper (Bristol: Siena, 1996). 68 p. (11 x 8.5 cm.).
'9 See Stewart Evans and Paul Gainey, The Lodger: The Arrestand Escape ofJack the Ripper (London: Century, 1995).
20 For interesting and detailed discussions of George Chapman's candidacy, but very little hard evidence, see two books by R. Michael Gordon: Alias
Jack the Ripper: Beyond the Usual Whitechapel Suspects Uefferson, NC: McFarland, 2001) and The American Murders ofJack the Ripper (Westport,
CT: Praeger, 2003).
2004 Canadian Law Library Review/Revue canadienne des bibliothques de droit, Volume/Tome 29, No. 5
rial, and his footnotes and bibliography are exemplary. His
research leads him to believe that Jack probably claimed six
victims; he includes Martha Tabram who was killed on 7 Au-
gust 1888. After clearly setting out the facts of each murder,
Sugden proceeds to evaluate the contemporary police suspects
such as Montague John Druitt, Aaron Kosminski, Michael
Ostrog, and George Chapman. To this list he adds Francis
Tumblety, a recently discovered contemporary suspect. 9 He
points out that no one has ever produced acceptable evidence
of guilt against them, or anyone else, and concludes by stating
that, of all the known suspects, Severin Klosowski, who used
the alias George Chapman, is the least unlikely.2
Sugden definitely raised the bar in Ripper research, and
it is difficult now to take seriously the work of any writer
who fails to apply the same intellectual rigour to the task. If
you intend to consult only one book about the Ripper, this
should be it.
Paul Begg, Martin Fido and Keith Skinner, The Jack the
RipperA-Z. Rev. [i.e., 4th] ed. London: Headline, 1996.
ISBN 0-7472-5522-9 (softcover). xviii, 519 p.
Since its first hardcover appearance in 1991, this has
been an indispensable tool for Ripper research. The authors
are well respected in the field and each has written at least
one book on the subject. Here they arrange, in alphabetical
order, virtually all the known information about the murders.
The book includes entries on the victims, suspects, witnesses,
police and government officials, authors and their books, and
a wealth of other material.
It is primarily a reference tool designed to be used in
conjunction with other books on the subject, or to check
particular facts or theories, but it can be read on its own to
great advantage. Its one weakness is that there have been
several developments in Ripper research since 1996 and an
updated edition is now overdue.
Maxim Jakubowski and Nathan Braund, eds., The Mammoth
Book ofJack the Ripper. London: Robinson, 1999. ISBN
1-8548-7537-X (softcover). xi, 499 p.
US ed.: New York. Carroll & Graf, 1999. ISBN 0-7867-
0626-0 (softcover).
This is a useful and inexpensive overview of the case
that begins with a chronology of the 'Whitechapel murders
and then proceeds, in about 100 pages, to state the facts
surrounding the five canonical murders, including witness
statements, autopsy reports, and other relevant documents.
Most of the rest of the book is devoted to articles by 16 ex-
perts who expound on their individual theories. Particularly
helpful as a summary of the major theories, past and current,
is Colin Wilson's "A Lifetime in Ripperology" (pp. 417-442).
223
The book concludes with a chronological bibliography and a
filmography. One nice touch is that it includes a page listing
the prevailing weather conditions in London on the dates of
the murders, which establishes that, contrary to the popular
conception, there was no fog on any of the relevant nights.
Camille Wolff, comp., Who Was Jack the Ripper?: A Col-
lection of Present-Day Theories and Observations. London:
Grey House Books, 1995. Reprint. ISBN 0-9510604-3-0
(hardcover). 111 p.
Because this slim volume was issued in a small print run
(1,000 copies) it can be difficult to locate, but is well worth
the search. 21 It is a collection of very short articles by 53 Rip-
per theorists and authors. Each is allotted no more than 700
words in which to outline his or her basic view of the case.
The space constraints mean that they must state their posi-
tions very succinctly and, consequently, it is easy to identify
flaws (if any) in their arguments. Researchers can therefore
quickly review all of the theories and then pursue those areas
of investigation that seem most profitable.
Paul Begg, Jack the Ripper: The UncensoredFacts;A Docu-
mentedHistory ofthe WhitechapelMurders of1888. London:
Robson Books, 1988. ISBN 0-86051-528-1 (hardcover).
ISBN 0-86051-583-4 (softcover; published 1989). 256 p.
