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** This is an archived, static copy of the Casebook messages boards dating from 1998 to 2003. These threads cannot be replied to here. If you want to participate in our current forums please go to https://forum.casebook.org **
Jack the Ripper: Through the Mists of Time (Hodgson, 2002)
Casebook Message Boards: Ripper Media: Specific Titles:
Non-Fiction:
Jack the Ripper: Through the Mists of Time (Hodgson, 2002)
Author: Stephen P. Ryder
Sunday, 10 March 2002 - 11:02 pm |        | 
Jack the Ripper: Through the Mists of Time
Peter Hodgson
Minerva Press, 2002.
You won't find any new information on the Ripper in this book. There are no bombshell discoveries, no radical new interpretations or intricate theories. Everything that's covered in this book has been said before. And yet Hodgson's Jack the Ripper: Through the Mists of Time feels fresh and generally entertains the reader - not so much from its content, but rather from its presentation. Reading Hodgson hardly feels like reading at all. Its more like spending a few hours with a friend over pints at the corner pub, chatting about all things Ripperish.
Hodgson begins with a fictional short story of his own - which didn't really work for me - about a time-travelling experiment to unmask the Ripper. From there he opens on a very basic non-fictional overview of the crimes, and a review of the literature surrounding the case. Hodgson covers non-fiction, fiction, film and theater treatments, with separate chapters focusing on Holmesian adaptations and the controversial Diary. I particularly enjoyed his fiction and film review chapters, where Hodgson gave brief overviews of each piece followed by his own personal ratings. The author retained throughout a most pleasant, convivial tone, free of pedantics and criticism, that I found particularly refreshing. His prose became somewhat more disjointed in later chapters when Hodgson reverted back to the facts of the case, unfortunately, and readers familiar with the Ripper case might find these a bit more tedious. Ultimately, Hodgson suggests that Thomas Cutbush is one of the more likely suspects, but of course he wouldn't be surprised if the Ripper's true name was not to be found among the current long list of candidates.
I should make note that Hodgson includes an original pencil-portrait of Mary Jane Kelly, based on her profile in the infamous photograph of her in Miller's Court, which seemed eerily familiar to me. I'm not sure what exact methods were used to create the image, but it seems to be an excellent conception based on the photograph and various witness descriptions - perhaps the best I've ever seen.
Jack the Ripper: Through the Mists of Time is published in first edition softcover by Minerva Press, and is priced at £16.00 UK. Anyone interested in purchasing the book should contact the publishers at:
Minerva Press
6th Floor, St Georges House
6 St Georges Way
Leicester
LE1 1GH
United Kingdom |
Author: Christopher T George
Monday, 11 March 2002 - 10:39 am | | Hi, Stephen:
Thanks for your post to alert us to this new book. Could you perhaps put the artist's rendition of Mary Jane Kelly up here for us to see? I am wondering if it is similar to the image of MJK on the Jack's London map or maybe some of the conceptions that have appeared on these boards?
Many thanks
Chris |
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