I got a notice from Amazon in the UK that a hardback version of the indispensable Jack the Ripper A to Z is about to come out. As far as I know, the UK will be the only place you can get it. I can't really tell from the site whether it's an updated version or just a reprint. Either way, a hardback copy will be very welcome, as I have two paperbacks because I'm afraid they'll fall apart. The book in paperback form is not cheap as it's scarce--I hope that the new edition will remedy that and allow more people to be able to afford it. The new one costs 19 pounds (about 40 or so dollars)which, to me, is a steal. Philip Sugden's book The Complete History of Jack the Ripper reconciles some of the errors of A to Z and is great on its own (a must-have for any true Ripperphile), but I've always enjoyed the readability of A to Z. Paul Begg (perhaps my favorite Ripperologist--succinct, deliberate and knowledgeable), Keith Skinner and Martin Fido have yet to be surpassed in sheer guts to undertake the huge labyrinthine project of collating all the minutiae of the case.

jack the ripper and me