Reprinted frequently.
Rev. & enl. 2d ed. published as: Jack the Ripper: The Facts.
London: Robson Books, 2004. ISBN 1-86105-687-7
(hardcover). x, 550 p.
Many books appeared around the time of the Ripper
centenary, but nearly all of them were hurriedly written, badly
researched, and unworthy of notice. An exception is this com-
mendable volume by Paul Begg. (Begg is currently the editor
of Ripperologist,the leading journal of Ripper-related studies.)
The 1988 edition was the first extensively footnoted book on
the subject and was an attempt to return to the verifiable facts
that were in danger of being lost in an escalating number of
(often outlandish) theories. As he states in the Introduction
(pp. 11-12): "This book is a simple, straightforward account
of what happened. Of who saw and said what, where and
when." His opening chapter, which describes the political
and social background against which the murders were set,
is particularly good.
In both editions, readers should be wary of a handful of
factual and typographical errors that can lead to confusion, but
their strengths make up for any small deficiencies. The first
The original edition, also published in 1995, was limited to 100 copies and signed by most of the contributors. It is a book that is much in demand
among collectors.
22 See, e.g., Martin Howells & Keith Skinner, The Ripper Legacy: The Life and Death ofJack the Ripper (London: Sidgwick & Jackson, 1987). The
authors give a detailed refutation of each of Knight's points (pp. 37-52) but then proceed to propose an equally unsubstantiated theory centred on
M.J. Druitt.
224 2004 Canadian Law Library Review/Revue canadienne des biblioth4ques de droit, Volume/Tome 29, No. 5
edition is a thoughtful work that attempts to clarify some of
the misconceptions of earlier writers. It contains a very cogent
account of the murders of the five traditional victims, and a
good discussion of the principal suspects as they existed in the
mid-1980s. Begg also discovered some new photographs that
were published for the first time in this book. He was the first
author to print the full text of the Swanson marginalia (pp.
195-96) as well as the first to establish the correct spelling of
Catharine Eddowes' name.
Begg does not advocate a particular suspect, but his state-
ment that "the opinion of Anderson and Swanson must weigh
heavily in the balance of any assessment of the evidence" (p.
210) indicates that he is at least somewhat inclined to favour
Aaron Kosminski.
The second edition is greatly expanded and brings the
topic up-to-date with a discussion of recent suspects. Much
new material has been added and, as a result, the second edi-
tion is occasionally rather rambling and unfocussed. The first
edition is still widely available and is, perhaps, the preferable
source for the general reader.
Stephen Knight, Jack the Ripper: The FinalSolution. Lon-
don: Harrap, 1976. ISBN 0-245-52724-9 (hardcover).
284 p.
US ed.: New York: McKay, 1976. ISBN 0-679-50711-6
(hardcover). Both editions reprinted frequently in hard- and
softcover by various publishers.
Until recently this was by far the most popular book on
the Whitechapel murders. Since its first appearance it has
never been out of print. Knight proposes the theory that,
through a conspiracy of high-ranking Freemasons (including
the Prime Minister, Lord Salisbury), the murders were carried
out by Sir William Gull (a noted physician), John Netley (a
coachman), and Walter Sickert (a well-known artist) to silence
five prostitutes who were blackmailing the government with
their knowledge of a secret marriage between Prince Albert
Victor and Catholic shop assistant Annie Elizabeth Crook.
Much of the theory originated with Joseph Gorman Sickert,
the alleged illegitimate son of Walter.
It is a compelling story and Knight tells it well. Unfortu-
nately, it has long been established that he either misinterpret-
ed, or deliberately ignored, important pieces of information
that he possessed at the time of writing the book. Virtually
every book on the subject written since 1976 has devoted a
22
section to explaining why Knight's theory is untenable.
