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The Ripperological Preservation Society began in 1997 as an effort to unearth, preserve and disseminate a number of the oldest Ripper publications. To date, the R.P.S. has unearthed four previously undiscovered fictional works, and two undiscovered non-fictional works, all published before 1895.
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Der Teufel von Whitechapel
Graf Michael Alexander Soltikow. Nürnberg, 1944. [German]
R.P.S., 2001. Original German with new English translation and introduction.
Translated by Jesse Flowers. Intrdoduction by Stephen P. Ryder.
£10 UK / $15 US, plus postage.
A peculiar piece of Ripper history, published during the waning months of the Third Reich. Although titled Der Teufel von Whitechapel ("The Whitechapel Devil"), the book actually examines a number of different infamous cases of English crime and jurisprudence - ostensibly to show the faults of the British character and legal system. The book is rife with anti-British and anti-Semitic propoganda, and may be disturbing for some readers. Jack the Ripper is covered in a separate chapter, which forms the basis of the reprint. The original German chapter is presented, followed by a new English translation. An introduction and biography of the author is provided as well.
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Hwem är Jack uppskäraren?
Anonymous. Kalmar, 1889. [Swedish]
R.P.S., 2000. 30pp. Original Swedish with English translation.
£15 UK / $20 US, plus postage.
This non-fictional treatment of the murders was recently discovered in Sweden, and has never before been listed in any bibliography. The text discusses the murders in general, specifically focusing on that of Alice Mackenzie. It also discusses the American anatomist who attempted to purchase specimens of uteri from the London Hospital, as well as a previously unknown Ripper scare in Stockholm. The original Swedish has been reprinted along with a new English translation by Ingemar Nilssen. Cardstock covers, 5.5" x 8.5" with archival wire binding. Out of stock...
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Leather Apron; Or, the Horrors of Whitechapel, London.
Sam'l E. Hudson.
Philadelphia, [December] 1888. 76pp.
Arguably the oldest book-length non-fictional treatment of the crimes. Discovered for the first time in 1996, Leather Apron was published in December 1888, only a month after the murder of Mary Jane Kelly. It covers all aspects of the murders, discussing the victims, the letters, the graffito, the newspaper coverage and the abundance of theories surrounding the crimes. It is a substantial early work, and remains one of our most popular items. Reprinted with cardstock covers, 8.5" x 11".
Out of stock... so we've made the full contents available online!
Click here to read "Leather Apron"...
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The History of the Whitechapel Murders: A Full and Authentic Narrative of the Above Murders, With Sketches.
New York: Richard K. Fox, 1888. 43pp, illustrated.
£15 UK / $20 US, plus postage.
One of the earliest non-fictional works on the Ripper, published by Richard K. Fox in late 1888. Fox covers in detail the murders of Emma Smith, Martha Tabram, Polly Nichols, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes and Mary Jane Kelly, concluding that the most likely suspect in Nicholas Vassily. Illustrations are found throughout the text. Reprinted with cardstock covers, 8.5" x 11".
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The First Fifty Years of Jack the Ripper, Vols. I & II.
Stephen P. Ryder, Ed. 1997. Two volumes, approx. 80 pages each.
[2 vol. set] £20 UK / $28 US, plus postage.
Our first original compilation, The First Fifty Years of Jack the Ripper is a two-volume production which includes Ripper-related extracts from sixteen different books published between 1888 and 1938. Editorial introductions are provided for each extract to explain the importance of the work and its author in relation to the Ripper case. Includes extracts from the memoirs of Sir Melville Macnaghten, George Sims, L. Forbes Winslow, Sir Robert Anderson, Arthur Griffiths, Sir Henry Smith and many more. These form an important and indispensable resource for any serious student of the crimes, all in one convenient set. Reprinted with cardstock covers, 8.5" x 11" [two volumes]. Out of stock... so we've made the full contents available online!
Volume 1:
Days of My Years (Macnaghten, 1914)
The Police Encyclopedia (Adam, 1920)
The Trial of George Chapman (Adam, 1930)
The Life and Memoirs of J.C. Collins (Collins, 1912)
Mysteries of Modern London (Sims, 1906)
My Life: Sixty Years' Recollections (Sims, 1917)
Recollections of Forty Years (Winslow, 1910)
Volume 2:
More Studies in Murder
(Pearson, 1936)
Later Leaves (Williams, 1891)
Criminals and Crime (Anderson,
1907)
The Lighter Side of My Official
Life (Anderson, 1910)*
Forty Years of Scotland Yard
(Wensley, 1931)
Police Work from Within (Adam,
1914)
Psychopathia Sexualis
(Krafft-Ebing, 1906)
Mysteries of Police and Crime
(Griffiths, 1898)
From Constable to Commissioner
(Smith, 1910)
* Note that we've here reprinted the
entirety of Dr. Anderson's memoirs, The Lighter Side of My
Official Life. The section relevant to the Ripper crimes is Chapter
IX.
