Jack the Ripper: Letters from Hell - Softcover

Evans, Stewart P; Skinner, Keith

Softcover

ISBN 10: 075093770X ISBN 13: 9780750937702

Publisher: The History Press, 1997

Synopsis

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?

About this title

Synopsis:

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. Addressed to 'Dear Boss' and dramatically written in red ink, it claimed to be from the killer and was signed 'Yours truly, Jack the Ripper'. The letters teased the efforts of the police to catch the killer and predicted further murders; many were apparently smeared with blood and one even arrived with a piece of human kidney - allegedly from one of the victims' mutilated bodies. The authors are the first to have read, examined and photographed every letter. Woven into the letters is the complete story of the Whitechapel murders, tracing the hysteria and misconceptions which dogged both the police and Fleet Street during 1888-9 and providing valuable and revealing insights into the Victorian psyche at the time. An original and responsible look at a case which has been hackneyed by so many authors, the story of the Ripper letters ends by posing a controversial question: was 'Jack the Ripper' merely a press invention?

About the Author:

Stewart Evans and Keith Skinner are two of the world's leading experts on Jack the Ripper. Keith Skinner was one of the authors of 'The Ripper Diary' and Stewart Evans is the author of 'Executioner'.

About this edition

• Publisher: The History Press
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 075093770X
• ISBN 13: 9780750937702
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 224