Despite the flawed research, Knight's book has been very
influential. Other writers have developed variations on his by Shirley Harrison and Paul Feldman, spent most of the
theme23 and it has served as the basis for four movies,24 and 1990s squabbling amongst themselves, nor was it helped
several novels.25 The latest variation by Patricia Cornwell26 by Michael Barrett's erratic behaviour. But despite its ques-
has now, apparently, surpassed Knight's book as the best sell- tionable provenance, and some obvious inconsistencies in
ing Ripper title, although it has received almost unanimous the text, the authenticity of the diary has found adherents
condemnation from knowledgeable critics.27 among a handful of experts, most notably one of the few
But simply because the book has been so influential, academic historians to have investigated the murders.29 The
researchers may wish to examine it. And the work is not com- fact remains that Maybrick is one of a very small number of
pletely without merit: it was Knight who unearthed, among plausible candidates to emerge in the last forty years and, at
other things, Israel Schwarz's testimony, Sergeant Stephen least until further evidence is forthcoming, he should probably
White's report on his interviews with Matthew Packer, Inspec- not be completely discounted. Even researchers who doubt
torAbberline's report on Mary Ann Nichols, and a police copy the Maybrick theory will want to examine the diary since it
of the Goulston Street graffito.2" Knight's fanciful theory also has attracted so much attention and debate.
helped to reawaken interest in the Whitechapel murders, and
reaction to it led to a great deal of new research. Seth Linder, Caroline Morris and Keith Skinner, Ripper
Diary: The Inside Story. Stroud, Gloucestershire: Sutton,
Shirley Harrison, ed., The DiaryofJack the Ripper. London: 2003. ISBN 0-7509-2954-5 (hardcover). viii, 280 p.
Smith Gryphon, 1993. ISBN 1-85685-050-1 (hardcover). Simply reading the Maybrick diary, without knowledge
xvii, 299 p. of the relevant background information, is not particularly
US ed.: NewYork Hyperion, 1993. ISBN 1-56282-704-9 helpful. Several books have dealt with the topic, but they were
(hardcover). Both editions reprinted frequently in hard- and written by people on one side or the other of the debate who
softcover by various publishers. brought their various biases along with them. The authors of
A scrapbook containing 63 handwritten pages and pur- this book, however, attempt to maintain objectivity in their
porting to be the diary of Jack the Ripper first surfaced in inquiry into the origins of the diary and, for the most part,
1992. It appeared to be written by a drug-addicted Liverpool they succeed. Keith Skinner was one of the experts consulted
cotton broker named James Maybrick who claimed that he about the diary when it first came to light and he participated
committed the Whitechapel murders as acts of revenge aimed in many of the incidents recounted in the book.
at his adulterous wife, Florence. The book initially created The book documents, in great detail, the claims and
a great deal of interest, but its impact was dulled because counterclaims made concerning the diary, including the results
of the repeated confessions (and subsequent retractions) by of all the scientific tests that were conducted on it. Given the
Michael Barrett, the "discoverer" of the diary, that he had flamboyant personalities of some of the leading figures in this
forged it. Scientific tests to authenticate the diary have been story, the book does a good job of presenting the chronology
inconclusive: all that can be said is that, so far, it has not been of events in a clear and compelling manner. The authors do
proved to be a fake. not decide if the diary is genuine, an old forgery, or a modern
However, if the diary is genuine, its supporters have forgery, but they do lay out all the relevant evidence very ef-
failed to convince most observers. This was not helped by fectively. Access to particular points in the saga of the diary
the fact that members of the two major pro-diary camps, led is facilitated by an excellent index.30
23 Jean Overton Fuller, Sickert and the Ripper Crimes: An Investigation into the Relationship Between the Whitechapel Murders of 1888 and the English
Tonal PainterWalter RichardSickert (Oxford: Mandrake, 1990); Melvyn Fairclough, The Ripper and the Royals (London: Duckworth, 199 1); Kevin
O'Donnell, The Jack the Ripper WhitechapelMurders (St. Osyth, Essex: Ten Bells Publishing, 1997).
24 The most recent of which is From Hell (2001), Twentieth Century Fox. Directed by Albert Hughes and Allen Hughes. Starring Johnny Depp,
Heather Graham, and Robbie Coltrane. For a complete discussion of Ripper films, see Denis Meikle, Jack the Ripper: The Murders and the Movies
(London: Reynolds & Hearn, 2002).
25 The most recent of which are: Robin Paige [pseud.], Death at Whitechapel (New York: Berkley Publishing Group, 2000); and, Anne Perry, The
Whitechapel Conspiracy (London: Headline, 2001).
26 Supra, note 7.
27 For a scathing, but not untypical, review see Caleb Carr, "Dealing With the Work of a Fiend," New York Times Book Review (15 December 2002)
15-16. My thanks to Linda Fritz, a colleague at the University of Saskatchewan Library, for directing me to this review.