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William Withey Gull - A Biographical Sketch
T.D. Acland, 1896.
Full text provided on Casebook: Jack the Ripper.
A rare biographical account of Sir William Gull, written only a few years after his death. Includes an 1881 photogravure of Gull, along with a facsimile of his signature.
The full-text of this book is available on the Casebook. Click here to read William Withey Gull - A Biographical Sketch!
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Sir Robert Anderson and Lady Agnes Anderson
A.P. Moore-Anderson
London and Edinburgh: Marshall, Morgan & Scott. 1947.
171pp. Illustrated.
A sizeable biography of Sir Robert and Lady Agnes Anderson, written by their son. Contains a few pages on Sir Robert's Ripper investigations, and rehashes his Polish Jew theory. Difficult to find.
The full-text of this book is available on the Casebook. Click here to read Sir Robert Anderson and Lady Agnes Anderson!
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Lighter Side of My Official Life, The
Anderson, Sir Robert, K.C.B.
London: Hodder and Stoughton. 1910.
295pp.
Sir Robert Anderson's autobiography, compiled from a series of articles published earlier the same year in Blackwood's Magazine. He discusses the Ripper case at some length, then admits that the killer was indeed captured and incarcerated in a lunatic asylum. He does not name the killer, who he refers to as a "Polish Jew." Rare.
The full-text of this book is available on the Casebook.Click here to read The Lighter Side of My Official Life!
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Critical Years at the Yard:
The Career of Frederick Williamson
of the Detective Department and the C.I.D.
By Belton Cobb, 1956
We reprint on the Casebook the entire contents of Chapter 16 from this book, which in its entirety covers the history of the Criminal Investigation Department from 1860 to 1889. The final chapter deals almost entirely with the "Crisis of 1888" - i.e. the Jack the Ripper murder investigation of 1888/1889.
The full-text of this chapter is available on the Casebook.Click here to read Critical Years at the Yard!
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Dog Stars: Three Luminaries in the Dog World
Mrs. T.P. O'Connor
New York: George H. Doran Co., 1915.
278pp. Illustrated.
A colorful account by Mrs T.P. O'Conner, wife of the man who started the Star newspaper in 1888, of her personal experiences with the Jack the Ripper case. We offer on the Casebook the relevant parts of Chapter IV, pages 61-79.
The full-text of this chapter is available on the Casebook.Click here to read Dog Stars: Three Luminaries in the Dog World!
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| Fiction |
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Lord Jacquelin Burkney: The Whitechapel Terror.
by "Rodissi" (pseud. Jacob Ringgold), New York. 1889. 152pp.
£20 UK / $28 US, plus postage.
Recently discovered in 1998. Lord Jacquelin Burkney is one of the earliest Ripper novels ever published. The story follows eminent surgeon Lord Jacquelin "Jack" Burkney through the death of his estranged father, and a reunion with a long-lost love. As memories of the past flood back to Jacquelin, dark thoughts begin to permeate his brain ... and soon London is startled by a series of gruesome woman murders. The murders of many of the canonical five victims are discussed, as are the Ripper letters and other true aspects of the case. Interestingly enough, the murderer calls himself "The Avenger," which is the name Mrs. Belloc Lowndes would later use for her Ripper in her famous work, "The Lodger". Reprinted with cardstock covers and bound in archival wire. 5.5" x 8.5".
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The Whitechapel Murders: Or, an American Detective in London.
A. Frank Pinkerton, Chicago. 1889. 186pp..
£20 UK / $28 US, plus postage.
One of the largest early books, The Whitechapel Murders: Or, an American Detective in London contains numerous illustrations and tops out at 186 pages. Apart from the fictional story, the book contains a factual introduction to the case, as well as two appendices. The first appendix is a factual article by a female reporter, describing a walk she took through Whitechapel in the midst of the craze, and the second is a fictional clairvoyant's diary in which he confesses to the murders (sound familiar?) An interesting compilation. Reprinted with cardstock covers, 8.5" x 11".
Click here to
view a large image of the original,
full-color cover of this publication (an alternate cover to that pictured
to the left.)
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Jack the Ripper in New York; Or, Piping a Terrible Mystery.
W. B. Lawson. New York, 1891. 32pp.
Part of the Old Cap Collier Series
Available free online!
