Customer Reviews

Jack the Ripper: The Definitive History

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Jack the Ripper is the not quite the definitive history that the sub-title promises but there is much fascinating information in this book by Paul Begg. For the best history on the Jack the Ripper case, the reader is strongly advised to read Philip Sugden's The Complete History of Jack the Ripper. Begg's book would then make an interesting follow-up for the beginning Ripperologist and a must-have for the more devoted follower of Saucy Jack. The author provides a great deal of context (perhaps a tad too much, did the story truly need to begin in Roman times?) which other Ripper books never provide and gives important political thumb nail sketches of the political personalities and issues at the time which directly and indirectly affected the investigations. It would have been nice if the information on the victims and suspects had been expanded a little as one could always feel the author wanting to let loose with his opinion and other facts, particularly noticeable in the chapter on Mary Kelly. An interesting enough addition to the Ripper lore.

From one of the most respected authors on the issue of the Whitechapel Murders, Paul Begg's second solo [attempt to solve] the mystery of Jack the Ripper avoids the mere endless recital of established facts, forays into wild speculation, and terse, musty retelling of a somewhat-worn tale. 'Jack the Ripper: The Definative History' is something far more fascinating and insightful than the musty tomes we've become accustomed to.

Philip Sugden and other respected authors (Begg included) have previously offered solid, factually correct, and meticulous accounts of the [killing] of five prostitute during the Autumn of 1888; however, Begg is the first to take a step back from those few months of Jack the Ripper's rampage, and by doing frees himself to explore the wider social, historical, and political causes, conditions, and impacts of the crimes. While every shred of information is given equal precedence in 'Jack the Ripper: A Definitive History', Begg takes greater care in preserving the overall picture of the era, woven throughout the wonderfully written narrative of history's most notorious 'whodunnit?'; the result of which is ultimately a greater understanding of the crimes for both novices to the case and seasoned 'Ripperologists'. Begg effortlessly maintains a smooth flow in his writing, and though fusing both the specifics of the crimes with a broader investigation into the general time of the murders, the balance between these two elements remains harmonious.

Sugden's 'The Complete History of Jack the Ripper' remains the top authority on every fact and canard of the case, however readers will walk away from 'Jack the Ripper: The Definitive History' with a far greater respect for one of London's bloodiest chapters in history. Begg has again raised the standard for authors on the topic of modern 'Ripperology'!

Paul Begg has written the most insightful volume on The Whitechapel Murders to date. Putting the whole series of events in to historical context is something that has been terribly lacking in other histories surrounding the events of 1888. Bravo to Mr. Begg for his ability to avoid speculating or casting the facts in a slanted light. This book should be the first purchased by anyone with interest in the subject. Thank you, Mr. Begg, for such a thorough and refreshing book.

Readers looking to buy a comprehensive history of the crimes of Jack the Ripper will probably be advised to start elsewhere. This book, while it does contain a brief overview of the murders, is actually a study of the social impact the killings had, as well as a broad socio-cultural history of London and the conditions extant in the east-end slums. It is a well researched and written work, for the most part, but potential buyers should be aware that the title doesn't reflect the content very well.

I began reading this book with a good deal of enjoyment and was impressed by the scholarly detail and fluid language. Aside from one fairly minor criticism, my regard for the book remained high up until the penultimate chapter. At that point, I found the quality of the work took a bit of a downturn and would likely, had the author skipped this unfortunate ending, awarded five stars rather than four.

Begg's essentially argues, as many have done, that the sheer horror of the Ripper murders, occurring as they did in the wretched slums of the east-end, focused social attention on the terrible conditions under which the poor were forced to try to live and that Jack, albeit not by design, became a catalyst for change. In developing this idea, Begg presents a study of many related aspects of Victorian society. He presents, amongst several other things, a great review of the rise of the east-end slum, details the social impact of prostitution as it existed in London's east-end, and explains some of policing problems of the time. In so doing, however, he reveals that a host of factors were involved in the beginning of reform and thus undercuts his central thesis somewhat. Begg, at one point, suggests that the Ripper murder resulted in the resignation of at least one police official and he even goes so far as to say that they almost brought down the government. Clearly, having regard to the other social factors he illustrates, this is overstating the case a bit. Ultimately, though, this flaw is not too serious and I, for one, was easily persuaded to overlook it because the social history he gives us is so obviously well researched and very well foot-noted and presented.

My only real problem with the book was the second to last chapter when Begg departs from his social history and starts to discuss the strength of the case against contemporary suspects considered by the police. I won't go into a lot of detail here, or try to rebut his conclusions, but I have to say that this chapter was not well handled and the conclusions were very poorly reasoned in my estimation. It is a shame that Begg didn't restrain himself and stop before this point (quite while he was ahead, one might say) because, other than this unfortunate essay, his book is genuinely a useful work. I probably won't read it cover to cover again, but I will definitely use it as a reference in the future.

I was a bit confused in the beginning by this book and it's history of London dating back to the Romans but as I read on I found it an incredible history of not only London but in particular the East End leading up to the Haymarket Riots and the Whitechapel Murders. If you are interested in what brought the East End to it's knees in the Autumn of 88 this is the book to read.

I read this book about three quarters of the way through before I could no longer stand it. When I had officially picked it up, I thought it was about the case itself. I'd read the story multiple times before, but still, it comes out different from each author's pen.

And then I had to trudge through this book. I was freaked out at first simply from the fact that it had started talking about the history of London beginning with the Romans. I figured that he was just starting out this way to bring anyone who'd been under a rock forever up to speed or something, but then it continued on, and on, and on, and I could trudge no more.

This book is definitely Definitive. It tells you how London and Whitechapel became what it did, but it really doesn't touch much on Jack the Ripper, which, considering he's listed in the title, doesn't seem to be mentioned as much as he should. Heck, while Rebecca was indeed never a tangible character in the book by Daphne de Maurier, she was a character metaphysically.

I suggest this book if, and only if, you care about the history up to Bloody Jack and the setting around it, but not about him himself. Or, if you're particularly bored and need something to make you fall asleep.