28 See Martin Fido, The Crimes, Detection and Death ofJack the Ripper (London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1987) at 195; and, Paul Begg, Martin Fido
and Keith Skinner, TheJack the RipperA-Z, rev. [i.e., 4th] ed. (London: Headline, 1996) at 203.
29 William D. Rubinstein, "The Hunt for Jack the Ripper" (2000) 50:5 History Today 10-19. A more cautious and qualified endorsement of the diary
has been offered by a Psychology Professor at the University of Liverpool: see David Canter, Mapping Murder: The Secrets of GeographicalProfiling
(London: Virgin Books, 2003) at 68-98.
30 Researchers with a particular interest in the Maybrick diary may also wish to consult: Paul Feldman, Jack the Ripper: The Final Chapter(London:
Virgin Books, 1997). Feldman spent a great deal of time and money attempting to prove that the diary is genuine and the book provides an interesting,
if obviously biased, account of his efforts. One caveat: Feldman's argument rests, in part, on a letter dated 17 September 1888 which most experts
believe was planted among the official documents in the Public Record Office. It is not until the final page of his book (p. 372), in an appendix,
that Feldman admits "it is possible that the letter was placed in the files by a modern-day hoaxer, making its connection to the 25 September letter
and the Lusk letter a complete fabrication".

2004 Canadian Law Library Review/Revue canadienne des bibliothiques de droit, Volume/Tome 29, No. 5 225
James Tully, The Secret ofPrisoner1167: Was This Man Jack
the Ripper? London: Robinson, 1997. ISBN 1-85487-921-
9 (hardcover). ISBN 1-85487-892-1 (softcover; published
1998). xvii, 396 p.
Published in US as: Prisoner1167:"The Madman Who Was
Jack the Ripper. New York: Carroll & Graf, 1997. ISBN 0-
7867-0404-7 (hardcover). ISBN 0-7867-0543-4 (softcover;
published 1998).
If the identity of Jack the Ripper is ever revealed, it is
highly improbable that he will be found among the ranks of
politicians, royal physicians, artists, or senior Freemasons.
This book and the four following titles concentrate on far
more likely candidates.
In this volume, Tully suggests that James Kelly was the
Ripper. Kelly was a convicted wife murderer with a history
of mental problems who escaped from Broadmoor in January
1888 and remained at large until he gave himself up in 1927.
He spent part of that time living in Vancouver, but he was
known to be in London at the time of the murders.
Tully is a retired banker, not a professional writer or
historian, so perhaps he can be forgiven for the occasional
minor factual error and the lack of footnotes. The book is
well researched and entertainingly written, and the sources
are carefully listed in a bibliography. At the very least Tully
presents a plausible suspect, and he provides a better than aver-
age discussion of eight murder victims ranging from Martha
Tabram on 7 August 1888 to Frances Coles on 13 February
1891. The book concludes with a section entitled "Points to
Ponder" in which he makes some very cogent observations.
Bruce Paley, Jack the Ripper: The Simple Truth. London:
Headline, 1995. ISBN 0-7472-7794-X (softcover). xv,
208 p.
An interesting aspect of this book is its discussion of
Charles Booth's "Descriptive Maps of London Poverty" in
which he colour coded each street according to income. A
great deal of the East End was designated by black which indi-
cated the lowest classes, defined by Booth as the "loafers," the
"vicious" and "semi-criminal," and occasional labourers. Paley
uses the work of Booth and others to present an informative
depiction of the day-to-day life of the East End poor.
Paley also builds a very persuasive case for Joseph Barnett,
Mary Jane Kelly's lover, being Jack the Ripper. In brief, his
theory is that Barnett killed a series of prostitutes in order to
frighten Kelly off the streets and, when that failed to work,
and she decided to leave him, he killed her also. This theory
neatly explains why all the victims came from the same area
and why, as many observers believe, the murders ceased with
the death of Kelly on 9 November 1888. Paley points out
that Barnett fits the description of the suspect offered by some
of the most reliable witnesses, and also fits the FBI profile of
the typical serial killer developed by Robert Ressler and John
Douglas. 31 In addition, Paley traced all of Barnett's known
addresses in the East End thereby establishing his detailed
knowledge of most of the murder sites. He makes effective
use of footnotes and his bibliography is quite good. This
is a thoughtful and well-presented argument by a talented
researcher who deserves wider recognition.
