I received the following books for Christmas:

The Victims of Jack the Ripper by Neal Stubbings Shelden


Public Reactions to Jack the Ripper, edited by Stephen Ryder


Crime Archive: Jack the Ripper by Val Horsler.




The latter one measures 6.1 x 5.1 x 0.7 inches, making it perfectly miniature!


The Shelden book contains some very concise information (the whole book is 105 pages long, with pictures) but is no worse for that. In fact, Shelden hands you facts (such as we can be sure of) and figures about each victim in a very readable, forthright style. Shelden's agenda is to put a more human face on the victims rather than their murderer, and mentions his wish for a memorial to the victims to be placed in Spitalfields. The bonus of this book is that the author was able to interview members of the families of Ripper victims. Through Shelden and writer/researchers as Chris Scott, we have more information on them than thought possible, and for that they are to be applauded.

Happy Christmas to all! And a joyous Festivus!

We got stuck in an hour-long traffic jam last night behind a 12 car accident. We were coming back from picking up a last minute Christmas gift. Every year we vow to be done, every year there's something we forgot--course, so did many others, it seems.

I mentioned that tomorrow is Christmas Eve and my wife freaked. Now she's running around wrapping stuff. I was smart--I had everything wrapped by the people I bought the items from.

Remember those old Schoolhouse Rock videos? I was looking for Strunk and White commentary, or maybe some videos of grammar lessons that would be useful for a more "time-conscious" generation. I happened on these. I still think they're great.

We're trying to get out to the movies this weekend, and also trying to decide between the two movies. At least there's more than one movie worth watching. The reviews for Sweeney Todd all seem to mention Jack the Ripper--as contemporary and legendary. Problem is, Sweeney never existed while Jacky was all to real.

I was contacted by the Ripperologist, a leading Ripper-related periodical, about the Spring 2008 class dedicated to Jack. Wow. The info should be in the next issue. If you wish to subscribe, it's at Ripperologist Magazine

Have a happy Christmas and New Year!

I'm teaching a class all about Jack the Ripper starting in January. The blog site will be jtrslondon.wordpress.com. It'll be a great way for the students to post pics, videos, etc. to one place. This should really be fun. Finally, my hobby pays off!

I love this time of year because many new Jack the Ripper books come out, just in time for us freaks to get them for Christmas.