Over a century ago, a depraved killer skillfully moved through the dark and filthy slums of London's East End. Despite the increasingly watchful eyes of investigators, the serial murderer--known as "Jack the Ripper" from a signature on a piece of correspondence that has been attributed to him--was never certainly identified. R. Michael Gordon provides a comprehensive look at the crimes and the case evidence, and then discusses the life of the man he believes was the actual killer, detailing the reasons why this person may have been driven to kill. Beginning with an overview of the terror created in the East End of 1888, the book describes the five major periods of the Ripper's deadly career: early life and schooling; a step-by-step view of the murders, including the Thames Torso Murders that authorities attempted to cover up; the Ripper's American connection; a return to London where his final victims were subjected to poison; and the capture and execution of the probable--but never proven--Ripper. To most people who worked closely on the Ripper and poisoning cases, justice was finally served.

The murders in London between 1888-91 attributed to Jack the Ripper constitute one of the most mysterious unsolved criminal cases. This story is the result of many years meticulous research. The author reassesses all the evidence and challenges everything we thought we knew about the Victorian serial killer and the vanished East End he terrorized.

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.

Hugely respected, extensively quoted and widely regarded as the 'bible' of Ripper studies, The Complete Jack the Ripper A to Z is the ultimate reference for anyone fascinated by the Jack the Ripper mystery. This new, rewritten, up-to-date edition includes sources and well over 100 photographs.The Complete jack the Ripper A-Z has an entry for almost every person involved in the case, from suspects and witnesses to policemen and journalists, plus the ordinary people who became caught up in the unfolding drama.Written by three of the world's leading authorities on the case, it takes a completely objective look at theories old and new, describes all the key Ripper books and gives potted biographies of many of the authors.Whether you are new to the mystery of Jack the Ripper or an experienced 'Ripperologist' The Complete Jack the Ripper A-Z will keep you turning the pages. Fascinating and entertaining reading in its own right, it is the essential reference to have beside you when you venture into the dark alleys of Victorian Whitechapel.

Youve never read a Ripper book like this. Christian was born in 1852. He carried out a sexual attack on a local girl and so fled to London to avoid being lynched. He and best friend Jimmy became trainee surgeons with a nefarious organization (The Firm). Both men fell in love with the same woman. Christian later illegally married her and further on became a whoremaster. In 1888, after he found out his wife had had a long sexual affair (and a child) with his best friend, his drug use and rage led him to release his wrath upon the prostitutes he formerly protected. Lauretta his wife kept a diary writing about him realizing she was married to Jack the Ripper. After he brutally murdered numerous women usually for a reason as it was not random, he realized there was one loose end: Jimmys son. Thus, members of The Firm were hired to murder him secretly and dispose of the body. In 1913, the Ripper died after suffering via a STD. After his death, his family found a stash of money in his favourite armchair. His family lived on without him, and Lauretta (the hero) didnt pass over until 1934.

So who was Jack the Ripper? No-one in the annals of crime is capable of arousing such passionate debate as the perpetrator of the Whitechapel Murders in 1888.Was he a demented Royal, a Masonic assassin, a sexually-frustrated artist, a member of the Czarist secret police, a crazed reformist or even an escaped gorilla?

Considered a primary suspect in the unsolved Jack the Ripper murders, Polish-born Severin Antoniovich Klosowski also gained considerable notoriety as "The Borough Poisoner of Southwark" in the late 1800s. Within a span of five years, Klosowski took on three women as his wives and lethally poisoned each with deadly doses of antimony. This study of Klosowski's murders of Mary Spink, Elizabeth "Bessie" Taylor and Maud Marsh includes extensive accounts of the individual crimes, the accompanying investigations and Klosowski's conviction and execution. The final chapter examines intense police and media speculation that Klosowski may also have been the unidentified serial killer Jack the Ripper, citing period news articles and more recent developments in the notorious case. One appendix provides a detailed timeline of Klosowski's "poison period" from 1892 to 1903.

The story of the unidentified serial killer in London’s Whitechapel district - known as Jack The Ripper – has been the subject of interest to researchers for over 120 years. The name ascribed to the individual was from a letter sent to the Central News Agency in London on 27 September 1888. Initially thought to be a hoax, the letter gained much publicity when the writer’s promise of clipping a lady’s ears off manifested after the discovery of the body of Catherine Eddowes with an ear lobe severed, 3 days after the letter was received. Several letters followed this and borrowed elements from the earlier correspondences. Jack the Writer: A Verbal & Visual Analysis of the Ripper Correspondence is a different approach to the subject of ‘Ripperology’. In this book, the author, Dirk Gibson, provides a quantitative content analysis of the letters. Gibson first grounds this study of the Jack the Ripper letters in an analysis of the legitimacy of the documents. The dialectic method is used to carefully consider the authenticity of these letters. The largest extant collection of Jack the Ripper letters is provided in this book, approximately 250 in number. The most significant part of this book is a trio of content analyses quantifying the themes, subjects, people and linguistic mannerisms mentioned in the Ripper letters; the analyses describe precisely what was and was not in these missives. The letters are described and presented in the context of their content, with the valid letters presented in chronological order. Jack the Writer: A Verbal & Visual Analysis of the Ripper Correspondence will give readers, whether generally interested in the ripper correspondence or undertaking courses in criminology or abnormal psychology, a glimpse of the cultural context of a serial murderer’s communication with the public and the press in Victorian times.

In the autumn of 1888, a serial killer known as Jack the Ripper stalked the East End of London. He was never identified, but hundreds of people were accused. Some were known to the authorities at the time, and others were named by later researchers. The truth about them, and the reasons why they came under suspicion, is often lost in a plethora of opinions and misinformation. For the first time, this book presents the evidence against 333 suspects. They include the publican who painted his dog, the first woman sentenced to the electric chair, the writer of the Red Flag, the man with a thousand convictions, Britain’s oldest Prime Minister, and many others. People from all walks of nineteenth century life, representing many different nationalities and professions. United by a link, however tenuous, to the most famous murderer in history.

The definitive work on Jack the Ripper and the various theories from the time of the murders to the present day