William Beadle,Jackthe Ripper: Anatomy ofa Myth. Dagen-
ham, Essex: Wat Tyler Books, 1995. ISBN 0952-448-904
(hardcover). x, 181 p.
Beadle is quite forceful in his denunciation of the priva-
tions placed on poor East Enders by society; however, typo-
graphical errors and his idiosyncratic use of capital letters slow
the flow of his narrative. He also holds some odd views of the
facts surrounding the murders, particularly those of Elizabeth
Stride and Mary Jane Kelly.
He provides a short account of the crimes, but spends
most of the book pointing out the errors in existing major
theories. Then briefly, at the end (pp. 155-170), he effec-
tively outlines his case against William Henry Bury, a very
plausible but largely overlooked suspect. Bury lived in the
general area (Bow), was a convicted wife murderer with a
history of mental problems, and was known to consort with
prostitutes. He fits the FBI psychological profile, was the
right age, and matched the descriptions given by some of the
witnesses. Beadle's theory requires that Rose Mylett, who was
killed on 20 December 1888, be included among the victims
of the Ripper.
Bob Hinton, From Hell: The Jack the Ripper Mystery. Ab-
ertilly, Wales: Old Bakehouse Publications, 1998. ISBN
1-874538-96-4 (softcover). viii, 272 p.
This book suffers from a few problems, most of which
could have been remedied by a good editor and proofreader.
But, despite the typographical errors and the occasional in-
advertent mistake, Hinton manages to construct a reasonably
compelling case against George Hutchinson, a witness who
32
figured prominently in the Mary Jane Kelly murder inquiry.
Again, Hutchinson fits the profile and descriptions, and was
acquainted with at least one of the victims.
Hinton offers some very thoughtful observations on the
murders, particularly those of Annie Chapman and Elizabeth

11 However, Douglas disagrees with Paley that Barnett is a likely suspect. See John Douglas and Mark Olshaker, The Cases That Haunt Us: FromJack the
Ripper to JonBenet Ramsey, the FBI's Legendary MindhunterSheds Light on the Mysteries That Won't Go Away (New York: Scribner, 2000) at 60-61.
12 Hinton's theory has been echoed by four other writers: Stephen Wright,Jack the Ripper: An American View (New York: Mystery Notebook Editions,
1999); John J. Eddleston,Jackthe Ripper: An Encyclopedia(Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2001); Garry Wroe,Jack the Ripper: Person or PersonsUnknown?
(E-book, 2002), <http://casebook.org/ripper-media/book-reviews/non-fiction/garrywroe-full.html>; and, Chris Miles, On the Trailof a DeadMan:
The Identity ofJack the Ripper (Hove, East Sussex: Milestone Press, 2003).

226 2004 Canadian Law Library Review/Revue canadienne des biblioth4ques de droit, Volume/Tome 29, No. 5
Stride, and he makes a persuasive argument that Stride was general collection, librarians, of course, seldom require pristine
probably murdered by her boyfriend, Michael Kidney.33 The copies of first printings in dust jackets. Consequently, they can
book includes photographs of some of the murder sites as they often obtain perfectly serviceable copies of books, which are not
currently look and directions on how to locate them in the of interest to collectors, at very reasonable prices.
now much changed East End. Hinton attempts to discredit The following dealers are all extremely reliable and each
all the major theories, including Bruce Paley's, and presents an has a sub-specialty in Victorian true crime. They generally
interesting discussion of the nature of serial killers. He also at- have a good selection of the most common Ripper-related
tributes the non-fatal attacks on Annie Millwood (25 February titles in stock and will conduct searches for specific titles.
1888) and Ada Wilson (28 March 1888) to Hutchinson. They accept major credit cards or will delay payment and
send invoices for purchases by libraries.
