Jack the Ripper: The Uncensored Facts : A Documented History of the Whitechapel Murders of 1888

by Paul Begg

Acclaimed by the critics as an "absolutely indispensable classic" on the Whitechapel murders of 1888, Jack the Ripper is a full, detailed reconstruction of those crimes and of the subsequent police investigation.

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

208 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Paul Begg is acknowledged worldwide as one of the leading authorities on the Jack the Ripper mystery. He has worked in newspapers, television and publishing. He has written extensively on Jack the Ripper, including Jack the Ripper: The Uncensored Facts, Jack the Ripper: The Definitive History and Jack the Ripper: The Facts. He is also the author of Into Thin Air, The Scotland Yard Files and Mary Celeste: The Greatest Mystery of the Sea. Paul was formerly the editor of the Ripperologist magazine and has appeared as an historical advisor on several television programmes.

Reviews

[SouthWestZippy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book.

[Megan Lass · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book contains lots of information, but it can be confusing to keep everything straight. I liked how he gave information on many different suspects, including why or why not they may be the guilty party.

[Meaghan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. I might have find this book more engaging if I hadn’t read Phillip Sugden's book The Complete History of Jack the Ripper first. Begg does not have Sugden’s knack for either history or storytelling, and he glosses over far too many things. This book is NOT uncensored facts; Begg discounts a lot of things, which is fine, but he doesn't allow the reader to make up their own mind. For instance, he writes that there were some letters purportedly from the killer, but he doesn't believe they came from the killer, so he doesn't bother to print them or discuss them in detail.

This book should be read only as a companion to other Ripper books, and not as your sole source of Ripperology, as it does not give the complete picture.

[Cat. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well-written, with loads of research and notes. Tells EVERYthing about each murder, plus lots of background info., even to the careers of each police officer who had anything to do with the case; even background information on all but one of the victims! Only 2 of the 5 were actually full-time, regular prostitutes and/or alcoholics; Doesn't really deal with the letters from "Jack." He refers to the murderer as "the murderer" or "the Whitechapel murderer."

[Fishface · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read, with a great deal of interesting information, but ultimately this book does not clear up very much for me. By the end of the book I could not even say whether Begg favored Aaron Kosminski or Montague John Druitt as the best suspect in the Whitechapel murders. Or David Cohen. Or...?

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

what-ifs... well written

[Jennifer Giles · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. lots of facts, but rather hard to read; very dry. I am still interested in learning more, as I think Begg discounts a lot of evidence.