Jack the Ripper/Whitechapel Books

[Justin]

Hey Everyone,
I came across a thread in another group where someone was looking for books about Jack the Ripper. I thought it was an interesting thread and I've recently been seeing quite a few books on him so I recommended a few.

Thought I'd start this thread for anyone interested in reading some books on Jack the Ripper so here's a few I recommend and please feel free to recommend your own.

The Mystery Behind Jack the Ripper--Serial Killer
Dark Streets of Whitechapel
Secret of Whitechapel
Time has Past
The Ripper's Daughter


I myself have a short story on him on Wattpad called "Ripper" which dramatizes the one time he was almost caught. You can read it here at:

https://www.wattpad.com/story/1058281...

[Wayward Skyril]

I love the book Ripper by Stefan Petrucha.

[Terri]

Skyril wrote: "I love the book Ripper by Stefan Petrucha."

I have that one in my piles

[Terri]

The Many Faces of Jack the Ripper by M.J. Trow

[Justin]

Terri wrote: "The Many Faces of Jack the Ripper by M.J. Trow"

Nice. He also wrote Vlad the Impaler: In Search of the Real Dracula.

[Robert]

I know this is very subjective but, what might be considered a "must read"/best Jack The Ripper novel, non-fiction account and short story collection?

Thanks

[Justin]

The Autobiography of Jack the Ripper by James Carnac

[Steve]

The Lodger and Jack the Ripper - The First American Serial Killer about Francis Tumblety are the best two I have read

[Justin]

Time has Past
The Ripper's Daughter

[Justin]

Thought I'd resurrect this thread too. There always seems to be new takes, theories and books on Jack the Ripper.

[Robert]

Is there a "definitive" volume (or two) of "Ripper" short fiction?

[Mehmet]

There is also Richard Laymons book Savage which begins in White Chapel but ends up in the wild west. Jack the ripper is not the central character but his actions influence the hero and narrator of the story.

[Danny]

Good recommendation, Savage is a brilliant book.

[Perry]

Steven wrote: "I haven't had time to read it but Complete Jack The Ripper
is supposed to be really comprehensive."
I have read it, Steven, and it's an excellent non-fiction study of the Ripper. But it's not a fun read--it takes you to some nasty places.

[Perry]

It makes sense to me, Steven. I read the Complete Jack The Ripper when it first came out and it just plain messed me up.
Years later, writing the final story for my Brides of Dracula book, I had to re-read all of that again. I remember holding the book awkwardly to avoid looking at certain photographs.

[Robert]

Approaching this in the opposite direction , are there many worthwhile "fictionalized" treatments of the "Ripper">

[Perry]

Robert wrote: "Approaching this in the opposite direction , are there many worthwhile "fictionalized" treatments of the "Ripper">"
Oh, there's many, Robert. Try Alan Moore's magnificent graphic novel, From Hell or Robert Bloch's Night of the Ripper, for starters. Bloch's short story, "Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper" is considered a classic.
Or you could even check out my afore-mentioned thingy.

[Perry]

Ack. I almost forgot . Rumor has it, it's based on a true story, and Hitchcock made an early film of it.

[Justin]

Ooh Perry you found some gems, very nice! Yeah, I'm always on the fence of what to believe when it comes to authentic real Jack the Ripper stories so that's why I did this, also there was like 4 I came across on a site so thought it was only right to bring them all together and have people add more.

[Randy]

The Big Book of Jack the Ripper

This is one of the big anthologies edited by Otto Penzler. It includes articles on JoR from the time of the murders as well as later, a section of mystery/crime stories by writers like Anthony Boucher, Isak Dinesen and Jeffrey Deaver, also both the short story and novel version of The Lodger as well as the short novel A Study in Terror by Ellery Queen (actually someone else wrote the portion about Sherlock Holmes vs. JoR) and based on the late 1960s movie of the same title.

There are also sf/f/horror stories based on JoR by writers like Howard Waldrop (funny and peculiar story) and Robert Bloch (of course) and stories that don't feature the Ripper but were inspired by his reign of terror, notably "The Hands of Mr. Ottermole" by Thomas Burke, one of the creepiest non-supernatural stories I've ever read.

I haven't read it cover-to-cover but from what I've read it's a solid anthology.

I also second From Hell by Alan Moore and The Complete Jack the Ripper by Donald Rumbelow.