Martin Fido, The Crimes, Detection and Death ofJack the
Ripper. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1987. ISBN Geoffrey Cates Books
0-297-79136-2 (hardcover). ISBN 0-297-79566-X (soft- 4662 Dale Road
cover; published 1989). x, 241 p. Reprinted in hard- and' Welcome ON LIA 3V5
softcover by various publishers. Canada
This work provides an excellent discussion of the case, Email: gcates@cogeco.ca
although it reproduces the minor factual errors common to Website: www.abebooks.com/home/geofbook
most of the books published in the mid-1980s. Particularly
useful is Fido's description of the hierarchy of the Metropolitan Janus Books
and City police forces. He gives a balanced evaluation of the po. Box 40787
major players and (refreshingly) is critical of their actions only Tucson AZ 85717
when it is truly warranted. He also quite effectively points out USA
the weaknesses in earlier theories. He was the first author to Email: info@janusbooks.com
print the notes of Sir Charles Warrens interview with Mat- Website: www.janusbooks.com
thew Packer (p. 58) and he has some interesting and original
thoughts on the sequence of events surrounding the murder Leslie H. Bolland Books
of Elizabeth Stride. 1 Warren Court
The suspect he advocates is Nathan Kaminsky, a 23-year- Chicksands, Shefford
old bootmaker who lived in Whitechapel and had been treated Bedfordshire SG17 5QB
for syphilis. Kaminsky was found wandering the streets and United Kingdom
unable to care for himself, and Fido suggests that on 7 De- Email: info@bollandbooks.com
cember 1888 he was committed to an asylum under the name Website: www.bollandbooks.com
David Cohen. He died on 20 October 1889. Fido further
suggests that police officials confused the suspect Aaron Clifford Elmer Books Ltd.
Kosminsky with Nathan Kaminsky because of the similarity 8 Balmoral Avenue
of their surnames, and because they were the same age and Cheadle Hume, Cheadle
nationality and both had received treatment at Colney Hatch Cheshire SK8 5EQ
Asylum. This painstakingly researched theory has failed to United Kingdom
attract much support, but it seems to be as probable as most Email: sales@cliffordelmerbooks.com
of the others that have been put forward. Website: www.truecrime.com

Loretta Lay Books

Book Dealers 24 Grampian Gardens
London NW2 1JG
Books about Jack the Ripper are usually produced in rela- United Kingdom
tively small print runs and often the only way to acquire them Email: loretta.lay@btinternet.com
is through out-of-print booksellers. The main competition for Website: www.laybooks.com
these titles is among collectors. But when selecting books for the

11 This idea was suggested at least as early as 1929. See Leonard Matters, The Mystery ofJack the Ripper (London: Hutchinson, 1929). It was repeated
in William Stewart,Jack the Ripper: A New Theory (London: Quality Press, 1939). Stewart was also the first to point out that George Hutchinson's
detailed description of the man he claimed to have seen with Mary Kelly on the morning of her murder was simply too good to be true.

2004 Canadian Law Library Review/Revue canadienne des biblioth~ques de droit, Volume/Tome 29, No. 5 227
Websites
A recent search of the Internet retrieved over a million
references to Jack the Ripper.3 4 With so much material from
which to choose, it would be easy for researchers to become
hopelessly lost. Fortunately, one website will meet nearly
everyone's needs.
Casebook: Jack the Ripper - <www.casebook.org>
The Casebook was begun in 1996 and is produced by
Stephen P. Ryder and John A. Piper. It has gradually devel-
oped into what is, perhaps, the single most useful source for
information on the Ripper murders. It is designed for all
levels of interest and includes, as the compilers point out,
"introductory material for the novices, in-depth analyses for
the intermediates, and up-to-date primary-source material
for the experts."
The site is organized into 16 different sections, and then
into one or more subsections broken down by topic. The
sections include Victims, Suspects, Witnesses, Ripper Letters,
Police Officials, and Official Documents. There is informa-
tion on 18 possible victims including biographies, site maps,
and death certificates. The section entitled Victorian London
includes photographs of the East End then and now, and
pictures of the gravesites of the five canonical victims. A list
of related topics appears at the bottom of most pages.
One of the most interesting sections is Press Reports,
which contains complete transcriptions of articles in contem-
porary newspapers that covered the Whitechapel murders.
At the moment it consists of over 2,000 articles from 255
newspapers from around the world. Researchers can con-
duct full-text searches of the press reports, or search them by
individual newspaper or by date.
Reviews of books can be found by following the links Rip-
per Media - Book Reviews - Non-Fiction. The list purports
to include all the non-fiction books ever published, and that
appears to be true.3 ' The reviews are succinct and, generally,
very accurate. This is an excellent source for keeping abreast
of new developments in the literature.
The Dissertations section contains articles reprinted from
journals and some written specifically for the website. Many
of the leading Ripper researchers contribute to this section
and their articles, which tend to focus on narrow issues or
particular problems, can be very enlightening.
