Your Favorite Read...

[How Brown]

Hey Folks...

Wanna share your latest read with us?

Which book ( or even article ) have you read lately that has impressed or even made you re-think anything within the Case in general ?

Have a few minutes or so to spare?

One extraordinary read,which not only covers the WM,but the entire history of an aspect important to the WM has been the series put together by Linford/Savage/O'Flaherty on the Coronial system in Great Britain.

Another ( which some may never have heard of ) is the Confessions of a Ripperologist,by John Malcolm.

Another ( non-Rip related ) is Stan Russo's latest book....The 50 Best Movies...for the Movie fan ). You can order it from www.inklings.com (http://www.inklings.com)

How about you,pilgrim?;)

[Debbie D]

Another ( which some may never have heard of ) is the Confessions of a Ripperologist,by John Malcolm.

:cry: I went on a wild goose chase one night looking for this book online and after maniacally clicking away at the keyboard for over an hour, I learned two things. #1 it was self published and is limited in it's availability, and #2 I think that is the subtitle, I think the main title is The Whitechapel Murders of 1888 (which is why I couldn't find anything when searching for "Confessions of a Ripperologist". I searched all over and could only find a copy on ebay and a review on casebook. Hopefully they will do a reprint. :thumbsupbud:

I haven't read much this month other than the recent Ripper Notes(which had a nice review about Confessions). As I posted under the book review section, I'm starting "Public Reactions to JtR". So perhaps I'll have a bit more to add in a few days...:thumbsupbud:

[How Brown]

Dear Debbie:

I apologize for NOT giving you the full name of the book....which in fact,the Confessions is not the title as you found out. My mistake,dear lady.

[How Brown]

Anyone else read anything of note lately?

The last Rip Notes was good,Deb...

I have Jana's book here,as well as the latest Rip.

I need an extra set of eyeballs over here....:)

[Dan Norder]

I reread the collected tales of Edgar Allan Poe somewhat recently, does that count?

Well, it did make me rethink the Ripper case, believe it or not. Poe would have made a great Ripperologist. No, not because he came up with the whole killer ape thing ("The Murders in the Rue Morgue") that someone later tried to force fit onto the Whitechapel murders. I am mostly referring to "The Mystery of Marie Roget," which was just a slight fictional gloss over the top of what is basically true crime writing on a famous unsolved case of the time.

[How Brown]

Dan:

Damn right it counts....The Mystery of Marie Roget is a great story. And you are right. Poe would be a good guy to have around today for the WM. Imagine how Poe would be as a theorist !!!!

While you have that Poe there,check out "Morning on the Wissahiccon". Thats about my neighborhood.

[Robert Linford]

I read all Poe's short stories some years ago, and the one I seem to recall really standing out was "A Descent into the Maelstrom." Real edge of the seat stuff.

Robert

[admin tim]

So far as JTR goes, I have read nothing for a long time that has influenced my thinking on the case. Having written some for one of the ripper mags, however, I have learned an awful lot in researching and I suppose the one thing that has impressed me the most is that there are many more possibilities by way of explanation and solution than is generally acknowledged.

With only 5 murders over a 10 week period to work with, it is difficult for me to extrapolate where others seem to have gone. Although conventional wisdom seems to indicate that JTR was a SSK, one is really hard pressed to find evidence to support this theory alone from the facts at hand. IMHO, it is equally likely that JTR committed these crimes for a dozen or so other equally strong motives or reasons.

The theory of a ritual-killer ripper looked quite promising for a while, but the sheen has worn off D'Onston with the relatively recent revelation that he did NOT murder and dismember his first wife, that he later converted to Christianity, that there has been no hard proof of any kind forthcoming that he ever really practiced black magic, and that he apparently died in poverty. He remains a strong suspect in a surprisingly weak field, but, like a great comet, a new suspect with great potential is long overdue. Sorry, folks, but Tumblety doesn't do it for me here.

The problem is that so many theories for so many suspects can be made to cover the few facts; hence we so often hear that the case has now been solved when the very long odds are that it has not been.