A dime novel of the Old Cap Collier Series which incorporates the murder of Carrie Brown into its story. The Ripper has resumed his murders - this time, in New York City.
The full-text of this book is available on the Casebook. Click here to read Jack the Ripper in New York!
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Jack the Ripper; Or, the Whitechapel Fiend in America.
Munro's Publishing House. New York, 1889. 32pp.
Part of the Old Cap Collier Series
Available free online!
Another dime novel of the Old Cap Collier Series, published only a few months after the Mary Kelly murder.
The full-text of this book is available on the Casebook. Click here to read Jack the Ripper; Or, the Whitechapel Fiend in America!
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| Foreign Language (Fiction, Non-Fiction and Plays) |
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The Ripper (Uppskäraren).
Adolf Paul. Sweden, 1892. 162pp..
Available free online!
A decidedly peculiar assortment of short stories and plays, which really have very little to do with the Ripper altogether. There is one chapter entitled "Jack the Ripper's Diary" in which the killer's journal is found, and his ideas on vivisection are examined. Other chapters range from romance to rather bizarre incest- and pedophilia-themed stories, apparently intended to convey a "moral message." The full-text of this book is available on the Casebook. Click here to read The Ripper!
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Jack, O Estripador: Grande Romance de Actualidade, Illustrado com Gravuras
James Middleton. Portugal, 1889. Five volume, approximately 2,000 pages total.
Available free online!
Hands down the longest Ripper book ever published. Jack O Estripador spans five volumes of approximately 400 pages each, all published in 1889. As far as can presently be told, the story involves the true life victims of the Ripper. Numerous illustrations can be found throughout the text. Anyone able to read Portuguese and willing to offer help in constructing a detailed plot synopsis of all five volumes, please contact
spryder casebook.org The full-text of this book is available on the Casebook. Click here to read Jack, O Estripador!
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Jack, el destripador
Madrid, 1928. 56pp.
Year 1, number 13 of the 'La Novela vivida' collection.
Illustrated
Available free online!
An apparent Ripper fiction, though we've not yet had this piece translated. Numerous illustrations can be found throughout the text. Anyone able to read the text and willing to offer help in constructing a detailed plot synopsis, please contact spryder@casebook.org.
The full-text of this book is available on the Casebook. Click here to read Jack, el Destripador!
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Memorias Intimas de Sherlock Holmes
Chapter "Jack, el Destripador"
Barcelona, ca. 1913(?).
Available free online!
An apparent Ripper fiction, though we've not yet had this piece translated. Anyone able to read the text and willing to offer help in constructing a detailed plot synopsis, please contact spryder@casebook.org.
The full-text of this book is available on the Casebook. Click here to read Memorias Intimas de Sherlock Holmes!
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Jack l´Eventreur, le Tueur de Femmes
Part of the Ethel King: le Nick Carter Feminin detective series.
France, ca. 1912-1914.
Available free online!
A French dime novel involving the female detective, Ethel King. It is generally accepted that the author of this series, which ran from 1912 to 1914, was Jean Petithuguenin.
The full-text of this book is available on the Casebook. Click here to read Jack l´Eventreur, le Tueur de Femmes!
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Le Crime de Saint-Lumine-de-Coutias: Jack l´Eventreur
Broadsheet.
France, August 1891.
Available free online!
This broadsheet is currently held at the the Bibliothèque Nationale in France. It describes a "Ripper-like" murder committed August 14th, 1891, in Saint Lumine de Coutais, France. Marie-Anne Mignonneau's throat was slashed, and her body mutilated from her groin to her chest. Her intestines were torn out and scattered upon the ground. A pork butcher named Joseph Pacaud was suspected of having committed the murder, which was eerily reminiscent of the Jack the Ripper murders of three years before.
The full-text of this book is available on the Casebook. Click here to read Le Crime de Saint-Lumine-de-Coutias: Jack l´Eventreur!
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El Destripador: Juguete Comico en un Acto y en Prosa
Don Joaquin Adan Berned
Madrid, Imprenta de Jose Rodriguez. 1889. Spanish play. 22pp.
Available free online!
A Spanish "comedy of errors" published just one year after the Ripper murders.
The full-text of this book is available on the Casebook. Click here to read El Destripador: Juguete Comico en un Acto y en Prosa!
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Jack the Ripper Of Eene Misgreep
Pol Anri.
Antwerpen, 1910. Flemish play. 44pp.
Available free online!
A Flemish play published in Antwerp in 1910.
The full-text of this book is available on the Casebook. Click here to read Jack the Ripper Of Eene Misgreep!
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