The Casebook has recently begun to add the full text of
some of the rarer and sought-after Ripper volumes. Most
notable among these is A.P. Wolf's Jack the Myth36 which,
although published as recendy as 1993, is now unobtainable in
hardcopy at a reasonable price. Also available are the full text
or extracts from several rare books and pamphlets published
37
in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Finally there is a Message Boards section in which vir-
tually every aspect of the case is discussed in great detail by
members of the public. As is typical of message boards, these
areas can contain many inane comments and pointless chatter
but, occasionally, an interesting and informative new thread
can develop.
Additional Websites
There are hundreds of websites that are at least partially
concerned with the Whitechapel murders, or that help to shed
light on the history and social conditions of the period. Of
course, new material is added constantly, but here are a few
of the better sites that are currently available.
The official Metropolitan Police site3 8 has a brief but
accurate account of the murders and includes the reference
numbers and descriptions of the police files held by the Na-
tional Archives at Kew.
The National Archives Online Catalogue39 allows re-
searchers access to all the material related to the subject for-
merly held by the Public Record Office. The reference number
is supplied as well as a brief description of the contents of the
files. Printed or digital copies of documents may be ordered,
for a fee, through the website.
The Charles Booth Online Archive" is sponsored by
the London School of Economics. It contains, among other
things, information on Booth's survey into life and labour in
London between 1886 and 1903. Particularly useful are the
poverty maps of London and the ability to search the original
survey notebooks.
An increasing number of peer-reviewed journal articles
are available on the Internet. A good example is Robert E
Haggard's "Jack the Ripper as the Threat of Outcast Lon-
don."'" Haggard's primary interest is not the Whitechapel
murders. For this information he relies on some outdated
sources, so the article contains a few minor errors; however, it
is quite effective in describing the social tensions in London
in the mid-1880s.

By way of comparison, the same search conducted in early 2003 resulted in only 135,000 references. This may be due to increased interest in the
subject, or to the fact that Google M added one billion pages to its web index in early 2004.
35 However, the same claim is made for the list of fiction books from which quite a few titles have been omitted. Although the topic is beyond the

scope of this article, fictional accounts of the Ripper mystery occasionally propose theories that are more plausible than some of the so-called serious
studies of the subject.
36 <http://casebook.org/rippermedia/book-reviews/non-fiction/jackmyth.html>
-7 <http://casebook.org/ripper-media/rps.html>
8 <http://www.met.police.uk/history/ripper.htm>
39 <http://www.catalogue.nationalarchives.gov.uk>
40 My thanks to Janet Catterall, a colleague at the University of Saskatchewan Library, for directing me to this website: <http://booth.lse.ac.uk>
4' (1993) 35 Essays in History 1. <http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/EH/EH35/haggard1.html>

228 2004 Canadian Law Library Review/Revue canadienne des biblioth4ques de droit, Volume/Tome 29, No. 5
Conclusion
The number of serial killers that have surfaced during
the last few decades is, unfortunately, quite daunting. A
partial list would include names such as DeSalvo, Manson,
Berkowitz, Gacy, Buono and Bianchi, Bundy, Ng, Ramirez,
Olson, Gen, Dahmer, and Sutcliffe. In the last few months
of 2003, and early in 2004, John Allen Muhammad and Lee
Boyd Malvo were tried and convicted of the Washington
sniper shootings, and Gary Leon Ridgway pleaded guilty to
the Green River murders. There is also the upcoming trial
of Robert William Pickton who faces charges related to the
disappearance of 23 women from Vancouver's Downtown
Eastside. It is a phenomenon that appears with increasing
frequency and that first came to public attention with the
Whitechapel murders.
Between 1929 and 1959 only four books on Jack the Rip-
per were published. Since the mid- 1960s, however, a flood of
material has appeared. In recent years, the pace of publishing
has, if anything, increased. Hardly a month goes by without
a new title being announced. Interest in the Ripper murders
has never been greater. Yet, as more and more is published,
we seem to know less and less about him.