If the case is ever solved, I imagine that it will be without fanfare, probably by someone that no one has ever heard of. And with a suspect that had hitherto been an unknown. If so, then this someone will probably have had access to or found something of tremendous significance that had never before come to light, and which will probably be found in the attic of his great-great aunt's older half-brother's second cousin twice removed. What a read THAT story will make.

[How Brown]

In regard to what I've read since my initial experience in the field,I've changed somewhat.

Initially,I was persuaded by the Maybrick story and then after reading about Tumbelty on Casebook and contemplating the risks involved in the outdoor eviscerations,that there was an ultra significance to these acts. I'm still a hardhead in that I really,really believe that power and control or something other than a ssk motive is at work here in these crimes,although I am not certain anymore that there exists a bona fide suspect after all these years. As Tim stated,RDS is as good as there is in a weak field.

We just have to keep plugging away....;)

[How Brown]

Anyone Else Read Anything Lately....in The Form Of A

"Ripperologist" Or "Ripper Notes" Or "WS1888"

article.....that You Want To Share?

[Karen]

How:

Would it be possible to post up that article from the latest issue of Ripperologist, about the "side effect" of those who are passionate about this field of study? That article does sound most interesting to me. Personally though, I think that there are multiple side effects, not just one.

Thanks Howie.

[How Brown]

You will have to ask Eduardo Zinna about that.

I cannot place articles ( unless I wrote them ) on the site from either Ripper Notes or The Rip....or WS1888. Thats a no-no.

[Karen]

I see, not a problem How!


Bubalah

[Maria Birchwood]

Hi everyone:

I think once you have read the most authoritive experts like Stewart Evans Don Rumbellows, Melvin Harris you are practically covered in anything that is known relevant to this case. Paul Begg has also written well on this subject and the authors have made exhuastive searches at the Black Museum of Scotland Yard where they have excellent contacts to work from. Everything in their work, has been drawn from original sources.

Stewart Evans and Don Rumbellows are both veteran policemen, of longstanding experience. Stewart only joined the force because of his fascination with JTR since he was a child and during his teens, he used to drive in his motorcycle around the scenes of where the crimes were committed. Buildings which have nowadays, been demolished and new buildings have been erected.

[How Brown]

Maria:

Thanks again for those chocolates....I gained 2 pounds:thumbsupbud: I broke down and gave Valerie one. Just one.

Anyway..whats important to remember that almost none of these people ( Skinner,Sugden,Rumbelow,Evans,Fido or Mr. Begg or the late Mr.Harris ) agree(d) on everything. There are many new people who are shaking the proverbial tree on material that even these men/women haven't previously found or knew before.

Tim Mosley,although he might be miffed at me mentioning him,produced three great articles in Ripper Notes ( which that lousy sumbitch Sir Robert Anderson outbid me for in Baltimore ) which are well worth the time reading and absorbing.

Joe Chetcuti keeps plugging away on Tumbelty and is another good man in the research department.

The list goes on folks....

Thats why you gotta be a dummy to not subscribe to the magazines.

Don't be a dummy. Think about supporting these outstanding efforts and enjoyable pieces of literature on the Case.

[Maria Birchwood]

Hi How:

Yeah, what you are saying its all true. I didn´t know about Tim´s articles, I would like to read those and naturally I do not discourage anyone to keep on looking,

On Tumblety I was asked by Stewart E. once to check up in Nicaragua, since in his book there is a mention of similar murders there around the same time. I did contact the Editor of La Prensa Gráfica who said he would send one of his journalists to check in their old newspapers, since La Prensa Gráfica has been going for more than 100 years. He called to say that one of his reporters remembers reading an old article about it, the way Stewart mentions it in his book on Tumblety and promised to get back to me, he said it sounded so interesting that he would be willing to write about Stewart´s book in his Sunday magazine. Then the Nicaraguan earth quake stroke and the lines were dead for months. Then I forgot all about it and nothing came out of this.... but I do have another contact from La Prensa Gráfica a talented journalist who is also a dear friend of my family and who I could possibly, get interested in the Tumblety saga, as he is currently working and living in the U.K. I could speak to him once he gets back from an assignment in Korea, where he has been sent to, by one of the main newspapers in London. We will see....