“Breaks new ground in its examination of the role of newspaper reporting during the police hunt for the first notorious serial killer.”—Reviews in History Press coverage of the 1888 mutilation murders attributed to Jack the Ripper was of necessity filled with gaps and silences, for the killer remained unknown and Victorian journalists had little experience reporting serial murders and sex crimes. This engrossing book examines how fourteen London newspapers—dailies and weeklies, highbrow and lowbrow—presented the Ripper news, in the process revealing much about the social, political, and sexual anxieties of late Victorian Britain and the role of journalists in reinforcing social norms. L. Perry Curtis surveys the mass newspaper culture of the era, delving into the nature of sensationalism and the conventions of domestic murder news. Analyzing the fourteen newspapers—two of which emanated from the East End, where the murders took place—he shows how journalists played on the fears of readers about law and order by dwelling on lethal violence rather than sex, offering gruesome details about knife injuries but often withholding some of the more intimate details of the pelvic mutilations. He also considers how the Ripper news affected public perceptions of social conditions in Whitechapel. “The apparently motiveless violence of the Whitechapel killings denied journalists a structure, and it is the resulting creativity in news reporting that L Perry Curtis Jr describes. His impressive book makes a genuine contribution to 19th-century history in a way that books addressing the banal question of the identity of the Ripper do not.”—The Guardian

This edited work collects together some of the best academic work on the most important and sensational murder case of the 19th century.

Looks at one of historys most infamous serial killers known for committing gruesome murders in the late nineteenth-century who remains one of the world's most infamous criminals

Previously published in 2020 by Amberley Publishing.

The name 'Jack the Ripper' is instantly recognised throughout the world, yet many people probably don't know that the famous nickname first appeared in a letter or that this was where the whole legend of Jack the Ripper really began. This title poses a controversial question: was 'Jack the Ripper' merely a press invention?

Donald Sutherland Swanson was born in the far north of Scotland, leaving for London in 1867. The following year he joined the Metropolitan Police and began patrolling the streets of the capital as a uniformed constable. When he retired 35 years later, in 1903, he had risen to the rank of Superintendent of the CID at Scotland Yard, the top detective in the country. On 15th September 1888 Swanson was hand-picked by Commissioner Sir Charles Warren to lead the investigation into the Whitechapel murders by the so-called Jack the Ripper, as a result learning more about the case than any other officer as he read every report, statement, letter and telegram. Although the mystery was never officially solved, more than 50 years after Donald Swanson's death his grandson discovered private handwritten notes which seemed to finally explain what happened to the murderer - and to name him at last.

After 125 years of theorizing and speculation regarding the identity of Jack the Ripper, Russell Edwards is in the unique position of owning the first physical evidence relating to the crimes to have emerged since 1888. This evidence is from one of the crime scenes, and has now been rigorously examined by some of the most highly-qualified forensic scientists in the country who have ascertained its true provenance. With the help of modern forensic techniques, Russell's ground-breaking discoveries provide conclusive answers to many of the most challenging mysterious surrounding the case.

Robert Bloch's ground-breaking novel Psycho introduced the world (and renowned director Alfred Hitchcock) to Norman Bates, a killer who haunted a generation of readers hungry for psychological thrills. But Bates was not the only serial slayer to inhabit the shadows cast by Bloch's pen. Witness Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper, a collection of tales that bring to life the darkest criminal legend of them all. From the murky hell of London's East End to the far reaches of space, Bloch charts the wicked path carved by the Ripper's blade. Saucy Jack stalks the streets of 1940s Chicago in the title tale, while "A Toy for Juliette" (from Harlan Ellison's groundbreaking Dangerous Visions anthology) sends the Ripper through the gates of time to a cold and distant future. The decks of the Starship Enterprise become Red Jack's hunting ground in Bloch's original Star Trek script, "Wolf in the Fold." Plus, Bloch reveals the history of the Ripper's heinous crimes and explores the controversial theories concerning the Whitechapel murderer's true identity in a pair of essays and an original novel (The Night of the Ripper), all included herein. Close your windows to the encroaching fog. Lock your doors and turn up the gaslights. Robert Bloch awaits you and so does Jack the Ripper.

From tabloid exposes of child prostitution to the grisly tales of Jack the Ripper, narratives of sexual danger pulsated through Victorian London. Expertly blending social history and cultural criticism, Judith Walkowitz shows how these narratives reveal the complex dramas of power, politics, and sexuality that were being played out in late nineteenth-century Britain, and how they influenced the language of politics, journalism, and fiction. Victorian London was a world where long-standing traditions of class and gender were challenged by a range of public spectacles, mass media scandals, new commercial spaces, and a proliferation of new sexual categories and identities. In the midst of this changing culture, women of many classes challenged the traditional privileges of elite males and asserted their presence in the public domain. An important catalyst in this conflict, argues Walkowitz, was W. T. Stead's widely read 1885 article about child prostitution. Capitalizing on the uproar caused by the piece and the volatile political climate of the time, women spoke of sexual danger, articulating their own grievances against men, inserting themselves into the public discussion of sex to an unprecedented extent, and gaining new entree to public spaces and journalistic practices. The ultimate manifestation of class anxiety and gender antagonism came in 1888 with the tabloid tales of Jack the Ripper. In between, there were quotidien stories of sexual possibility and urban adventure, and Walkowitz examines them all, showing how women were not simply figures in the imaginary landscape of male spectators, but also central actors in the stories of metropolotin life that reverberated in courtrooms, learned journals, drawing rooms, street corners, and in the letters columns of the daily press. A model of cultural history, this ambitious book will stimulate and enlighten readers across a broad range of interests.

Did you know? *Annie Chapman's uterus and Mary Jane Kelly's heart were removed by the killer *A prince of England is amongst the suspects *Some believe the killings were covered up by the Masons The Jack the Ripper mystery is one of the greatest whodunnits the world has ever known. With a backdrop of swirling fog, top hats and dark alleys, it is easy to see why this fascinating tale still continues to capture the imagination. The Little Book of Jack the Ripper explores the world of Victorian London, examining the case from every angle and including witness statements, reports and the reactions of the press. Richly illustrated, it is a book that you can dip in and out of during the twilight hours (but only if you're brave enough!). Compiled by the Whitechapel Society and drawing on their incredible expertise, it will delight true-crime enthusiasts everywhere.