By the mid-1970s, there was general, if not universal,
agreement that Jack had claimed five victims beginning with
MaryAnn Nichols on 31 August 1888 and ending with Mary
Jane Kelly on 9 November 1888. There was also a consensus
that the murderer had written two, and possibly three, taunt-
ing letters that he mailed to the Central News Agency and
to George Lusk, Chairman of the Mile End Vigilance Com-
mittee. Now, however, most commentators agree that all the
letters, including the original ones signed "Jack the Ripper,"
were hoaxes. There also seems to be increasing agreement
that Martha Tabram should be included as a victim while, at
the same time, several theorists believe that Elizabeth Stride
should be removed from the list. Even the term Whitechapel
murderer is a misnomer. If it is accepted that there were six
victims, two (Tabram and Nichols) were killed in Whitechapel,
two (Chapman and Kelly) in Spitalfields, one (Stride) in St.
George's-in-the-East, and one (Eddowes) in Aldgate. It might,
therefore, be more appropriate to readopt the name originally
given to the killer by the press: the East End murderer.
New material stirred up by dozens of theorists seems to
have had the effect of making murky waters considerably
murkier. We no longer have even a pseudonymous name that
can definitely be attributed to the criminal, and there is no
complete agreement on such basic questions as when the mur-
ders began, when they ended, or the total number of victims.
Of course, it is just these uncertainties that continue to attract
writers and readers to the mystery. "In terms of historical
evidence, he does not exist, so, for all sorts of reasons, he has
been constantly re-invented. '42 And it is undeniable that the
enduring curiosity about Jack the Ripper is based largely on
his continuing anonymity. As the authors of a study on the
cultural significance of the crimes have pointed out: "Should
someone finally and unequivocally identify the Ripper, our
interest in him and his exploits would vanish; we would all
43
wish that someone had minded his or her own business.
Based on what is known of modern serial killers, however,
it can safely be predicted that the murderer was a heterosexual
Caucasian male in his mid-20s to mid-30s who resided or
worked somewhere in the East End. Given that all the killings
occurred in the early hours of the morning, he was probably
unemployed or self-employed, and very likely lived alone.
Since at least the later victims must have been wary of strang-
ers yet, apparently, accompanied him willingly, he may have
been known to the residents of the area and was, perhaps,
something in the nature of a local shopkeeper, butcher, grocer,
pawnbroker, policeman or publican. The research that has
centred on suspects who lived in the neighbourhood, such as
Joseph Barnett, William Bury, George Hutchinson and James
Kelly is, therefore, more likely to bear fruit than the fanciful
theories that lack persuasive evidence.
And, of course, it is not unrealistic to suppose that the real
culprit has never come to public attention. As one very astute
commentator noted three decades ago, it is likely that, if the
name of the killer is ever revealed, people who have studied
44
the case for years will look at one another and say "Who?"
Finally, as mentioned earlier, a steady and seemingly end-
less stream of books continues to be published about the East
End murders. Of the books currently in preparation, one is
particularly worthy of attention. For several years, Richard
Whittington-Egan has been working on a book entitled The
QuestforJack the Ripper. Whittington-Egan is also the author
of a very influential book that appeared in 1975.45 Although
now somewhat dated, its meticulous scholarship served as
an inspiration for later writers such as Paul Begg and Philip
Sugden. Recently, Whittington-Egan has devoted himself to
writing about other areas of crime and his work on the Ripper
has been limited to the occasional short article. 46 When his
new book finally appears, it will undoubtedly be of interest
to researchers and librarians.
The search for the killer with the evocative sobriquet will
probably go on for another hundred years. But while the
chances of discovering his true identity after all this time are,
at best, minimal, the search itself continues to provide a focal
point for useful investigations into the social, economic, and
legal history of late Victorian England.

Christopher Frayling, "The House that Jack Built: Some Stereotypes of the Rapist in the History of Popular Culture," in Sylvana Tomaselli & Roy
Porter, eds., Rape (Oxford: Blackwell, 1986) at 214.
4 Gary Coville & Patrick Lucanio, Jack the Ripper: His Life and Crimes in PopularEntertainment(Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1999) at 90.
44 Donald Rumbelow, The CompleteJack the Ripper (London: WH. Allen, 1975) at 155-156.
45 Richard Whittington-Egan, A Casebook on Jack the Ripper (London: Wildy, 1975).
46 See, e.g., Richard Whittington-Egan, "Ripperature: The Books About Jack the Ripper," Antiquarian Book Monthly (May 1999) 10-13; and, Richard

Whittington-Egan, "The Ripper Report: A Hundred-Year Stocktaking" (1988) 253 ContemporaryReview 84-94.

2004 Canadian Law Library Review/Revue canadienne des bibliothiques de droit, Volume/Tome 29, No. 5 229
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